The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-01-14

Among tho important Hafeguardt which tho State ot Connecticut hai established for the protection ot the public health of It's citizens f. A complete and efficient super. vision over public water Auppllos and sewage disposal systems which has been entrusted with the Bu- reau of Sanitary Engineering of tho State Department of Health, which bureau Ia under tho immc- diate direction of Warren i, Scott
 An idea of tho scope of tho work of this bureau may Do obtained from the statistics on tho water supplies over which 1t has jurlsdic- ton. There arc in Connecticut t0- day 103 public water supply ays- tems serving l3D communities which hold about i,430,000 people or about SC percent of tho stat0'E total population, Every ono of these supply systems is under tho constant vigilance of tho bureau to eliminate chances of harmful pol. lution.
 Disease traceablo to impure water supplies were oneo quite prevalent in Connecticut, Typhoid fever, tho most dangerous of all { waterborne diseases in this state, had in tho year of 1890 death rate of about forty-two deaths per 100000 inhabitants. To-day, the typhoid rate Is about one per t0O,- GOO, Q definite indication that the proteetIon of Connecticut's water supplies has been accomplished, Tho few typhoid deaths of the present day come from sources other than the water supply. There has not been Q typhoid death att trlbuted to a public supply In this state since 1911.
 Records show that the first public water supply in the state was developed in Durham In l7DS and that but few were added until 1860. From the later date through tho next fifty years tho number of public systems increased rapidly, Slnco 1910, few new systems lave been developed, but the existing ones have been greatly enlarged and improved,
 Filtration and chlorlnatIon of tho water supply before 1t Is dis tributed for public consumption in order to remove harmful bacteria are now common. About aevcntV- five per cent of the people served by the public systems receive wa ter that has been chlorinated (treated with minute dosagcs of chlorine); and tWenty-seVen per cent receive water that has been filtered. Some systems use both methods of protection.
 The records show that sand fil- ters were first installed in Green wich In 1888 and in Farmlngtor in 1892. Chlorination first came into existence about. 1905, but IT this country did not come into wide use on q working basis until 1910. Stamford and Torringtor had the first installations.
 For many years, the state exer- cised only a limited advisory re- lationship to the water supplies the control resting entirely in th= hands of local officials. Later on the advantages of additional con trol by a central agency, especially in cases where the water supply of one town was derived from sources in another town, were recognized in granting mandatory authority at the same time leaving a large measure of control in the hands of local authorities.
 Methods of determining the de- gree of purity of a water supply and of protecting it against pollu- ton developed gradually through the years. it Is shown in the earlier reports of the original State Board of Health. the predecessor of the present State Department of