What is the Legitimate use of Water?

Abstract

In its broad and general sense the question, What is the legitimate use of water? opens up such a large opportunity for discussion that it seems impracticable at this time to attempt to do more than consider a few special problems. For example, is it a legitimate purpose to use pure water brought at great expense from long distances for the extinguishment of fires, or is it in keeping with modern thought in conservation to draw from the city supply large quantities of filtered water for use in mechanic arts when other water will suffice? Related to this phase is the moot question as to the propriety and desirability of selling water to a large consumer at or below cost in order to obtain his trade. These, perhaps, may be called questions of ethics, but every gallon of water so used hastens the time when an additional supply is needed, and with every increase in supply progressively greater difficulty in obtaining proper water for domestic use must be encountered. This results from the growing scarcity of good water supply grounds in the vicinity of our cities and the mounting cost of construction works for extension and for water purification. Among the many phases of this problem is the quantity of water to be judged as legitimately used or useful for that purpose which must in the end take priority over «all others; namely, the use of water for human needs and for potable purposes. A statement of this portion of the problem resolves itself most naturally into a presentation of statistics and results of inquiry. This in turn can only be discussed in a very general way without study of data, some of which it is the author's purpose to present in the hope that deductions may be drawn or ideas suggested which may be of value for the improvement of water works operation.