S$ The Filtration Works for the Improvement of the 



They have endeavoured to act as good trustees, and I think the 

 general feeling amongst the public in Belfast is that the water 

 supply has been fairly well maintained. Most public boards 

 are usually regarded as targets for the attacks of both critical 

 and dissatisfied people, but I think I may congratulate the 

 members of the Water Trust on having suffered less from the 

 arrows of the critics than most gentlemen occupying the same 

 position before the public. 



But, all the same, there have been some members of the 

 community who have expressed doubts as to the quality of the 

 water supplied to Belfast. Like all waters collected from a 

 catchment of mixed character, that supplied to Belfast becomes 

 more or less turbid after heavy rains. Thus when the reservoirs 

 get rather low, towards the end of the summer, and a heavy 

 rain occurs, the water becomes discoloured from the presence of 

 suspended matter of an earthy or vegetable character. Now, 

 the earthy element can be effectively got rid of by subsidence 

 in a reservoir, but the operation is not so easily managed with 

 vegetable matter. It is so light that it does not settle to the 

 bottom of a reservoir. The Water Commissioners have very 

 large storage space at their works. They have, in fact, some 

 eight large reservoirs with a total storage capacity of about 

 2,200,000,000 gallons. And the beneficial effect of the subsid- 

 ing power of such large reservoirs must, no doubt, be very great; 

 but after all that care and attention can do in the matter, the 

 town water has always a slight tinge of colour, slightly in excess 

 of that supplied to Glasgow ; and after heavy rains the amount 

 of colour is very seriously increased. At various times during 

 the past two years the quality of the town water has received 

 close attention from the authorities. A number of reports and 

 analyses have been made, and there seemed to be a concensus 

 of scientific opinion that something should be done to give the 

 town water to the consumers in as good a condition as possible. 

 The Commissioners were satisfied that the water was good and 

 wholesome, and so they were advised by high authority, but 

 they determined to make it as good as possible. It was, therefore, 



