The Value of Pure Water 



71 



Classifying water supplies according to their source, the following 

 will give a general idea as to the depreciation value of various types of 

 water from the sanitary standpoint, based on general average typhoid 

 fever death-rates : 



Charactes of Water Supply. 



Depreciation Value in 



Dollars per Million 



Gallons 



I. 



So. 00 



$0.00 



$ 0.00 to $ 15.00 



Ground waters, except in cases where pollution is excessive, or 

 where wells are driven in rock or soil abounding in fissures . 



2. Filtered waters (assuming modern methods of construction 

 and operation), 



3. Surface waters — 



a) Ordinar>' upland waters, with insignificant contamination . 



b) Shghtly contaminated waters, with good storage in lakes 

 or large reservoirs 10.00 to 50.00 



c) River waters, slightly contaminated, little or no storage . 25.00 to 100.00 



d) River waters, much contaminated, little or no storage . . 50.00 to 200.00 



EFFECT OF TURBIDITY, COLOR, AND ODOR. 



It has been shown that the esthetic deficiency of water depends 

 upon three variable characteristics, which may have many different 

 combinations; consequently, it is difficult to classify the water sup- 



TABLE 5. 

 Examples of Waters wrrH Different Physical Characteri.stics. 



City 



Source of Supply 



Turbid- 

 ity 



Color 



Odor 



Per Cent 

 of Ob- 

 jecting 

 Con- 



Portland, Me 



Boston, Mass 



Cleveland, Ohio. . 

 Worcester, Mass . . 

 New York City. . . 

 Brooklyn, N.Y... 



Jersey City, N. J.. 

 Waterlown, N. V. 

 Springfield, Mass. 



Bangor, Me 



Pittsburgh, Pa. . . 

 Philadelphia, Pa.. 

 St. Louis, Mo. . . . 



Lake Sebago 



Sudbury and Nashua Rivers 



Lake Erie 



Storage Reservoirs 



Croton River 



Ponds and driven wells on Long 



Island 



Rockaway River 



Black River 



Ludlow Reservoir 



Penobscot River 



Allegheny River 



Schuylkill River 



Mississippi River 



Depreci- 



ation\'al- 



ue per 



Million 



Gals. 



$ 4.00 

 6.00 

 6.00 



8.00 

 II .00 



7.20 



7 60 

 II .00 

 20.80 

 11.80 

 17.40 

 20.40 

 25.40 



Some of the above figures do not represent present conditions. For example, 

 Watertown, N. Y., now has filtered water; St. Louis uses a chemically treated 

 water; etc. 



