Miscellaneous Papers. 16^ 



THE POLLUTION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 



By S. J. Crumbine, M. D., Topeka. 



T^HE source of water for domestic purposes might be divided 

 -*- into three classes : First, waters secured from streams or lakes; 

 second, impounded surface waters, as ponds, cisterns, etc.; third, 

 the ground waters, such as wells and springs. The latter is by far 

 the greatest source of supply to the people of this country, and it 

 is to the discussion of the pollution of this class of water that I 

 desire to direct your attention. 



The amount of ground water in the earth's crust is enormous. 

 An estimate made by DeLesse — based on the assumption that the 

 water in rocks diminished from 5 per cent of their weight, or 12^ 

 per cent of their volume at the surface, to nothing at a depth of 

 six miles, and that water may exist in liquid form at a temperature 

 of 600° 0. — gave a sheet of water over 7500 feet thick surrounding 

 the earth. 



Slichter made an estimate of less than half that of DeLesse, 

 which estimate was equivalent to a uniform sheet of water 3000 

 feet in thickness. 



Van Hise's guess was 226 feet of water over the continental 

 areas, no computation being made regarding the oceanic areas. 



Chamberlain and Salisbury, assuming a porosity of 5 per cent 

 for the soil, estimated a layer of water 1600 feet in depth covering 

 the entire surface. 



Myron L. Fuller, of the United States Geological Survey, af ti r 

 making an extensive investigation and experiments as to the po- 

 rosity of soil and rock in this country, together with the thickness 

 of sediments, and the evidence of circulation of free water in the 

 earth's crust, came to the conclusion that the total free water held 

 in the earth's crust would be equivalent to a uniform sheet over 

 the entire surface of a depth of ninety-six feet. The underground 

 water would, therefore, be estimated to be only one one-hundredth 

 of the volume of the ocean, instead of nearly one-half, as figured by 

 DeLesse. Fuller finally concludes that the average amount of 

 water in the earth is probably under, rather than over, the amount 

 estimated. 



Comparatively little of this ground water is available for the 

 purpose of a domestic water supply, for reasons which are self-evi- 

 dent. First, probably a larger share of it carries such quantities 



