Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-15
DIXON EXPLAINS
STATES OBJECTS
Important Meeting Held With
Westmoreland Counties at
the State Capitol


a committee of the Borough Coun-
ell of New Kensington. together with
representatives of the kensington
Water Company, which supplies water
in the boroughs of Arnold, New Ken
sington and Parnassus. and of the
Suburban Water Company, which
supplies water in Oakmont and We
roma, to-day conferred with DR.. Sam
uel G. Dixon, State Commissioner of
Health, regarding disagreeable tastes
which have appeared in the public
water supplies in the boroughs from
time TO time during the past two
years.
DR.. Dixon stated that as soon as the
matter was reported to the Depart
ment of Health inspectors and en-
gineers were sent along the Allie
gheny river and tributary streams to
ferret out the cause of the tastes. II
was found that the trouble originated
in number of industrial concerns,
principally along the Kiskeminet2s
and Clarion rivers. Most of these
concerns had been in business for
years, but owing to the increased out
put in the last two years the volume
of wastes has grown so that the river
is no longer able to absorb and neu-
tralize the Objectionable character
istics of some of the wastes. While
this investigation was going on the
Department. of Health made n careful
study of the water TO determine if the
tastes and odors were pathogenic. 1t
was found that while the water was
unpalatable at times 1t did not con-
tain materials or organisms liable to
cause disease in man.
DIR. Dixon explained the work the
State Department of Health was
doing to protect the public against
danger from the waste of the great
new industries that had destroyed the
taste of the waters supplied to New
kensington and the surrounding
towns.
DR.. Dixon complimented the water
companies on the eXertion they had
made to determine the character or
the wastes and to experiment in re-
storing the waters to their normal
condition, even though they had not
yet proven successful. The commits
sioner explained that while the great
industries must receive reasonable
consideration, pure drinking water
for the people of the Commonwealth
that they must take care of their
wastes in way that would not inter
fere with the streams.
They have expended large sums of
money! said the commissioner, and
have apparently accomplished their
purpose, and are now introducing the
new treatment TO eliminate the OBJ
jectionable character of the wastes
they have been turning into the riv-
ers. 1 am sure it will only he a mat
ter of a few weeks when the objec-
ton will he overcome"
The members present expressed the
opinion that the waters had been
growing better, and agreed with the
commissioner when he said they
could assure their constituents that
they had stated their case with all the
effect possible. and that the objec-
tionable waste OF the water would
disappear as rapidly as the use of the
new device could be extended.
The following were present at the
conference: Samuel Hester. presi-
dent; G.. w. Zimmerman, Howard Rie-
der and Harry Kanouff, members of
New Kensington Borough Council; H.
Z. Pollock, James G.. Griffith and
Chester c. Humphreys, of the Ken
sington Water Company, and NJ B.
Jacobs, of the Suburban Water Com
pany of Oakmont and Verona.