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October 1, 19^8 Mr. Balph A. Townsend Secretary, E&ston Utilities Commission Easton, Maryland Dear Sirs lour inquiry in "Publics Works % September issue, regarding use of water in air conditioning and refrigeration systems? Several years ago, when the "desert type* oooler first became popular in baa Wegas, we were faced with a similar problem, one whioh rapidly beoame alarm­ing. At that time, a large number of home-made coolers eppe&red, consisting usually of excelsior in a wire frame with an electric fan back of it to blow the air through the excelsior, and an ordinary garden hose running water in the top of the exoelsior to keep it damp. The im­mediate results were breeding spots for mosquitos (Some­thing previously unknown here), houses plugged up with humidity, and excessive v&ste of water. We were handicapped by an existing Nevada statute which prohibits the use of water meters in towns „ of over b5G0 population. However, we made a house-to- house canvass and compiled allist shewing ths type of cooler used by each home, the else of water line supply­ing the oooler and estimate of total consumption. We also receive our Supply from wells, and know there is a limit to the amount of water that can be withdrawn from the underground supply. When the manufactured type coolers appeared on the market, some of the® were equipped with recapture pumps, trhioh picked up the water from the bottom of the oooler after it had percolated through the excelsior, and re-oiroulated it. Ths use of the pump (which coat about $15.00) resulted in trouble-free operation of the cooler, a l00)j increase in cooling efficiency, and, most important from a community standpoint, a very noticeable conservation of water. Test showed a oooler equipped with recapture pump used only 8 gallons per day, or about the amount that