150 Kansas Academy of Science. 



AN IMPROVED WATER SUPPLY FOR THE CITY OF 



EMPORIA. 



By A. J. Smith. City Engineer, Emporia. 



''T'^HE need of a purer water supply for the cities and towns of 

 -■- eastern Kansas is becoming more important each year, as the 

 population continues to grow, increasing the contamination of our 

 rivers — the present water supply of many towns. There are two 

 reasons for this bad condition of our rivers. The first is the in- 

 creased number of floods in late years, which, sweeping over the 

 lowlands, wash the filth from the fever-breeding barnyards into the 

 rivers, from which it is pumped into the towns for drinking pur- 

 poses. Of course, a certain part of these impurities are oxidized 

 by the action of the air, but it is certainly impossible for it all to 

 be removed in this way. 



The second reason is the manner of disposal of the city sewage. 

 As a town increases in size there must be some way to get rid of 

 the increased sewage. In most towns this is done in^ the easiest 

 and cheapest way, by dumping it into the nearest stream. This is 

 true of Emporia and the Neosho river, as well as most other towns 

 in eastern Kansas. 



In the fall of 1907 the Emporia authorities began to realize the 

 dangers of river water for drinking purposes. After some discus- 

 sion, the city council appropriated $300 for the purpose of pros- 

 pecting for and testing the underflow in the gravel beds underlying 

 the valleys of both the Neosho and Cottonwood rivers, which flow 

 near the city. The engineering department was instructed to carry 

 on these tests, and as head of that department I had full charge of 

 the work. 



In order to determine the quantity of water that could be secured 

 it was necessary to know the width and thickness of the gravel de- 

 posits and the percentage of voids contained therein; also the 

 direction and velocity of the flow of the water through it. In de- 

 termining the quality of the water a chemical analysis was made; 

 also, for comparison, a parallel chemical analysis of water from 

 both the Cottonwood and Neosho rivers and from the hydrants in 

 the city. 



The methods used in the prospecting were modifications of 

 those devised by Prof. Charles S. Sclichter of the United States 

 Geological Survey, the manner of sinking the wells, however, being 



