SC - Is drinking water "period"

[Daniel Phelps]

Was written:

Water born disease tends to strike large
>populations living in small areas with inefficient removal of human and
>animal waste, urban areas and military encampments being at the top of the
>list.  Ground and surface water are naturally filtered to a certain extent
>and if the well is properly positioned in relation to the privies,
>contaminants flow away from the well.  (Surface water flows toward lakes
and
>streams, ground water flows away from lakes and streams.)


Regards the above as practicing hydrogeologist I would like to make a few
observations:

1. Ground water is indeed "naturally filtered" this occurs as it passes
through the earth.  Surface water per se is not.  There is however an
intimate connect between surface water and ground water in natural systems
thus there is generally a constant interchange between the two.

2. Typically if a well is positioned up slope from a privy and higher in
elevation contaminants will indeed flow away from the well.  Water flows
down hill after all and the direction of ground water flow in a free water
aquifer is generally parallel with surface elevation and thus down slope.

3. The statement "ground water flows away from lakes and streams" is often
but not always true.  Rivers can have "gaining" reaches and "losing"
reaches.  What that means is that in certain portions of a river ground
water flows into the river and in certain stretches it may flow out.  Like
wise a lake may in part of a year contribute water to the free water aquifer
and in other parts be a sink for ground water flow.

>Another consideration is that cisterns were used to collect rain water to
>provide pure water for castles and towns.  If you weren't drinking it, you
>really didn't need a cistern in most of Europe.


Actually I suspect they needed a steady source of water for a myriad of
purposes.  Cisterns flowed to sinks for washing and scrubbing up.  The
Romans had communal bath rooms with key hole shaped privy holes, I've seen
pictures.  The sewage was deposited directly into trough filled with flowing
water.

Daniel Raoul le Vascon de Navarre'

mka

Daniel C. Phelps, P.G.  (Professional Geologist)
M.S. Geology, Duke University
M.S. Environmental Management, University of Houston at Clear Lake
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