42 The Water Supply of Minneapolis — Committee. 



These were all visible to the unassisted eye. 

 It is obvious that the present in-take at the city water-works 

 must be sub'ject to contamination from this source. The micro- 

 scopic examination of hydrant water is sufficient proof that the 

 water-supply is actually thus contaminated. 



It must be repeated that the past month has not been a fav- 

 orable time for showing fully the character and quality of the 

 water supply of the city. The river and the banks have been cov- 

 vered with ice and snow, and the inflow of impurities has been 

 greatly reduced below what it must be in the warm season. In 

 the course of the spring and summer, individual members of your 

 committee will probably make some further investigations from 

 time to time in connection wdth this subject. To sum up the 

 principal points of this communication thus far; the chemical 

 iinalyses have shown that the water of the river as it is now sup- 

 plied by the water-works is inferior to that which will be ob- 

 tained through the new in-take pipe, and that this latter again is 

 inferior to the water of the river a mile and a half above; the re- 

 sults of biological examination now and at a different season of 

 the year have shown considerable animal and vegetable life both 

 in the water that we are now supplied with and in the river at 

 the point from which we are soon to be supplied; and it is the 

 presence of this animal and vegetable life which affords decided 

 proof of contamination from foul sources. 



But this is not all of the investigation. The examiners of a 

 water supply are not to confine themselves to what they may be 

 ^able to find in a quart or two of the water bottled up and taken to 

 the laboratory. There are other ways of reaching just conclusions 

 as to the quality of a water besides those involving the use of the 

 microscope or the application of chemical tests. Attention must 

 be given to the nature and condition of the surroundings of the 

 stretch of water from wdiich the supply is derived. 



Your committee have given some attention to the matters 

 here referred to; and to any who may not be acquainted with the 

 ground in question, they would recommend the following Avalk. 

 Starting from the Market building, pass up on the right hand side 

 of First street north. We note that the slope of the ground is to- 

 wards the river, and we observe that this ground, in the back 

 jards of dwelling houses and around stables, etc., is in a very un- 

 clean state. We cannot doubt that in wet weather, the surface 

 drainage wnll carry a large amount of impure matter into the 



