health that has added a good deal in the way of correcting pollution in the inland streams.

We did not suffer very much, or to any extent, in respect to epidemics of typhoid fever. During the past year, we experienced one serious epidemic, due to a break in the water main in one of our large municipalities. That produced something like 200 or more typhoid cases, and I believe, if I am correct in making the statement right now, 28 people died as the result of typhoid fever.

Last year Ohio was visited, as it usually is every year, by a flood, which was terrific all along the Ohio River, particularly up in the northeastern section. We came out of that flood, just as we did these recent floods: We had no typhoid in the flooded areas during the flood or immediately after the flood.

Adjacent to the flooded area, in what is known as the back water, near Shady Side, 19 cases of typhoid developed, but there was one infected well there, a well that had been closed and abandoned, but was used in the emergency, because they could not wait until they got the water which was being brought into town by tanks. So these people used that water and 19 were made victims of typhoid, but no deaths.

The recent flood was very interesting to us. Realizing what had been done in the past for the protection of the people against polluted water, we did just what we went through last year: The minute we noticed the Ohio River rising, we did not wait until it was spread out over the land but we immediately sent our engineers, together with my assistant, who was a doctor, down in that area and made a survey of that section of the State, every county along the Ohio River front, with respect to the status of the health departments, also of the pumping stations and their water supply sources. After 3 or 4 days of that survey, we came back with a report that they were in readiness and would be able to cope with the flood when it came.

As a result of that, the United States Public Health Service saw fit to assist us in this flood. They delegated to our department 10 sanitary engineers from several States in the east. Those men worked with our sanitary engineers out in the field constantly, watching the water supply in the pumping stations. As the result of that, and because of the extensive inoculation program put on, we came out of that flood with this kind of a story: Less than 600 communicable diseases; 312 of those were influenzas, 97 were pneumonias. Thirtyeight pneumonias died and seven influenzas died. We had no report of dysentery and only two known typhoids.

You might ask the question then: Why such a low rate? There are several answers to it: First, that the health departments were on the job. We anticipated the flood and we were in readiness for it. We cautioned the people, advising them to boil all water and, in most all instances, to boil the milk. Secondly, most all of these people had been inoculated during the past 3 years with all three doses, some with only one, some with two, and a lot of them never saw the third.

So that produced immunity and they were able to cope with this water situation as it existed just recently.

Now, that may probably answer the question, but we still have something else besides that, and that came as a result of the United States Public Health Service furnishing us with vaccine and men and the other things that we needed. Back of that came the Red Cross, and such other agencies that gave valuable assistance in carrying on for the needs of the people and protecting the people against ravages of disease. So you see the picture of the State health departments as well as that of the local health departments, and particularly when we are concerned with large streams, such as the Ohio, there is a problem in the Ohio, just as there is in some of the border States, where we are visited every year by a flood. This year we say the largest, most destructive flood in the history of that section of the country.

I am in favor of this bill for the same reasons that were set forth by Mr. Waring. I believe we can function better with this particular division controlling the pollution problem as a department of the United States Public Health Service. I feel that much more can be done if we can have the financial aid to assist these smaller municipalities, who are unable to get anywhere, to help correct this pollution problem. They are all anxious. In my going over the State of Ohio, I do not find any one area that does not want to do something, that is not willing to do something, but we have not the money to carry on. That is their attitude.

I

I do not know of any instances that have come to my attention, personally, when even the industries would not be interested to listen to something constructive, some way out to take care and correct the problem which concerns them; and I believe that, with this bill, we can go a long way to make all streams free and clear and usable. want to see these streams just as clear as you or anyone else, for I know, first of all, health must be considered; and, secondly, the pleasure that comes beyond that, and that is the idea of fishing. And the fisherman is interested. He wants to know what you are going to do about it. He tried, and I want to try, and I know that the health commissioners in all of the States are making every effort to get something definite in the way of cleaning up these rivers and streams.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. VINSON. Mr. A. S. Hibbs, superintendent, Cincinnati Water Works.

STATEMENT OF A. S. HIBBS, SUPERINTENDENT, CINCINNATI WATER WORKS, CINCINNATI, OHIO

Mr. HIBBS. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I wish to submit a chart which has been prepared by the water works from our records, of the colon bacteria content of the raw Ohio River water we receive at our filtration plant.

(The chart offered by Mr. Hibbs is as follows:)

Mr. HIBBS. I also have a statement which I wish to have placed in the record, but which I will not read in its entirety at this time. (Statement of Mr. Hibbs is as follows:)

COMMITTEE ON RIVERS AND HARBORS,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

GENTLEMEN: I beg to represent the city of Cincinnati, and particularly the Cincinnati water works, with reference to the condition we now find ourselves in from the standpoint of pollution by sewage of the Ohio River.

We submit a chart which has been prepared by the water works, from its records of colon bacteria in the river water, which we filter and furnish to about 600,000 people of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, as their sole source of water

supply, for drinking and other purposes, and we would request that this chart be incorporated in the record.

You, no doubt, remember that Mr. C. A. Dykstra, city manager of Cincinnati, appeared before your committee about a year ago, and was very kindly received, when he presented this same chart for your consideration.

Mr. Dykstra has requested that I take his place, as far as I am able, in a further presentation of the effects stream pollution may have on our water supply as shown by the additional studies since the first chart was submitted.

The charts indicate graphically the monthly average colon bacteria content of Ohio River water at the intake of the Cincinnati water works for the years January 1924 to February 1937, with the average (annual) indicated, as well as the monthly average.

They also indicate the maximum safe colon bacteria average for water-works filtration, as established by the United States Public Health Service.

Colon bacteria found in water is a companion of typhoid bacteria, both of which come from human wastes and indicate fecal contamination or pollution. Colon bacteria is very readily distinguished in the bacteriological laboratory and is most generally used as an index of the degree of pollution present.

These charts indicate that up until 1934 the bacterial load in the Ohio River water ran a rather uniform course, the highest monthly average count being less than 14,000 colon bacteria per 100 cubic centimeters.

During the drought of 1930 Ohio River water was almost as free from bacteria before filtration as it was after going through the filter plant. This, no doubt, was due to the natural settling action taking place in the dams in the river above our intake during extended low-flow periods.

While the dams in the river, which were constructed previous to 1929, may complicate the problems of water pruification, they also have acted to keep concentrated pollution away from our intake during low-flow periods of great extent. What happens after the first flushing out of these dams, when the gates are dropped, is another story. May I quote from several annual reports as written by the chemist in charge of our filtration plant:

"The river was in pool stage from May 1930 until late in February 1931. During the last 6 months of 1930 the river water was brilliantly clear and free from suspended matter for most of the time. The annual average turbidity in 1930 was only 49 parts per million as compared with normal averages of about 250 parts per million.

Under these conditions vegetable microorganisms flourished luxuriantly, and stagnant tastes appeared frequently; on the other hand, natural purification phenomena were stimulated and bacterial life was inhibited to a marked degree.

Colon group bacteria for the year averaged as low as 392 per 100 cc. Ordinarily the annual average is about 2,800, and never had been less than 1,650 per 100 cubic centimeters

In November 1930, the average was as low as 6 per 100 cc and on several days the raw water was almost of drinking-water quality. Such deviation from previous records was truly remarkable.

However, stagnant "river tastes" became increasingly objectionable in late January 1931. At the same time an epidemic of mild intestinal disorders made its appearance, and the citizens were greatly alarmed. The prevailing opinion seemed to be that the prolonged drought, in combination with the industrial and sewage pollution, had created a condition in the Ohio River with which the most modern purification process was unable to cope.

Later a survey by the United States Public Health Service revealed widespread intestinal ailments in all cities using the Ohio River as a source of water supply. More and more attention is being devoted by sanitarians to the probability that gastro-intestinal illness may arise from poisonous bacterial toxins, and the ptomaine-like disintegration products of a sewage-contaminated body of water, even though the organisms themselves are destroyed in the purification process. Recognition of this probability should hasten the consideration of plans for discontinuing the discharge of untreated sewage into the Ohio River through its entire course.

In 1934, he reported

During period of prolonged low-river stages and clear raw water, the phenomena of natural purification is stimulated, and, ordinarily, the bacterial and B. coli content of the raw water always has shown a marked decrease at such times. Thus in 1930 the average B. coli content was only 392 per 100 cc, and for 5 months of the year the average did not exceed 25 B. coli per 100 cc. In 1934, however, the average was as high as 2,910 per 100 cc (which is the normal for an average 139603-37-17

year) and no monthly average was lower than 275 per 100 cc. In other words, the deficiency in rainfall is reflected in the figures for turbidity, hardness, and volume of water treated, but has not revealed itself in the B. coli data.

This fact is worthy of serious consideration. In 1930 and other dry summers the B. coli pollution always has fallen markedly, and we have felt confident that no great bacterial loads would be encountered at times when the filtration rates exceeded our designed capacity, and when the plant, consequently, could not be operated satisfactorily. In July of the present year (1934) the B. coli content again was below normal, but, as mentioned above, the average still was as high as 275 per 100 cc. Under like conditions in 1930, the average for a 7 months' period was only 38 per 100 cc. It seems, then, that we no longer can be reasonably sure that the plant will be favored with low bacterial loads at times when it is operating at summer capacities.

And in 1935:

The year 1935 in general, was a normal year. Although precipitation was slightly under normal, the rainfall was fairly well distributed throughout the year. There were no prolonged periods of unusually hot or dry weather. The regularity of rainfall resulted in many moderate or rather heavy run-offs in the river, and these were well scattered throughout the year. The result of this more or less regular flushing out of the river has acted favoably to plant operation in all respects except increased cost of chemical treatment. Algal growths never reached nuisance magnitude; filter runs were not shortened, and tastes of stagnation were not encountered during the summer.

On the other hand, the frequent run-offs in the river have kept the stream rather uniformly stirred up, and this condition has delivered to us by far the most polluted raw water on record. The average index of the raw-water pollution for the year was 11,750 confirmed colon group bacteria per 100 cc. annual index in the past was only 3,560 colon bacteria per 100 cc.

The maximum

The peaks of this unusual wave of pollution occurred during the months of July and August. In the past, the maximum monthly average of colon group bacteria was, 13,450 per 100 cc.; but this figure was exceeded in July and August of this year, reaching an average of 22,700 for the latter month.

The higher turbidity during the frequent periods of run-off, and the sustained high degree of pollution, have made necessary the application of larger chemical doses. Alum was required, as a preliminary coagulant, during 85 days of the year, and in larger doses than usual. Somewhat larger quantities of lime were also applied, in order to obtain the highest possible efficiency in the coagulation process. The highest pollution in the raw water almost always is encountered during the winter and spring. Because of the phenomenon of natural purification, one generally finds the least pollution (from the bacterial standpoint and as measured by the colon bacteria index) during warm, dry periods of low river stages. During the drought summers of 1930 and 1934, the degree of raw-water pollution was comparatively low. This was indeed most fortunate, in that the plant then was able to produce a water of the usual standard purity, in spite of the hazards involved in operating the plant beyond its designed capacity.

In 1935, however, the peak pollution of all time occurred during July and August, but there was little sprinkling of lawns at the time and no excessive rates of filtration were called for, and it was possible to operate in a normal manner throughout the entire summer. If the 1935 bacterial load had been thrust upon the plant during the summer of 1934, when forced to operate beyond rated capacity, it would have been difficult to produce a water of standard quality.

It is fortunate that plans for rehabilitation of the plant have progressed to such an extent that the hazards of overloading the plant need be anticipated for one more additional summer only.

It will be seen from the charts that our filtration plant must be prepared to handle water with extreme variations in bacterial loads.

In dry years we may have an extended period of low counts, only to have a sudden run-off in the river bring down a load of gassing and putrefying sewage sludge that contains toxic poisons for which no known method of treatment has yet been evolved.

In years of well-distributed rainfall regular flushing out of the river brings us fresh sewage regularly to build up a continuous load on the filtration plant reaching peaks far beyond its capacity. At such times we can rely only on large chlorine doses for sterilization to safeguard our consumers.

Our present works are about 30 years old, being the first large rapid sand filtration plant constructed.