22 SMALL WATER SUPPLIES. 



observed that, although river water may be very 

 handy and admirable for rough use, it will not 

 generally be very good for drinking. In many 

 cases of country houses it will be found prudent to 

 lay on a supply of river water where available for 

 the house supply generally, and sinking a well for 

 drinking water only. The combination of the two 

 supplies will be usually ideal, because no fear will 

 be entertained of the drinking water running short 

 under ordinary circumstances, necessitating the very 

 inconvenient practice of economizing water for 

 washing purposes in hot weather. When this is 

 the case the writer advises the water from the river 

 to be raised by mechanical means, and the well 

 water by a hand pump : no house connexion being 

 made from this latter supply, and one tap and one only 

 to be available for drawing off potable water placed in 

 the most convenient position (the scullery usually). 

 It is most essential to do this, because it is the only 

 satisfactory way of making servants discern between 

 the two supplies, and allowing of no confusion. The 

 inmates of a house soon get to know that all potable 

 water must be pumped by hand. Storage tanks for 

 the drinking supply are quite unnecessary in most 

 cases and very inadvisable. In cases however of 

 small houses with only a hand-pumped supply from 

 a well, then provision must be made for delivering 

 into a store tank, but the pump should have a draw- 

 off tap, clearly labelled DRINKING WATER. 



In cases where the only supply is the river, that is 

 where it would be impracticable for such a shallow 

 well to intercept the water on its way to the river 

 for a potable supply, there storage and filtration 



