The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-07-02
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
State of Oklahoma
DR.. A. r. LEWIS
COMMISSIONER
Oklahoma CITY
June an& 1919
Mnyur Chas. ~. Hubbard,
Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Mnyor Chas. II. Hubbard
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Dear Sir.
You hn,e requested the state board Of health tn
make ~ preliminary statement with rcfervnCc TO
ccrtnin proposed wnttp projects for Tulsa In View
of the fact That the law requires municipalities To
SECURE the approval of the state board of health be
fore lciing contracts Tor wntrrworks II II logical To
make such request bcfurc voting bonds, In order
10 avoid the confusion rcrulrinE from tile diahp-
pro,nl Of project for which the funds have bccn
raised
The state board Of health, In the exercise OF
Its duty "a safeguard the public by supervision Of
water supplies concerns Itself with two questions
IN passing on new work. The answers Of these
two questions determine whether or not the pro-
posed supply ns II reaches the consumer will he
safe for domestic use. and whether not tho
supply h adequate 10 meet the expected needs 0f
tho town The economy Of "A project II not NJ
present considered by this Organization. since our
engineering force Is entirely Inadequate to make
the necessary Investigations Ia select That project
which can bc constructed and operated ~ least
expense.
Of the several proIccis reported on by your
engineer you have asked whether ar not spn nviiinv
CryCk would he approved by the state board nf
health From personal inspection mnde of
this source, and from examinations made In the
state laboratory Of samples which collected. l
b"ll,~c that SpnNlnnw creek II II satisfactory and
sufficient supply In my estimation no treatment
would bc required for this water other thnn the
dsinfcciRnt recommended ny your engineer Ma
chemical precipitation or filtration should be
necessary,
You asked whether not Shell creek with -
drninngc area of ~ sgunrc miles can he depended
Tulsa might bc mrt by She'll creek. hut extensions
would bc needed To meet the growth ~ the city.
THIS statement is based figures used by con.
-"ryntivC engineers assuming 25 per
un aud dependence should not he plnccd on
higher runoH unless actual gnuginE ~ the stream
demonstrates that more thnn rs per cent nf the
rainfall flows IN the stream. GunglnR~ IAwton
show n runoff ~ rs per cent, white iu the eastern
Iutcd States the average for 10 streams Is -
p'r rent
The foregoing statements made In the hope
TINT TuIsn Inny he aided In unprr judlccd
hutton ~ the water problem. II l. realized that
thcrc are several possible sources which suf-
fi,lrnt and nrc or can he made safe aud n ~ ns-
sutncd that Tulsa viii select the most economical
nj these sources. II is not within the province of
thr state bunrd ~ health tu advise the selection
~ uuy particular source, nor tu he party Of
Of tho lncnI n ~ within the province
~ the state hoard ~ health to urge Tulsn to
cure a water supply that n sufc and sufficient.
\ GOOD municipal supny t4 the only wny 80 uro-
rect i,r ucuulc ~ Tulsa from contaminated we'll
fi4tcrn AMI bottled water
Yours very respectfully.
W EVANS, Sanitary Engineer
Approved by \. H. LEWIS. State Commissioner
ot Health.