Omaha daily bee., 1918-08-12
LAKE AT
MILLER PARK IS
SLOWLY DRYING
Situation is Becoming Serious
in Douglas County, Land
Owners and 0riIlerS
of Wells cey.are.

The beautiful springfield lake at
Miller'park, one OF the prettiest sheets
of water in the park district of Oma-
ha, is drying up.
Springs viii h fed the lake and pro-
vided flow OF water sufficient to
keep the bed filled at all times with
pure, clear water, are failing and not
enough wate4is running into the lake
bed now to provide for the loss
through evaporation and the sluggish,
dead volume of water is slowly re-
ceding.
Scum and al ,ae, which always COL
lect in dead water where there is in
sufficient aeration due to discharge
from strong living springs, and other
aquatic growths are collecting and
their constant decay is adding
noisome smells to unsightliness, and
there is danger that the condition will
become such that the beauty of the
lake will be completely done away
with.
The failure of the spring head
which feeds the lake is due to the
same causes as those which threaten
the destruction of the Omaha artesian
basin, Of which this district is a part.
The failure of the artesian water
supply at the South Omaha stock
yards cansalso be traced to this cause.
Situation Serious.
J. H. Price, hardwa. dealer at
Florence, whose father and family
own 300 acres of land in Florence
and Union precincts, says the water
situation in that part of the county is
getting very serious.
Enormous quantities of stock water
is required on the farm and at the
present time the only permanent sup
ply, which has been largely decreased,
is coming from one deep we'll on the
tract. In order to provide water new
wells are being dug and of the four
teen new wells which have been bored
in the past year not one has been
found which is dependable. The sup
ply of water that is struck in the
first veins seems to sink away and is
lost. Water has to be pumped into
the wells from the sources all the
time by mechanical means.
II do not think the scarcity of
water is due to deficiency in the
rain fall" said Mr.. Price, "for in
former years, when there were more
severe and protracted drouths than
now exist, there has always been
strong supply of water in our wells,
The supply was uniform for many
years, but several years ago we began
to notice gradual failure of the
flow which became greater and great
er as time passed on and now we are
up against what seems to be an ex-
hausted artesian basin.
Not Due to Drouth.
One OF Omaha's most experienced
and expert we'll drillers. who has done
much work in developing sources Of
supply of artesian water for private
and industrial concerns and property
owners in the city and county says:
Il cannot think that the failure OF
the Omaha artesian basin is due to
drouth, but rather do | ascribe its
failure to some mechanical drain, due
10 geological fault or some uncon-
trolled springfield which is exhaust
ing the reservoir by improper siphon-
age. If the source of this drain can
be located and controlled / believe
the artesian basin can be restored to
its original strength and usefulness.
Until this is done the persons and
industries affected must be prepared
to meet with an enormous loss of
capital invested in wells that will
soon be useless because of the failure
OF the district and with the loss of
great sums of working capital which
must be used to explore for and de-
velop new sources Of water, which |
believe will be of only temporary
value and benefit