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Waste of artesian waters
216
N o t e s and C o m m e n t s .
[J. F. I.,
added to re-dissolve the whole of the precipitated oxide, and then, on addition of water, t h e selenium is found to be precipitated. .The process is naturally o n e which requires very careful attention, owing t o t h e existence of arsenic as a volatile compound. T h e m a n u f a c t u r ers and the alkali inspectors, however, speak well of the process, so it should develop into a s t a n d a r d m e t h o d of r e c o v e r i n g arsenic.--Eng, and
M in. .Tour. WASTE OF ARTESIAN WATERS. Millions of gallons of a r t e s i a n waters are g o i n g to waste every day in Indiana, a c c o r d i n g to estimates m a d e by F. G. Clapp, geologist of the U n i t e d States Geological Survey, who is now i n v e s t i g a t i n g the w a t e r resources of the n o r t h e r n part of t h a t State. O~¢er a million gallons a day are wasted in a single county. A l o n g Fall Creek, Lick Creek, W h i t e Run, and o t h e r streams, in the shallow valleys of which t h e r e are a g r e a t enany flowing gas wells, each well .pours out from five to t w e n t y gallons of w a t e r a minute, and the a m o u n t of water thus drawn from the u n d e r g r o u n d reservoirs and unutilized in M a d i s o n County alone is sufficient t o supply a city of io,ooo inhabitants. I n only a few places is this w a t e r put to use. T h e f a r m e r s do n o t seem to realize t h a t a hydraulic r a m or a windmill placed on a flowing well will raise a large p o r t i o n of t h e water to t h e i r h o u s e s on the hills a~bove. I m m e n s e volumes of g o o d w a t e r are t h e r e f o r e suffered to waste, and in this way the "head," or h e i g h t of w a t e r in the wells, or the h e i g h t to which it rises above the surface, has been lowered several feet. M a n y wells that once yielded copious a n d s t r o n g flows have ceased to flow entirely. By this means, also, the g r o u n d water-level in this r e g i o n in ten years has been lowered over t e n feet. This loss of head, n o t only in Indiana, but in o t h e r parts of the country, has served to call a t t e n t i o n to the fact t h a t the available artesian supplies are by n o m e a n s inexhaustible. O u r " i n e x h a u s t i b l e " supplies of natural gas and p e t r o l e u m are rapidly b e i n g depleted, and the geologists and coal experts of the National Survey have c o m p u t e d with p r o b a b l e accuracy the date of e x h a u s t i o n of our coal beds. O u r " i n e x h a u s t i b l e " forests are so d a n g e r o u s l y t h r e a t e n e d with speedy e x h a u s t i o n t h a t n a t i o n a l legislation is n o w deemed necessary to p r o t e c t them. T h e effect of d e f o r e s t a t i o n on streaen flow is at last well recognized. Since the forests of I n d i a n a have b e e n cut off t h e ordinary flow of m a n y of the s t r e a m s of the State has notably dwindled and the forest flow is far m o r e destructive. T h e c o n s e r v a t i o n of the a r t e s i a n w a t e r s u p p l y should n o t be very difficult. By simply capping unused wells, or by p r o v i d i n g t h e m with such m e a n s of s t o p p i n g and c o n t r o l l i n g t h e i r flow, as is now applied to ordinary municipal supplies, the head of the wells can be p r e s e r v e d and t h e height of the g r o u n d w a t e r m a i n t a i n e d s o m e w h a t n e a r its old level. Legislation may be required to accomplish this result, yet some of the students of the matter, and a m o n g t h e m are geologists of the Survey, hope that an intelligent u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the conditions will lead to practical m e a n s to check this e n o r m o u s waste and its c o n s e q u e n t im,mense losses in values.
N o t e s and C o m m e n t s .
[J. F. I.,
added to re-dissolve the whole of the precipitated oxide, and then, on addition of water, t h e selenium is found to be precipitated. .The process is naturally o n e which requires very careful attention, owing t o t h e existence of arsenic as a volatile compound. T h e m a n u f a c t u r ers and the alkali inspectors, however, speak well of the process, so it should develop into a s t a n d a r d m e t h o d of r e c o v e r i n g arsenic.--Eng, and
M in. .Tour. WASTE OF ARTESIAN WATERS. Millions of gallons of a r t e s i a n waters are g o i n g to waste every day in Indiana, a c c o r d i n g to estimates m a d e by F. G. Clapp, geologist of the U n i t e d States Geological Survey, who is now i n v e s t i g a t i n g the w a t e r resources of the n o r t h e r n part of t h a t State. O~¢er a million gallons a day are wasted in a single county. A l o n g Fall Creek, Lick Creek, W h i t e Run, and o t h e r streams, in the shallow valleys of which t h e r e are a g r e a t enany flowing gas wells, each well .pours out from five to t w e n t y gallons of w a t e r a minute, and the a m o u n t of water thus drawn from the u n d e r g r o u n d reservoirs and unutilized in M a d i s o n County alone is sufficient t o supply a city of io,ooo inhabitants. I n only a few places is this w a t e r put to use. T h e f a r m e r s do n o t seem to realize t h a t a hydraulic r a m or a windmill placed on a flowing well will raise a large p o r t i o n of t h e water to t h e i r h o u s e s on the hills a~bove. I m m e n s e volumes of g o o d w a t e r are t h e r e f o r e suffered to waste, and in this way the "head," or h e i g h t of w a t e r in the wells, or the h e i g h t to which it rises above the surface, has been lowered several feet. M a n y wells that once yielded copious a n d s t r o n g flows have ceased to flow entirely. By this means, also, the g r o u n d water-level in this r e g i o n in ten years has been lowered over t e n feet. This loss of head, n o t only in Indiana, but in o t h e r parts of the country, has served to call a t t e n t i o n to the fact t h a t the available artesian supplies are by n o m e a n s inexhaustible. O u r " i n e x h a u s t i b l e " supplies of natural gas and p e t r o l e u m are rapidly b e i n g depleted, and the geologists and coal experts of the National Survey have c o m p u t e d with p r o b a b l e accuracy the date of e x h a u s t i o n of our coal beds. O u r " i n e x h a u s t i b l e " forests are so d a n g e r o u s l y t h r e a t e n e d with speedy e x h a u s t i o n t h a t n a t i o n a l legislation is n o w deemed necessary to p r o t e c t them. T h e effect of d e f o r e s t a t i o n on streaen flow is at last well recognized. Since the forests of I n d i a n a have b e e n cut off t h e ordinary flow of m a n y of the s t r e a m s of the State has notably dwindled and the forest flow is far m o r e destructive. T h e c o n s e r v a t i o n of the a r t e s i a n w a t e r s u p p l y should n o t be very difficult. By simply capping unused wells, or by p r o v i d i n g t h e m with such m e a n s of s t o p p i n g and c o n t r o l l i n g t h e i r flow, as is now applied to ordinary municipal supplies, the head of the wells can be p r e s e r v e d and t h e height of the g r o u n d w a t e r m a i n t a i n e d s o m e w h a t n e a r its old level. Legislation may be required to accomplish this result, yet some of the students of the matter, and a m o n g t h e m are geologists of the Survey, hope that an intelligent u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the conditions will lead to practical m e a n s to check this e n o r m o u s waste and its c o n s e q u e n t im,mense losses in values.