HOW WE GET WATER INTO OUR HOUSES 



79 



water might be a source of danger, for all the wastes from 

 the house sinks, from the barnyard, and from the privy 

 or cesspool might soak into the well and render it im- 

 pure. Could you really determine a safe place for a well 

 without knowing 

 something of the 

 rock and soil under 

 the house and 

 grounds? Drainage 

 from the soil may 

 mean that impuri- 

 ties reach the well. 

 We must also pro- 

 tect the well from 

 the surface drainage. 

 Study the picture 

 of the two wells 

 shown here, and explain why the building of a con- 

 crete parapet which slopes away from the opening of the 

 well will protect the water in the well. In addition to 

 surface protection, we should know how the land drains 

 so as to be sure that the well is safe. If one is uncertain 

 as to the purity of the water, a sample can be sent to the 

 town or state bacteriologist, to determine whether the 

 water is safe to drink. This should be done in any case 

 where you suspect that the water is not pure. A driven 

 well on a slight elevation, when the pipe is driven deep into 

 the soil and situated at least 100 feet from a cesspool, or 

 barnyard, will in ordinary sandy soil give pure water. 

 This makes a particularly safe well. 



How we get water into our houses. This is a problem 

 that the city dweller does not think much about, because 



Would you choose your water supply from A or from B ? 



