ON THE WATER SUPPLY OF MONTREAL AND ITS SUBURBS. BY DR. J. BAKER EDWARDS, BISHOI'S COLLEC.K, MONTREAL. i I Reprvited from " The Canaifivi Natnra/ist,'' Vol. IX, A'o. 2. Jhih\ fSjg. ON THE WATER SUPPLY OF MONTREAL AND ITS SUBURBS. By .). Baker Edwauds, Ph.D., D.C.L , F.C.f^.. I'rotcKsor ot Chemistry, University of Bishcip's College, and Piihlie Aniily.«t. , (Read betoro tho Natural History Socieiy of Montreal, April 2St. Lnwrencc L.achine. Old City Ste. Anne's. Cascades. Water Works. Minexal matter 1 ^ per ,i::aUon / Dr. Hunt, in his report, states that the amount of chlorides found in th: city water taken from the old works on Commis- sioners street always contained an excess of chlorides over the water of the St. Lawrence, showing local sources of impurity, probably due to the drainage of the city. The nature of the organic matter does not appear to have been very closely investigated ; but it is suggested that it was of a vegetable and harmless character. In the very valuable and elaborate reports of the Geological Survey, published in 18B8, Dr. Hunt furnishes us with fuller analyses, and makes the following "comparison" of the waters of the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence : " The comparison of the waters of the two rivers shows the following differences : the water of the Ottawa, containing but little more than one-third of the solid matter of the St. Lawrence, is impregnated with a much larger quantity of organic mutters, and contains a large proportion of alkalies uncombined with sulphuric acid or chlorine,^^ The organic matter determined by loss after ignition was esti- mated as follows : Ottawa R. Ht. Lawrence. Lachine. River front of City. Grains of organic -I ,.. ^ V. - „ matter per gallon. I > M* ' '^ . ^-^^ ^-^^ 1 We have, therefore, on the best authority, the condition of the old water fsupply and of the river waters in question before the present works were completed. My own analyses datu from 1870 ; but the first series of results which I now submit were made in 1872, from samples of water which I collected myself durinj; a trip from Niagara, in the month of June of tliat year. The quantity of water at my disposal was too small to deter- mine tilt; organic nitrogen ; but as a record of the solid contents of the waters of the St. Lawrence it may possess some interest. Organic Carbon. Mineral Salts'. Total. Hardness, by Clark. KiviT Niagani, 1.10 6.60 7.7(i 3.5° Lake Ontario, l.(»l 6.5o 7.51 .^.3^ Toronto Hay, '2.50 8.5n 11. oo 4.50 St. Lawrence, Long Haiilt, 1.2U 6.60 7.80 3. .3° Do I'ointc CascadcK, 1.20 6.60 7.80 3.5° i)o «. Shore Aqueduct, 1.'20 7.60 8.90 3.5° * Containing nitrogen. With the exception of the water of Toronto Bay, these waters are all clear and pellucid, and run sufficiently near in mineral contents to justify us in accepting the mean as a fair estimate of the quality of the St. Lawrence water. This gives us an average of about 1 grain per gallon of organic carbon, and 7 grains of mineral matter for St. Lawrence water above Lake St. Louis, in the mouth of Juno, 1872. In water taken from near the south shore, in May, 1873, I found : Organic Matter 1.1 xMi'ueral Salts 7.8 Hardness, 3.5=" 8.9 In December, 1879, water from the inlet of the Longueuil water works gave me : Organic Matter 1.5 Mineral Salts 10.0 Hardness, ti^ - 11.5 " ( In May, 1879, water from the same point, as supplied from the Longueuil water works, contains : ,_ ,, . ., Organic Matter 2.03 ;'..•-: Mineral Salts 9.72 Grs. per imperial gallon, 11.75 Hardness, 0.25°, Clarke. (At this time the river was pretty lull and brimming the wharves at Montreal.) 8 . From the obove it will be seen that the water gains 3 denfreea in hardness on the somth shore between the Lachine rapids and Longuoijil, while there is no great increase in mineral lime solids. The alkaline silicates disappear in the dried residue, and saline chlorides and sulphates are increased in quantity. These are indicationb, thorelbre, that the water ;it Longueuil is somewhat affected by passing the city, but not to such iin oxtcnt as to render the water unwholesome, although it would be much safer if sand filtered. On the other hand, the water at Hochelaga gives considerable indications of nitrogenized impurity, the result of animal decay, and it is doubtful whether simple filtration would render it fit for human consumption. It is evidently affected by the sewage of the city both near the shore and in midstream. Any attempt to utilize it for a water supply would be attended with irreat ex- pense, and still involve some risk of typhoid impurities. WATERS 01' THE NORTH DISTRICT. — 1872 and 1873. In contrast to the table of the waters of the vSt. Lawrence and the south shore, the following analyses oi' the waters of the north district will be found of interest, showing that, whilst the lake waters are of remarkable purity being taken at a great elevation and above the ordinary sources of impurity, the river waters of the north district which drain from the Laurentides, all contain alkaline silicates, and are slightly coloured with organic spores giving a yellow marsh-like tinge, to the waters. These waters, when conveyed for some distance in iron pipes, become of an ochreous tinge, from the precipitation of the vegetable matter in solution, which is unpleasing to the eye and somewhat difficult of filtration. A water of similar character has been introduced into Liverpool, England, and was for some time disliked on account of its peculiar color ; but it has proved a wholesome and useful water, and the color is no longer deepened by the iron pipes which convey it from Rivington, a distance of twenty-five miles. The waters of the north district gave the foUowim; results per imperial gallon : Organic Carbon. Mineral Salts. Lake Kilkenny, l.lu 2.15 Lake Masson, 1.05 2.05 Riviere du Novel, 1.80 2.70 River Ouareau, 2.05 3.95 River Ottawa, 1.90 2.30 Do atSte.Anne, 1.80 4.40 lotal. Hardness, by Clark. 3M 0.5 tm 0.5 4.60 . 1.2 6.15 1.1 4.2U 1.3 «.30 2.6 The Lake waters were perfectly colourless, while the River waters were more or less tinged. The waters which supply the city of Montreal and the munici- pality of St. Cuuegonde are taken from the rujueduct on the north shore of the river, just below Lachinc, and are the mingled waters of the St, Lawrence and of the Ottawa Rivers in varying proportions at different periods of the year. During the winter months the waters of the St. Lawrence are higher and more uniformly fed than those of the Ottawa : being confined under the ice, they therefore displace the Ottawa water, and, pressing over the rapids at Ste. Anne, they drive the northern waters chiefly over the •' Back River" to the north of the Island of Montreal. The extent of this diversion depends partly upon the grounding of the ice about the western .shore of the Isle Perrot and the ice block at Lachine rapids, eircumhtances which differ in extent and duration at every season, and contribute to the frequent variation of the character of the water supply at Montreal. This difference is more apparent in the color, flavor and comparative clearness of the water than in the results which appear by analysis of t]»e salts which they contain, — the chief difference being in the organic constituents and in tiie aeration by carbonic acid, and in the presence of alkaline silicates or their neutralization by calcium salts. The present system of supply on the rising main exaggerates the evil of a mixture of incompatible waters by carrying into all the houses below the level of St. Catherine street the suspended matter or dirt, with its accompanying disgusting lower organism, which fill the pipes and accumulate in the clo.set cisterns, especially in the spring, when the ice Vjreaks up and renders the water muddy, and again during the heavy rains of the fall. Of this suspended mutter, my friend Dr. G. P. Girdwood has published a record in the Canada Medical Jouriud, Vol. vii, page 102, showing that in three months' ordinary summer supply the average daily deposit of insoluble mud varies from 2 grains to 4.8 grains per gallon, while under the exceptional circum,stances of disturbance, the amount rises as high as 1-1 grains per gallon. As inhabitants of this mud, he enumerates fifteen forms of animal life, which he found in addition to those which I had previously described in the Canndian Illustrated News (Dec. 7, 1870). The following table gives the result of analyses of the Montreal water supply in recent years, and during different seasons of the year : \ & H o o « o N » Eh ■0 n u M o c K ■< •c W ^ CL. •o Pu • ^^ — t-i Hue o r-i >ZJ • <« a w « V . S s^ > H k. 1 u" '" u >-' i> -S3* 3^ w H OU ^ ^ =H 55Si5 '/I 5! S ?« o w 0»^ ^ M — en ■—I —' "-H c O r-( i.' d' i." o f i; t -§ CC iM CO S U PS 55 CO as o < 2 CO Q !« •J >J O ►J ^ to O ►-5 O 'OCOOOOCCCCCC"' t-t^t-— CD^-«C1— 00Q0COCO»ft ^ & o CO O c£ P3 c c o ■^■w <^ XJ ,__ o o -4 5 9 a 00 e"4fO«3MT-<*1^0COOOOCCC50i ooooooooooooooooaoococoooc a. Cj s of uliiioral in;ittor in suspension, and somctimos organic dcbri.s from local or tt uipor.-iry causes. A far more wholosomc water supply would be secured from the snme source by the ud'lition of settling beds *>f masonry and filter beds of gravel and sand after the Ijiverpool model, which I am informed should not oost more than 10 cts, pur 1000 gallons, and would certainly contribute largely to the health of the inhabitants and to the hygienic reputation of the city. Moreover, upon other economic grounds, this is a wise and prudent improvement, which has been too long denied to the well-taxed public of Montreal. This I have urged to the succ^ gallons ppection this is now reduced to 12 gallons per head p( r day, with a constant, more uniform and ample supply. Now a consumption of 3i}^ gallons per head per day indicates a waste of 21 gallons per head per day and this saving is effected at a cost of one farthing per lOUO gallotiis, whilst an additioi>al supply must be reckoned to cost from 5d to 6d per 1000 gallons. I venturu to think that the adoption of the Liverpool di.strict plan in Montreal, of which filtration is the first element, would Istly. Douhli' the avaitahlc itiijjphj. 2ndly. Afford also, a spare Iw.ad nf irattv for jinshing sewers and eleaiis j strtcfs. Hrdly. .mprooe the sanitari/ eomh'tioit of the city by tlic supply oi'jiUcred water and thus guard against prevailing endemic and threatened epidemic disease, reduce the rate of infant mor- tality, and promote the general health and sobriety of the citizens at large. Next to a really satisfactory supply of water to the city, the important and increasing necessities of the suburban districts demand consideration and timely relief. Either by extension of the city limits or by developments of the water supply to the suburbs, it is obvious that some better provisions for water supply ought to be made for those who very wisely forsake the crowded streets and lanes of the city and resort to the beautiful and healthful suburbs of Montreal Mountain. Why should not a head of purified water be here maintained sufl&eient to supply the whole island of Montreal ? A liberal and enlightened muni- cipal policy would not rest content with the present area of dis- "■-.:. • :■ 8 ■ •^'^'-' tribution, but would seek powers by which this wat^jr should bo accessible in every direction, in which euterprize may seize upon , a good locality, in which to plant real estate. In the district of Hochelaga, the future Leith of our city, W9 have, as shown in an earlier portion of this paper, cut oflF the inhabitants from a reasonable enjoyment of our common river, by impregnating the same with sewage at the new outlet of Col- borne avenue. , We also stand in groat danger of permanently contaminating the water of Longueuil, and therefore the extension of the city southward ; and th(; projection of the sewage at a more northern point much beyond the present will be an absolute necessity in the near future. For the provision of an ample supply of good water the municipality of Hochelaga have inade diligent search, but no available source has been discovered nearer than the Back river. Hochelaga must therefore depend on Montreal for ^ water supply. ' The district of St. Cunegonde at the west also requires water, and a large water supply. The farm of Prof. Macgregor at Brae- side furnishes a remarkable spring, which would afford a whole- some and large supply nf water from the Laurentian hills on the north. My analysis of this spring, made in April last, gave the follow- ing result : Total solid contents per imperial gallon - 81. HO Hardness by Clark, 19^ Albuminoid nitrogen - . - no trace. Carbonate of lime and magnesia - 22.00 Organic carbon .... 1,75 Silicious carbon 2.30 Silica wh. iron and alumina - - .10 Chlorine (combined) - - - 1.72 Sulphuric acid do. - - - .7H Alkaline bases . . '- . 2.70 31.30 This is a very excellent water, but rather hara for domestic and industrial purposes. I am informed that the flow of the spriag is equal to about 4000 gals, per diem. At Cote St. Antoine, outside the city limits, the residents are supplied by water carts, which are sometimes replenished from the flushets of melting snows in neighbouring fields, sometimes from the canal direct. These carted waters are usually very impure. The water flowing from Montreal mountain is however of good quality. At the Mile End also, water carters purvey water from the quarry ponds, full of animalculae and vegetable matter, which is unfit for domestic use. At Mount Royal Vale surface water is collected which is well mingled with clay, and when clear this water appears to be of good quality but rather hard. An analysis of this water in April last, gave the following result : Organic carbon - - 4.20 Carbonate of lime - 14.40 Silica and alkaline salts - 2.40 Hardness by Clark 14° 21.00 At Lachine also, better waters, although somewhat harder, are obtained from local wells than from the river water. I found that in the month of March, 1878, the river water gave Organic carbon - - 3.1 Mineral salts - - - 9.6 12.7 grains, and that it also contained excess of albuminoid nitrogen. It would therefore appear highly desirable for the hygienic welfare of our suburban residents and our summer visitors, that the Montreal water works should be considerably extended, and the filtered water distributed from our mountain reservoirs to the whole outlying districts. This great improvement^ which I have consistently and persistently advocated for some years, I hope to live to see an accomplished fact. \ . \