The Examination of Waters. 5 



may have contributed a considerable proportion of the very 

 limited stream, and at the same time account for the large 

 amount of saline matter present, amounting to from 16 to 20 

 grains per gallon. But after the rain the main supply will 

 come from the small tributary streams and soakage, the best 

 of which will take their supply from well-stocked pastures 

 and farm lands, and the worst from farmyards, piggeries, 

 dwellings, and closets. A glance at a recent map of the 

 colony will show that a similar state of affairs must exist, 

 more or less, in the collecting area of most of our water- 

 supply schemes, Yan Yean excepted. I am told that the 

 Yan Yean catchment area does not receive the drainage of a 

 single dwelling of any kind, and this statement proves the 

 accuracy of the methods of detecting filth. We found none. 

 The future management of the other schemes will, I fear, 

 tax the energies of our engineers if they are called on to 

 give pure water, for as population increases these waters 

 must become worse. I don't wish to meddle with the 

 medical aspeet of the case beyond my own sphere ; but we 

 all acknowledge that typhoid fever is only communicated by 

 means of excreta, that it is essentially a filth disease, that it 

 is now very prevalent throughout the colony, and that 

 water is the best possible carrier of the disease. What I 

 have shown proves — first, chemically these waters should be 

 suspected ; second, microscopically they contain living forms, 

 only found in connection with filth ; and third, in the case of 

 the Moorabool, ocular demonstration may be obtained of 

 direct pollution ; and I have no doubt I should have 

 found the same evidence of pollution on visiting the 

 other watersheds in the populated districts. It 

 may be asked why, with such a foul watershed for its 

 supply, Geelong has not suffered more from typhoid fever ; 

 and there are, I believe, known cases within the water 

 supply area. The answer, I think, is, that the source of 

 supply has been dry while typhoid has been prevalent, and 

 that there is no intake to the reservoirs, and that the 

 method of treatment of the water by lime at the Lovely 

 Banks Reservoir to a very great degree destroys the living 

 germs. To what extent this lime treatment may be effective 

 in killing fever germs is unknown. It prevents the develop- 

 ment of Stoney Creek Reservoir bacteria; but in the Lovely 

 Banks water I find certain minute living cells, and the 

 presence of life of any kind throws a doubt upon the value 

 of the process. Somewhat similar means are adopted to 



