DISCUSSION OF PAPERS AT AMERICAN WATER WORKS CONVENTION

DISCUSSION OF PAPERS AT AMERICAN WATER WORKS CONVENTION

Among the papers discussed at the recent convention of the American Water Works Association at Philadelphia, was a paper by Dr. Arthur Lederer and Frank Bachman, on "The Efficiency of Household Filters in Chicago," and one by Dr. Frederick D. West, entitled, "Disinfecting Two Hundred Million Gallons of W'ater Daily." When the discussion opened on Dr. Lederer’s and Mr. Bachman’s paper, J. M. Diven, superintendent, Troy, N. Y., said: "If the city is not going to filter its water supply, the speaker believes that it is its duty to furnish pure water. If they arc going to rely on household filters to furnish this pure water, it is up to the city to take care of the filters and see that they are properly sterilized and kept in condition. We do all that at our filtfr plant. We see that the filters are clean, that the clear water reservoirs are clean. No one in ten thousand domestic consumers will see that their filters are in a sterilized condition; they are satisfied if the water comes through clear; if the turbidity is removed and the small fish taken out and the water is cool and palatable. The filter is forgotten. It would probably be vastly cheaper for the city to filter the entire supply rather than to attempt to send inspectors to take care of several thousand household filters.”

Mr. Diven related the following story: The lady of the house was getting her morning glass of water and asked the maid what was the trouble with the water that gave it such a peculiar taste. The maid replied: “The water is all right; there are none of those live bugs or bacteria in it; I killed them.” The mistress asked: “What did you put in to kill them?” "I put nothing in it. What did you do?” “I ran the water through the meat chopper twice before I put it in the cooler.”