!)2 H ALU' AX WATKH WORKS. .lOHNSTON. 



tlicse three waters, with the exception ))erhajxs of Ragged Lake, 

 would be regarded bv most wator authorities as impure, u'nfit 

 for use, or at least, doubtful. Ir mav Ix*. and I incline strongly 

 to this view, tliat the acidity of our waters enables it to give 

 results by the ordinary ammonia process which tends to exag- 

 gerate the ap]ia.reut amount of albuminoid nitrogen. It is still 

 more likely that a large ])ro]»ortion of the albuminoid 'nitrogen 

 is (]ue to vegetablo sources. The axidity for oxygen is prob- 

 ably owing to ];eatv and other vegietable substance's, as well as 

 ferrous salts, all of which we know exist in the water and are 

 not injurious in the way in which decayi'ng animal matter and 

 s( werage are. F<:»r these reasons, I see no immediate causie 

 for alarm, but there is ceilainly good reason for thorough inves- 

 tigation as to the sources of the apparent pollution. Dr. Fox,, 

 in his book o'n sanitary examinations of water, etc., gives an 

 analysis of a water closely resembling the Halifax samples 

 (albuminoid amnionia=:0.18, free ammonia=0.08, nitrates 

 and nitrate3=0.1, chlorine=4.5) and remarks, 'Such a water 

 when the nitrates a'.id nitrites and chlorides are insignificant 

 cannot be condemned, but would simply be described as some- 

 what dirty.' Tt may be that our Halifax water is not essen- 

 tially impui'c, but only somewhat dirty. Those who use it arc 

 impressed with this lattei- feature of the water by observing its 

 color and sediment. As a natural water accumulated in a 

 .silicious and granitic, i'o(d<y, comparatively uninhabited dis- 

 trict it ought to be ])ure and no doubt will be when measures 

 are taken to ])i'e.serve its luirity. The first tlnMg to be done is 

 to make a thorough survey of the shores of the se\'eral lakes 

 and their tributary streams, and of the deposits and accumu- 

 lations in the lake liottoms. In this way the sources of pol- 

 Intiun can be reached. It may then Ix' j)ossible to avoid or 

 remove thein and to supjdy Halifax with as pure water as is 

 within reach <if any city on the continent." 



