The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-03

III > vi tIit tdIIiDdISD. L W was N
the new National Institute of Health.
tween the walls thereof with sand.
Each dam should hav etWo large
gates.
After such construction az set
out above no water would enter
Toomer's Creek, which would then
become a reservoir, except by the
upper mouth and then only when
desired. The Creek as a resrvoir
would carry sveral days supply.
The admittance of water on such
days as the water was least salty
could be the order, except, Of
course, in emergency. For no rea-
son would water be admitted ex-
cept when the tide was going out
and the stage of water low. 1t is
at the low water stage that the
water contains least salt, he in
vestigation by the Public Works
Department has determined.
The estimate cost to complete
the entire improvement to your
present Source of Water Supply
as outlined above is s46, $685.
It should be noted that Mr.. Bee
ton made a survey and study at
that tirne,S of two other possible
sources of intake in addition to
TONERS Creek, namely Catfish
Creek and Strawberry Bluff. AS a
result of Mr.. Becton's survey and
study he reached the conclusion
that the most desirable thing for
the city to do at that time was to
improve the TONERS Creek in
take as recommended, which the
city did. There was no satisfactory
evidence then as to how far salt
water might in the future penetrate
upward in the Cape Fear River.
This is shown under Conclusions"
in the report above referred to.
Here follows the conclusions
reached by Mr.. Becton:
1--WE find there has never peen a
regular and continued study over
a period of years of the salt water
conditions at numerous points on
the Cape Fear River or at Catfish
Creek. This study could only be
carried on for about two months
in the fall and when undertaken
should cover a period of three
years minimum, preferably five
years. 1t should embrace the Cape
Fear River from TONERS Creek
to the Government dam at Kings
Bluff and all major tributaries to
the Cape Fear. Water samples at
every other mile post on the river
in this section at each high and
each low tide should be taken dur
ing this study. Until that study has
been made no human can say def
initely where the proper water in
take for Wilmington should be To-
Gated.
The cost Of any change of water
intake for Wilmington will be fear
fully expensive, as indicated by the
estimates herein. Not having the
Information mentioned in the par
agraph first above it would seem
most unWise, in our opinion, to
consider any change of your pres
emit intake from it's existing oca-
ton unit you know definitely a
point that is and will be free Of
salt under any kind of weather
and tide conditions.
During our survey we made con-
tinuous, neighborhood and vicinity,
inquiry regarding known salt wa
ter conditions in the Cape Fear
River. The information a of
course, varying and generally I'M
certain, but finally information we
felt most pertinent led us to search
for the facts, which we secured
and are contained in an attached
letter from w. A. Smith, General
Yardmaster for the Seaboard Air
Line Railroad company. In this
letter MIR. Smith sets up as a fact
that salt water existed in the water
from Livingston Creek at Acme,
N. c., where his trains secure wa
ter, this fall and intermittenty for
the past tWeve years. Livingston
Creek is a tributary to the Cape
Fear; it empties into the Cape
Fear a little above the % miles
post; it is about 3 mics up Liv-
ingston's Creek, from the River
to Acme, making a tota of 81
mics, by water, from Wilmington.
He sets out that the water at Acme
in times Of boiler trouble contains
above $50 parts per million, and
above that amount salt is tasteable
in water. l
Realizing that it is the desire of
your body to give to the citizens
OF Wilmington as pure and palat-
able and as commercially satisfac-
tory water as is possible, is reason