New Britain herald., 1919-11-21
Q CHLORINATE OR NOT TO
 CHIORIN.A ATE.

been stirred up in city govern Snt circles by the demand of the Bte Health department that the Fer from Whigville reservoir. which 6being used in New Britain for 8ak1nS purposes, be chlorinated. Water Commissioners character
 the statements of pr, Reeks in re- 8ds the extent of the protected Fer sn @d at Whigville and the pos &lities of it's chlorination by a #nt already in place as misrepre- 2tatlons. We are not in position juoge0 upon the merits of the re- 8ctive state nents but are of the &nion that it would be the right a1G to do if the city immediately 8k steps to see that the water was 8perly treated. Like the commits 81ers, we have no desire to frighten public but there always turks in back of our minds the fear of an 8demic caused by polluted water. Ere is no promise of this epidemic, Mase understand, there is no par # laT reason why it. should come #ut, but there is q fear that it
 Eht, therefore the possibility should &guarded against
 Whatever the extent of the city #led water shed back of the reser- 8 there is always the possibility & infection in tho supply. There # persons and dumb animals on the #De which leads surface water into # reservoir, even if only occG&io!2- These arc liable to be typ1oiI
 riers. It is said that onc person #eVery three hundred is q carrier, #ether he has ever had the di1ca.se @ not. Should the waste matter one of these carriers be drained #lific typhoid germ might imme- Wely precipitatC an epidemic, It &SI De clunlItCd llteLl NdoIS io pci'5 Fried into tho source of our sup S despite the pains that the water ' I'd take to prevent this. It has 8 been infected and might never be, # also, there is a chance that a #hc:ent number of the germs be &shed into tho water,
 Fine supply in Whigville is turned
 r' practically every day by the #. We use almost the full capacity, &ording to pr, Rocks. This flows & us in a large main. During the # the main carries all of its water &b New Britain and is used as &t as delivered. At night the water 8 8backcd up and flows into Shuttle x adow. If Whigville were infected
 larger reservoir would also be in 8 same condition.
 #0r. Reeks is essentially sanitar- 8 he is liable to wish to surround
 city supply with every possible #eguard. But we do not believe that &nmissioners are ayerse to instituting g N process called for. can see no
 son why they should be- Water & chlorinated by the use, of. a tank # ich generates the gas and which ices it into the water through a Eve The supply may be controlled # that there is no taint of the gas # the fluid when it flows but a few t. The chlorinating is done on d ' in feed pipe, the bubbles killing \ harmful germs and then disap-
 bring. It is a simple process, and
 luires the attention of but one man.
 There is. no occasion for undue rm in the situation but it might be # #ll if immediate action is taken to
 ure the city against the remotest Disability of an epidemic. Dr. Reeks &lognizes this, so does the writer,
 d we believe the Water Board is in #sord. We cannot see how it might T otherwise. =-.
 lWater Comm issioner Hossberg is < bnsor for the statement that the
 IN has storage capacity for about
 000,00 gallons of water at Whig
 le and that the city uses but about
 million gallons a day from this
 lrce This is a divergence from the
 innate of the use made by Dr.
 eks, but does not eliminate the pos
 ility of contamination nevertheless
 e missioner is of the. opinion Eat Dr. Reeks has been misinformed 8d says that the steps taken against
 ntamination are about ninety five
 r cent perfect. The water shed is III guarded, he says. -
 Neyerthe there is need of the
 lcrine process. Dr. Reeks has the
 i,, hi 1