144 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
parties became the sole owners of the plant. Later the 
firm failed and the city operated the plant for several 
months until, this last spring, a private company studied 
the difficulties involved and bought the depreciated stock. 
The interesting geological problems associated with this 
subject I wish to reserve for a future paper and consider 
here only problems related to municipal waterworks apart 
from those strictly geological. 
It is desirable to have the waterworks plant as near the 
city as possible and near a railroad by which coal may be 
obtained. First, then, let us consider the facts on which 
the possibility of locating the plant near the city depend. 
This involves the general relation of run-off to precipita- 
tion, which is applicable both at Indianola and in a general 
way at all other places, and conditions which are peculiar 
to the location. 
The ultimate source of supply is rainfall, either suffi- 
ciently local to affect our rivers and shallow wells, or in 
some region more remote where it may ultimately get into 
a porous stratum and find its way beneath a city where it 
can be obtained in deep wells. 
Evidently the cheapest supply and that first to be sought 
is the one at the surface. The presence of running water 
in a draw or ravine in dry weather seems to suggest that 
all one need do is to sink a few wells and the supply is 
obtained, regardless of the area drained or the character 
of the deposits from which the trickling water may have 
come. This water, like the water in the streams, came 
from ground water, the original source being, near Indian- 
ola at least, a quite local rainfall. The consideration of 
precipitation, run-off and evaporation is rendered especi- 
ally important because in at least the street corner discus- 
sions, some have advocated the sinking of a battery of 
shallow wells in the uplands west of the city, or locating 
a reservoir a mile east of the city, expecting to obtain a 
full supply at either place, those favoring the latter loca- 
tion basing their opinions on the reported approval of a 
Chicago engineer who visited the city, gave a casual glance 
at the surface and listened to various statements. 
