brook at this point show that the water is highly colored and contains a large amount of organic matter, so that it would be an unsatisfactory water for domestic uses in its present state, and it is unlikely that its quality would be materially improved by storage in a reservoir of the size that would be needed for the supply of the town of Merrimac.

The next source mentioned in your application is Lake Attitash, or Kimball's Pond, water to be taken either directly from the pond or from the ground near the pond, or by both methods.

The pond is capable of supplying a much greater quantity of water than would be needed by the town of Merrimac. A limited number of analyses

of the water, made in the months of May, September and October, show that it is soft, but that its quality is variable. The water has at times a high color and contains a somewhat large amount of organic matter, as shown by these analyses; and the microscopical examinations show the presence of some minute vegetable organisms, which are often found in waters which give trouble from bad tastes and odors. The pond is, moreover, exposed to danger of pollution from the summer cottages along its shores, and in its present condition cannot be considered a desirable or safe source of public water supply.

Test wells have been driven by you in two localities in the vicinity of the pond, one near the southerly shore and the other near the westerly shore south of Back River. The results obtained from tests near the southerly shore of the pond were unfavorable, since no deep stratum of coarse sand or gravel was found from which water could be obtained with freedom. The tests made on the westerly shore of the pond were somewhat more favorable, and a sample of water collected by you from one of the wells was found to be colorless, soft, and otherwise excellent for the purposes of a water supply; but ledge was found at no great distance beneath the surface, and, judging from the results of these tests, the conditions are not favorable for obtaining a sufficient quantity of water for the town in this locality.

The next source mentioned is "The Plains," so-called, a level tract of land extending from near the southerly end of Kimball's Pond toward the Merrimac River. From information obtained from a single test well as to the character of the material beneath the surface of the Plains, it appears probable that the material is too fine to yield water freely in any considerable quantity; and, judging from the topography of the region, the area from which water would be contributed to the wells in this territory would be too small to furnish at all times the quantity of water that would be required by the town.

The last source mentioned in your application is the Back River watershed, from which you propose to take water either from the ground just

below and not far from Sargent's Millpond, including the water of Sargent's Spring, or directly from the brook by constructing a storage reservoir thereon, or by both methods.

It appears that three test wells have been driven in this valley, at points within a distance of about a quarter of a mile below Sargent's Pond, in two of which the material was found to be so compact that no water could be obtained, and ledge was found within a few feet of the surface. In one of the wells a coarse stratum of gravel was found, from 6 to 14 feet beneath the surface, from which water could be drawn with considerable freedom, and a sample of water from this well was collected by you for analysis. The results showed the presence of so large a quantity of iron in the water as to make it very objectionable for most domestic uses.

Sargent's Spring and the springs in its vicinity, according to measurements furnished by your engineer, would not, alone, furnish a sufficient quantity of water for the town, though the quality, judging from an analysis of the water of one of these springs, would probably be good.

Analyses of the water of Back River show that it is very highly colored and much poorer in quality than the water of Cobbler's Brook, so that its use for water-supply purposes would be even more objectionable than the use of water from Cobbler's Brook.

From the investigations thus far made, it does not appear that any of the sources mentioned in the application are likely to furnish a sufficient quantity of water of satisfactory quality for the supply of the town of Merrimac.

In general, a supply of water taken from the ground is much to be preferred to one taken from a stream or other surface-water source, because the water is colorless and free from unpleasant tastes and odors; and the Board would advise that you continue your investigations, with a view to obtaining a supply of good water from the ground.

While the investigations made in the vicinity of Kimball's Pond were unfavorable to obtaining a sufficient supply of water from the ground, they were not extensive enough to enable the Board to conclude that a sufficient supply may not be obtained in this region. Judging from surface indications, coarse gravel is likely to be found beneath the surface along the northerly side of Kimball's Pond, between its outlet and Back River; and, while this territory is outside the limits of Merrimac, it is desirable that an investigation be made here, to see whether it may not be possible to obtain a supply of water from the ground in this locality. It also seems desirable that a further investigation be made along the shore of the pond, south of Back River.

The Board will, upon application, give you further advice in this matter when you have the results of additional investigations to present.

MONTAGUE (MILLER'S FALLS). The State Board of Health received an application from the water supply committee of Miller's Falls, Dec. 9, 1895, for the advice of the Board relative to certain proposed sources of water supply for that village, at the same time suggesting Osgood Brook and Lake Pleasant as alternative sources. The Board replied to this application as follows:

BOSTON, Feb. 6, 1896. The State Board of Health has considered your application with reference to a proposed water supply for Miller's Falls, in which you state that the sources under consideration are Osgood Brook, so-called, and Lake Pleasant, the present source of supply of Turner's Falls, and ask the advice of the Board as to which of these sources will furnish the best water, and as to whether Osgood Brook will furnish enough water, if taken in the vicinity of Lyon's mill, to supply the present and prospective population of the village in the driest time in a dry year, and for any other information which will assist you in the selection of a water supply for the village.

The Board has caused an examination of Osgood Brook to be made, and samples of the water of the brook in the vicinity of Lyon's mill and of the water of Ruggles Pond, situated upon the brook above Lyon's mill, to be analyzed. The samples were collected from each source December 8 and 19. The water of the pond and brook on the first date had a very high color; on the second date, the color of the water of the pond remained practically the same, but the color of the water of the brook was considerably less, a condition which might have been caused by melting snowwater entering the brook below the pond.

It is difficult to judge, from analyses made at this season of the year, what the character of the water may be at other times; but, judging from the information at present available as to the character of this pond and from the results of the analyses, the indications are that the water of this pond and consequently of the brook below is likely to be unsatisfactory for domestic purposes.

While it might be possible, either by making improvements in Ruggles Pond and its vicinity by removing the vegetable matter and raising the dam or by draining the pond and the swamps above it, to improve the quality of the water of Osgood Brook, the cost to the village of obtaining a water supply of satisfactory quality in this way would probably exceed the cost of a supply from Lake Pleasant.

With reference to the probable quantity of water that Osgood Brook would furnish in a very dry season, without the use of the storage capacity of Ruggles Pond, no definite advice can be given with present informa

tion. Should the flow per square mile be as small as has been found to be the case with some brooks of similar character, the yield would not probably be sufficient for the village at all times; while, if the flow is as well maintained in the drier portion of a dry summer as it is in the case of many other brooks, the quantity would be ample. This matter could only be determined by careful gaugings of the flow of the brook in the drier portion of a dry season.

In view of all the circumstances, the Board is of the opinion that Lake Pleasant would prove a more satisfactory source of supply than Osgood Brook in its present state, and is the more appropriate supply for the village of Miller's Falls.

NORTHAMPTON. An application was received from the water board of Northampton, Feb. 3, 1896, for the advice of the State Board of Health relative to increasing the water supply of the city by taking the water of Ashfield or Bradford Brook, a tributary of Mill River. The Board replied to this application as follows:

BOSTON, March 6, 1896.

The State Board of Health received from you, Jan. 25, 1896, an application relative to the use of Mill River and its tributaries as a source of water supply for Northampton. Regarding this source of supply and the proposed method of utilizing the water from it, you make the following

statement:

"We ask for the State right to use Mill River and its tributaries for a water supply for Northampton, Mass.

"We do not expect to use the whole system at present, but a tributary of Mill River, called the East Branch of Ashfield or Bradford Brook, in Williamsburg, which is the site of an old reservoir that went out in May, 1874, causing the Mill River flood, and which has not been rebuilt. The land flowed would be about 108 acres, the depth at dam about 47 feet, the average depth about 20 feet, the capacity about billion gallons. It is said to have filled four times in ordinary years.

"Under the circumstances, perhaps it would be considered necessary for you to examine only this branch of Mill River.

"The surrounding country is uninhabited, mountainous and mostly wooded, with no highways near, and no danger of pollution either present or in prospect.

The bed of the reservoir site is covered with a growth of wood twentytwo years old. The soil is gravelly, with no swamps so far as we know. The quality of water is excellent.

"We propose to pipe from the dam about 4 miles to where the water will flow in an open stream to our new or middle reservoir, about 2 miles." The Board has caused an examination of the East Branch of Ashfield or Bradford Brook to be made, and a sample of water collected near the site of the former reservoir to be analyzed. The analysis shows that the water is slightly colored, but that it is quite soft, and otherwise of satisfactory quality for the purposes of a domestic water supply; and, while it is diffi cult to judge from a single analysis at this season of the year what the quality of the water may be at other seasons, there is little reason to expect that it would be very different; and, if the water is stored in a reservoir properly prepared for the purpose by the removal of all the soil and vegetable matter from the area to be flowed, its quality should not deteri

orate.

The quantity of water which this source would yield with a reservoir of the size proposed would be sufficient, in connection with present sources, for a population several times as great as is now contained in Northampton.

An estimate of the capacity of the present sources of supply of Northampton, based upon the area of the watershed, as measured from the topographical map of the State, and the capacity of the existing storage reservoirs upon this watershed, as given in the annual reports of your board, indicates that, if the consumption of water per capita in Northampton is no larger than in other cities where records of the consumption of water are kept, the capacity of your present sources is sufficient for the supply of the city for several years, and there is no immediate need of a new supply on account of the quantity of water.

The quality of the water, while affected somewhat by contact with vegetable matter in swamps, which gives it at times considerable color, is satisfactory, excepting that the water of the reservoir recently built was affected by a disagreeable taste and odor during the summer of 1895. This may have been caused by the flooding of a swampy area adjacent to the reservoir, in consequence of the use of the flashboards upon the dam. By avoiding this condition in the future, the quality of the water of this reservoir is likely to be more satisfactory.

If the storage capacity upon the watershed could be doubled, a large increase in the capacity of the works would be made, and the need of an additional supply from another watershed would be postponed for many years. Moreover, if a site can be found where a storage reservoir of considerable depth can be constructed, and if the reservoir is properly prepared for the reception and storage of water by the thorough removal of the soil and vegetable matter from its bottom and sides, water of satisfactory quality should be obtained. It is possible that the further improve