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The Water Supply of Indiana. 



By H. E. Barnard. 



In my (li.sciissioii of the water supplies of Indiana I shall refer only to 

 die waters used for drinking and domestic purposes, and for my data draw 

 upon the thousands of analyses made at the Laboratory of Hygiene of the 

 State Board of Plealth during the last seven years. Tlie information we 

 have collected far exceeds all other available data on the subject. 



In the period the laboratories have been in operation we have analyzed 

 6,127 samples of water collected from every part of the State, and from 

 all kinds of sources. Of the total number of examinations made 3.051 

 were from shallow wells, 1,908 from deep wells, 280 si»rings. 207 streams, 

 IGO ponds and lakes, 190 cisterns, 201 miscellaneous and 49 sewage. Of 

 all the supplies examined 3,537 have been potable, that is, free from sewage 

 and chemically suitable for drinking and domestic puiT)oses, 1,837 bad and 

 753 doubtful. 



One thousand two hundred and forty samples have been sent to us 

 from public suiiplies. Of this number 137 were derived from shallow 

 wells, 593 deep wells, 251 streams, 61 springs, 140 ix)uds and lakes and 55 

 miscellaneous. 



Four thousand, eight hundred and eight-seven samples were private 

 supplies, that is, supplies used by a single family. A large number of 

 these samples were collected in the district by local health officers, but 

 many samples were sent in by the owners themselves and in the aggregate 

 no small number represents pi'ivate well supplies fr(un city lots. Of the 

 private supplies examined 3,029 samples were taken from shallow wells, 

 1,354 deepvS wells, 246 springs, 205 cisterns, 37 sewage and 16 miscellaneous. 



Of the 614 public water supplies classed in another tabulation as dee]) 

 wells 518 were of good quality, 31 bad and 66 doubtful. 



Of the 136 shallow wells used as public supplies, 82 were good, 33 bad 

 and 21 doubtful — that is. while about 15 per cent, of the deep well public 

 supplies were either bad or doubtful. 40 per cent, of the shallow wells 

 were either bad or doubtful. 



Two hundred and forty samples represented stream waters used as 

 public supplies. Of this number 146 were classed as good, 46 as bad and 

 48 as doubtful. 



