WATER WORKS. From the schedules sent out by this Bureau to the corporations supplying water throughout the State there has been received nine responses. Six plants were owned by their respective municipalities and three by private corporations. In a few instances the returns were incomplete by reason of lack of records from which new officers could compile the necessary data. The question of filtration is exercising a number of our cities whose water supply is at certain seasons admittedly unfit for use, and it is to be hoped that this annoyance will be remedied in the near future At present the city of Petersburg is the only one reporting the filtering of its supply. Richmond has already taken steps to that end, and other cities, where the character of the water requires it, will doubtless follow the example. The supply of water has been reported in every instance as adequate to the demand. The use of meters is rapidly growing in favor, and this promises soon to be the system by which the supply will be distributed. The prices charged in the different localities per 1,000 gallons vary from three cents to seventy-five cents, but it is noted that in the larger cities, where large quantities are used for manufacturing purposes, the price seems to be on a parity with that charged in cities of like size without the State. For information touching the consumption of water see annexed tables and foot notes. The number of feet of mains in use is as follows. The total number of meters in use was 8,429. The cost of construction of seven plants reporting that item was $4,275,463.67. |