The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1931-04-16
Facts on Water SOftening


Facts on Water Softening
A DVANTAGES of installing water softening
n plant in Redwood Falls include: reduce cost of
individual water softening; making possible the
operation of laundry; attracting other industries de-
pendent upon good water
What is hard water? If it takes much soap to
produce lather the average knows that water
is hard Hardness of most water supplies is due to
four compounds which they hold in solution calcium
bi-carbonate Ordinarily known limestone), magne
stun bi-carbonate Ordinarily known as magnesite),
calcium sulphate Ordinarily known gypsum) and
magnesium sulphate Ordinarily known as epson
salts).
AS long as these compounds, or any combination
of them present, water is hard By treatment hard
water is made soft, changing these compounds from
soluble to nsoube compounds and then removing the
isoluble compound by sedimentation and filtration,
by an exchange process by replacing the calcium and
magnesium with sodium.
The presence of iron in water is also Objectionable
1t stains wash bowls bath tubs sinks and laboratories
Water softening processes remove iron as well as
hardness salts Inconvenience of using hard water for
household is that soap combines with hardness and
forms curds Curds stick to clothes turning them gray
when ironed The National Canneres association in
recent bulletin claims that hard water tough
ening hardening of peas and ripe BEANS and in
crustaton of oxalates in beets when used in canning
these vegetables.
Hard water has bad effect on plumbing, heating
systems and on boiler tubes and Shells Heating of
hard water deposits of scale in pipes and coils
Scale heat loss. Placing compounds in the
water to soften it is expensive to the individual hence
discouraging many industries from locating. Special
manufacturing industries such as canning, textiles,
tanning fermentation sugar reneries, starch works,
and chemical industries all require soft water for
cessfu operation. Other things being equal this To-
cality would become attractive for location and
they would be big users of water.
The removal Of hardness salts alters the taste of
water very little Tests show that most people can
not tell the difference Much of the talk going around
saying how bad water will taste, is misleading. In
cases where water is drawn from river lake and
put through filtration process, there may be differ
ence. The process recommended for Redwood Falls is
the lime and odaash process This is stirred into the
water and preciptate the calcium and magnesium COM
pounds By settling these almost entirely remov-
ed. The softened clarified water is then carbonated
with carbonic acid gas to stabilize it. After this it
passes through sand filters.
Although a construction program of this kind
would slightly increase the water rates. the savings to
the individual effected would warrant the expendi
ture. The tax rates would not increase materially.
Inherently Fisherman
MAN is at heart fisherman some one said. By
MI that, supposedly it is inferred that mans de-
sire to get out into the open to be next to ma
ture is instructive with him. Primitively, fishing was
one of the first occupations. AS gained other
means of eeking living, and when it became more
specialized, fishing became Of the leisure arts.
With traits of lyricsm Calvin Coolidge touches a
responsive note when he says, The open country the
unhurried silence, the refreshing leisure stmula-
ton to the body and benedicton to the soul Part
icuarly appealing is the memories evoked while on
such an excursion to natures haunts reminiscent of
boyhood days.
Patience is one of the first virtues characteristic
of the fisherman Coolidge notes that the "creduty
disciplined" But veracity is hardly considered
of the shermans virtues for the big always gets
away 1t is lesurely gentle in which practice the
imagination expands" and undoubtedly many rom
anic tales and pieces of fiction had their birth in such
an environment.
Public Spiritedness
~ NE conceive of no better example of publi
spiritedness than the will of Mary L. Finn which
provides Redwood Falls public library with
magazine fund. This shows that the thought of thu
donor for the beterment of the community by its
reading facilities
1t is commendable that there are citizens with per
spective for public welfare Apparently Mary L. Fnl
was equally predetermined throughout her life in th
community and with their interests at her heart An
other recent example Of this attitude was the donation
to the city by Mrs. T. w. Smith consisting of the in
termittent spotlight for the city's water tower.