THE WATER WE DRINK.

Evening Star, Issue 3467, 2 April 1874, Page 3

THE WATER WE DRINK.

The following letter .was read at the City Council list evening■ ■

Moray place, Dunedin, '■ v - March 28th, 1874. ; To His Worship the Mayor of Dunedin. Sir, —I beg to draw your . Worship’s attention, and that of the Town Council, to the fluid which is being distributed to the inhabitants of Dunedin by the Water Works Company, I was induced to make an examination of this fluid in consequence of the occurrence of severe, and in some instances fatal, cases of dysenteric diarrhoea—a disease which has prevailed in Dunedjn,.and t ,yhich experience has, shown to bd'almbsf always associated ■yfith'impure drinking water. I therefore obtained a bottle of water from a tap on some premises I rent, and first made an examination, with the naked eye. THe -water was received into a white glass-stoppered bottle, which was quite clean, but which I carefully washed out several times with the water under, examination. The water was taken the day after a rainfall. It was extremely turbid, and of a light brownish color when fa sheet of white paper was placed behind it. I cannot say anything as to' its taste, for I did not consider it justifiable to drink a fluid so evidently loaded with impurities. The bottle was allowed .to stand for four hours, when it was found that a considerable sediment was deposited, but the fluid was still turbid. After waiting two, or;three, days^’the turbidity still;remained, showing that it was owing in part at least to’ living beings moving about in- the water, as any merely mechanical impurities would in that time have either.lfloated at the top, or settled down at the bottom. On ex-, amining the fluid under the microscope, this; proved to be the case. Numerous animalcules and; animal and vegetable cells, were found in a single; drop. The sediment was of ahrowri color, and con-' sisted of decaying animal and vegetable matter —many living animalcules new to me, but belonging to; the Botifero/— numerous very beau- : tiful specimens of Demidacea and Diatomacea, and a variety of other organic bodies, the nature of which it would require a prolonged examination to determine. The: whole sediment,, however, with its living inhabitants, was so characteristic of water contaminated by the excreta of animals, and resembled so strikingly tether waters which I had examined at Home and in the West Indies, and which were known to be thus contaminated, that I determined to make an examination of the Reservoir and the source of its supply. On Tuesday, the 24th inst,, I proceeded to the Reservoir, which I found exceedingly clean and in good order. It jyas evident, however, that no provision existed for filtering tbe water —a provision absolutely necessary, unless the source of supply is either from artesian wells or from such an exceptionally pure source as Loch Katrine, from which the water distributed, to Glasgow is' derived. . The sides of the Reservoir I found were in part the natural soil of the locality, and I could see in the water decaying vegetable matter in abundance. On going to the upper end, I found that the Reservoir is supplied from.a serai-stagnant pond into which a small rivulet flows. The pond was full of weeds, blanket weed, among others, which cannot grow in rapidly flowing water. Thewater was turbid, and, like that of the Reservoir, of a brownish tinge. The banks of this pond and of the rivulet that supplier it w.ere covered with English grass, and formed a grazing ground for cattle. The droppings of these animals were extremely aburidant on the grass, and as the land slopes down to the rivulet on each side, it

is quite certain that every shower of rain must bring the excreta of cows and horses, or, in plain language, their dung and urine, into reservoir of water drank by the people of Dunedin. Moreover, the road slopes down to the point where it crosses the river, and I could trace the drainings ■ £i;om> the- road into it. Oh following the river 'a little 1 way, I pasged over some enclosed land, and found the |carcase bf a reeentlyrkiiled pig: hanging .by the river side. The washing from this pig, consisting of soapy water containing bristles, &c., ran into the river. Near the pigiwas a fireplace set into the bank, in which was a quantity of ashes; near it were two washing-tubs, and evidences of soap water ‘'having ‘ been 1 ''habitiially thrown on the bank, close to the river. We, therefore, it is evident, have the . pleasure of drinking the diluted soap-suds from a family washing place. I think the facts I have stated are sufficient to detnand farther enquiry; ;If the .Town; Council will appoint a committee, I shall be happy to bring my microscope and show them the nature of the sediment in the water, and at the same time show them how exactly it resembles the sediments of London i water, figured' in' the report on cholera to the General Board of Health. This water yras condemned as on? of the causes ,of cholera, and the companies were' compelled to seek a purer source of supply, and to filter their water. Since.then it mwell known that cholera has hardly attacked London, and the only cases were in the East End, and in houses supplied by a company whose water supply was accidentally contaminated by sewage. A single case of typhoid fever in any of the houses near the river, and allowing their drainage to go into it, would produce an epidemic. I have seen epidemic produced by such a cause. Begging you to bring this letter under the notice of the Council—l have, &c.,

R. H. Bakewell. ■ discussion that followed, Councillor Barnes said he could vouch for every word in the letter. It Lore out his statement that diarrhoea and other complaints prevailing in the City were caused by the bad quality of the water. Me bad never seen in any country such a place used for waterworks. He paid a visit to the neighborhood of the Reservoir lately, and he found that a great deal of very offensive matter flowed into the creek supplying the Reservoir.— Councillor Prosser moved—“ That the thanks of the Council be given to Dr Bakewell for his enquiries into the subject referred to in the tetter, and that it be referred to the Water Works Committee, who may consult Dr JoakeWell and bring up a reportand Councillor Ramsay, in supporting the motion said

he thought it would be advisable to have the wafcer analysed again, as its quality might now be different to what it was when Professor Black reported in its favor. —The Chairman (Cr Walter) thought that the thanks of the Council were due to Dr Bakewell for his able letter. He thought the Council would have to ask the Legislature to introduce a Purity Bill.—Councillor Burt pointed out that the quality of the water probably varied to a great extent during the course of the year. In most waterworks the water was tested throughout the whole course of the year, and he thought similar steps should be taken here. It was a mistake to suppose that storm water flowed into the .Reservoir. A storm channel, obviating this evil, had been constructed at a considerable cost. —The motion was agreed to, with the addition that steps should be taken to have the water analysed again.