Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1875 — Cistern Water. [ARTICLE]

Cistern Water.

Many persons have had difficulty with the water in new cisterns, or in cisterns newly cleaned or cemented, finding the rain-water which was expected io be perfectly pure and palatable almost unfit for use, and particularly so when heated or boiled—-a heavy scum then appearing on its surface. -The water, moreover, proves to be hard instead of soft. This is evidently the result of its contact with the interior coating of the cistern, and if, after two or three months, all the water is pumped out and a new supply admitted, it is generally found that the quality is greatly the injurious elements of the coating of the cistern having apparently been either absorbed or covered by an overlying deposit. To empty the cistern and wait for its refilling is sometimes, however, a matter of considerable inconvenience. It is said that the water first obtained from it may be purified so as to be at least fit for domestic requirements by putting into a bucketful a small quantity of alum and letting the water settle before using. The sediment thus formed will contain the impurities and the water is left in suitable state for use.— Milling and Mechanical News.