Nearly concealed by cedars and ampelopsis. This storage tank is enclosed in a shell of rough 

 field stone. How different from many of the ugly tanks that disfigure the country 



CHAPTER XIII 

 WATER SUPPLY AND DRAINAGE 



ROBABLY no two questions are of more importance to the 

 house builder as an individual or more momentous to the 

 general public than those of water supply and drainage. 

 Their seriousness is realised when one considers the various 

 mammoth public systems which have been constructed in 

 various parts of the country. 



It should be understood at the start that, though the more 

 simple problems may be taken in hand by the owner, yet more complicated 

 cases require the services of an expert. It stands to reason that any problem, 

 whether simple or complex, is better for professional supervision, but often the 

 purse will not allow of this. There are many firms that make a business of the 

 water supply and sewerage of the country estate, furnishing expert knowledge and 

 necessary labour. We generally think of a community numerous enough to have 

 public service as being condensed into a comparatively small land area per family. 

 On the other hand, in a locality where the public service does not exist, we expect 

 to find more land to each estate, giving the private individual more room to 

 manoeuvre. It is a mistake to build a large house on a small lot under the con- 

 ditions of the private system; they are rarely perfect. 



The most difficult situation is that of the transition stage, in which the 

 community has in reality outgrown the private system. Parties locating in such 



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