XC1V. ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. 



hydraulic engineers and biologists of all nations and the 

 data obtainable are so complete, down to the minutest 

 detail that there should be apparently no difficulty in 

 selecting a method applicable to each individual water 

 works. He did not think that in Australia mechanical 

 filtration need be employed, save in such locations as are 

 liable to excessive animal pollution and where the sources 

 of supply are under official control. The watersheds of the 

 cities and larger towns should be under such strict super- 

 vision that serious contamination would be impossible, and 

 the simple and more economic method of rational sand 

 filtration should meet all requirements. In New South 

 Wales there is an instance of sand filtration at West Mait- 

 land, as most fully described by Mr. Henson ; at Broken 

 Hill is established the only mechanical filtration plant in 

 Australia as applied to water works. In Victoria the 

 process of precipitation by means of lime was in operation 

 at Bendigo and Geelong at the time of the speaker's con- 

 nection with those works some years ago, and where 

 satisfactory results were obtained by the use of about lib. 

 of lime to 1,000 gallons of water treated. 



In South Australia while no system of artificial filtration 

 has been established, certain of the townships adjacent to 

 Adelaide got their water from wells sunk in the sand 

 detritus adjacent to the creek ; the wells were lined with 

 brickwork, laid dry in the lower part and with mortar joints 

 in the upper part, thus securing filtered water which was 

 conveyed from the gathering wells by cast iron mains to 

 covered service reservoirs. In Brisbane where vegetable 

 organisms in the water gave considerable trouble, the 

 speaker had recommended sand filtration ; the media to 

 consist of top layer of sand 3 feet 6 inches thick including 

 a 3 inch layer of powdered cinders in the middle, the whole 

 resting on a series of layers aggregating 2 feet thick of 



