Show We Must Get Facts on S 5 L I C Water Wafer Pollution and Need for Treatment nt The board of governors of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce voted the other day to ask the city commission commis commis- ion sion to appoint a special committee to tomake tomake tomake make an unbiased and impartial investigation investigation in in- of the city's water supply and sanitation problems It was urged that members of the group be technical and practical men who are not associated with any political political cal calor or governmental subdivision Gus P. P Backman chamber executive secretary explained the move was intended intended intended in tended to eliminate confusion created by various conflicting reports on the city's water supply Obviously there is need to get down downto to bed rock on this question of the danger of pollution of the city's water supply There is confusion There is wide divergence of opinion relative to the danger There is conflict in statements statements state state- ments o of fact There is a good deal of misinformation A number of questions need to be answered Is there water pollution today If so how does it compare with other cities If not is there future d danger and danger and when If there is pollution will a filtration or other type of water treatment plant effect a cure Is a preferable answer better control of pollution pollution pollution tion at the source We need answers to these questions The chamber may not have known it but there is already a program under underway underway underway way to get those answers Several months ago the Metropolitan Water district district dis dis- dis- dis named a special committee to look into the whole problem of Salt Lake City water pollution not just in regard regard regard re re- re- re gard to Deer creek water and of the need for treatment That committee was authorized to select a firm of competent competent competent compe compe- tent engineers to make a careful study and the sum of was appropriated initially to pay the cost of the study It is significant that this whole question question ques ques- tion of a water filtration or treatment plant is relatively new It was not assumed assumed assumed as as- in the original Deer creek proposal proposal proposal pro pro- I that treatment would be necessary although it was envisioned as a possibility possibility possibility pos pos- for the indefinite future Actually Actually Actually Ac Ac- it was not until the Carnahan- Carnahan Wright U. U S. S public health service report in 1947 relative to further ski developments developments developments develop develop- ments in the Wasatch watershed that the need of a treatment plant was ass assumed urn ed It is well to check up on that as as- We do not want to go off half We do not want to spend up to on a treatment system unless we are sure it is first necessary necessary necessary sary and second that it will permit full use of our near by mountainous areas for recreational purposes Let us by all means g get t the facts Only then will it be possible for us to take intelligent action on the problem |