B 086490 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924004982934 Cornell University Library TD 746.P87M6 A modern sewage disposal plant in Newton 3 1924 004 982 934 A MODERN SEWAGE DISPOSAL PLANT IN NEWTON, N. J. —BY- CLYDE POTTS. C. E. Williams, Proctor & Potts, New York Printed from New Jersey Herald, November 26th, 1908 A Typical Pipe Ijne or a Water Carriage Sewer System —Sewer ob Linwood Avenue. A MODERN SEWAGE DISPOSAL PLANT IN NEWTON. A sewage system that is working properly receives little more thought from the average citizen than does his alimentary canal. This is as it should be for cesspools, the predecessor of the modern system of pipe sewers make their presence painfully known at stated intervals when it becomes necessary to empty them. The great argument for the water carriage system of sew- ers, such as is in use at Newton, is one of convenience. The householder takes no thougnt of wastes after they are emptied in sink or closet. Where they go or what becomes of them is uo longer of concern to him. They cease to annoy or to endanger his health, and as an average citizen they do not inter- est him. The problem of disposing of the sink and closet wastes after they enter the sewers in the streets, however, is still a live one. Its solution is with the municipal authorities ; in disposing of sewage the municipal author- ities are limited by law. They cannot empty the wastes after collection into any of the waters of the State of New Jersey for the Legislature has declared it unlawful. It is unlawful because it is a form of water poisoning. Sewage carries with it intestinal bacteria. These are small micro organ- isms that inhabit the intestines of human beings. Some snecies of these bacteria or micro organisms have the power to produce disease such as ty- phoid and dysentery and when they enter the systems of other persons with the drinking water they do produde these diseases. Hence the Legislature has in effect declared that polluted waters are poisoned waters because they produce disease and death. Type of Plant in Newton. When it was decided by a vote of the people of Newton in July, 1905, to build a modern water carriage system of pipe sewers to supplement the ex- cellent system of water supply the former committee, then composed of Sen- ator L. J. Martin, George N. Harris and John N. Calvin, employed the firm of which the writer is a member to design the system and to also recommend a proper system or method of disposing of the sewage when collected. That recommendation was to the effect that the sewage be first settled and then filtered at two disposal plants. One plant to be located just off Sparta avenue below the shoe factory, and another just off Clinton street at the foot of Townsend street. The plants are alike except that the Clinton street plant is about double the size of the Sparta avenue plant. The de- scription given hereafter applies to the Clinton street plant. Carrying out thdt recommendation a contract was made with Messrs. Hinman & Sproul in September, 1905, to build settling tanks of 150,000 gallons capacity and 2 acres of filters. These were completed in November, 1906. The tanks were immediately put in operation and the filters in the following spring. Settling Tanks. The settling tanks are of reinforced concrete 80 feet long. 40 feet wide, 3 View of the Completed Sparta Avenue Plant. HI feet deep, and divided into two compartments, so that one portion may be emptied while settling is still taking place in the other. The settling tanks are arranged to be emptied and drained on to a small tilter where the liquid and solid matter may be separated by straining. Adjacent to the settling tank is another tank into which the sewage from the settling tank continually overflows. The province of this tank is to store the sewage after it has been settled. It is so designed that the sewage may be held in storage for any length of time. When the given amount of sewage has been accumulated, a float in one corner of tlie tank opens a valve and al- , lows the stored sewage to escape with a rush into one of the iive filter beds The mechanism * of which the float and valve form a part is so constructed as to automatically apply the sewage to each of the five filters in rotation. Filter Beds. The Filter Beds are constructed on the edge of what was formerly mead- ow lands. Sufficient earth was removed to construct dykes, thus forming 5 basins. The bottoms of these basins are covered with tile underdrains sur- rounded by gravel fi inches in depth. This uravel is covered with a layer of sand :', feet deep- this sand was all screened and carted from a sand bank about one-quarter of a mile east of the silk mill, in all about 10,000 yards of sand were employed in the construction of the two acres of filters Each bed lias an area of about two-fifths of an acre. The settled sewage from the dosing tank runs through a 12 inch vitritjed pipe from the tank to the bed and runs out on to the surface of the beds through a wooden t -o h with a concrete bottom. The settled sewage then percolates down ad through the sand and is collected in the tile drains. These drains 1 ■ rl H' Showing the S3ttling Tanks Daring Construction. Showing the Interior of Comp'eted Tanks. 5 rectly iuto Paulins Kill where the filtered sewage may be seen as i ^ The appearance of this Altered sewage as It enters the creek at the pres- ent time is not unlike the tap water used in Newton, and has no more OQor. It is clear, sparkling and odorless. The analysis of the State Sewerage Com- mission for the year 1907, as given in their annual report, page 56, shows that this filtered sewage contains but 20,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter ror 6 oi the beds and 10,000 for'the other 2 bed.s. The analysis also showed that a iiKe amount of water from Paulins Kill contained 85,000 bacteria or from 4i to 8i times as many as the filtered sewage. On a basis of bacterial efficiency the filters give a reduction of 94 to 97 per cent. * Ansonia Siiuplex Distributor manufactured by Ansonia M f g Go., ioo W. 26th St., New York. Operation of Plant. The successful operation of a sewage disposal plant depends upon the skill and industry of the operator or attendant, and Newton is particularly fortunate in having in Mr. M. B. Smith an attendant in whom is combined these two qualities. The best of sewage disposal plants may not give good results unless prop- erly managed. The plant at Newton gives excellent results for two reasons : 1st. It is based on tried principles in the art of sewage disposal. 2nd. It is properly maintained. At the present time 200,000 gallons of sewage per day is filtered at the Clinton street plant. Before filtering, this sewage passes through settling tanks, as above stated, and is applied to the beds in doses of about 20,000 gallons to each of the filters in rotation. This gives each filter a trifle over two applications a day. The art or science of filtering dirty and polluted waters is ages old. The art or science of removing sediment in dirty or polluted waters, in settling tanks before applying the same to filters is also old. At the present time in art or science of sewage disposal, the only method that will give the highest degree of purification attainable is sand filtration. The future will prob- ably bring forth other methods equally good but none are now at hand. Settling the sewage before applying it to sand filters makes for economy. Settled sewage requires less acreage of sand filters than does raw sewage. The maintaiuence is also less expensive and a plant with settling tanks is less objectionable than one where raw sewage is applied directly to the filters. The United ytates Circuit Court in the State of New York recently handed down a decision that was of great importance to those localities where the sewage is settled before filtration. It is important because a settling tank may be a septic tank on which the court declared the patent to be valid. It would seem, on reading the opinion of the Court that Mr. Cameron, the patentee, was the first to realize that a species of micro-organ- isms may thrive and grow in old fashioned settling tanks. They feed on the organic matter in the fresh incoming sewage and have completely changed its composition before it escapes through the overflow. It seems that these bacteria requires the organic matter in the sewage for their food and having taken it for that purpose they relieve the sewage of some of its objectionable 6 features. Their own exhalations, being mainly liquids and gases, are not particularly objectionable to the human senses. Whatever the contention of the Cameron Co., or whatever the decision of the Circuit Court, it is a matter of common knowledge among sanitary en- gineers that the reduction of waste organic matters, among them sewage, is a bacterial process. It is a process involving chemical and bacterial changes and is continually in operation on all sides of us. Its operation in a sew- age disposal plant is merely one of artiflcal control. Whether the settling tanks at Newton are operated as septic tanks within the meaning of the Cameron patents and the decision of the Circuit Court could only be deter- mined by careful analysis of the sewage before and after its passage through the tanks. It is perfectly possible to operate them in such a manner as not to interfere with the above patents. Whether or not it is desirable to so operate them is entirely a matter of dollars and cents. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF NEWTON SEWAGE From Report of State Sewerage Commission for 1907, pages 41 and 42. Turbidity Sediment Total Solids Volatile Solids Total Suspended Solids. Per cent, removed JSitrogen as Dissolved Organic. . . " " Suspended Organic " Nitrates Total Oxygen consumed Per cent, removed Volatile Suspended Solids. . . Nitrosren As Free Ammonia. Total Organic Nitrogen Per cent, removed Dissolved Oxygen consumed . Suspended Oxygen consumed . Chlorine Oxygen dissolved Per cent, of Saturation Temperature Degrees F Putrescibility (Days) Raw Tank Filters Sewage. Effluent. 1 and 2. 65 60 2 20 15 385 356 430* 133 100 80 13 1 100 10 7.2 7.0 0.1 12.0 8.0 0.44 33.0 96.0 11.0 75 0.0 1.0 0.5 0.0 1.2 0.0 5.1 25.0 16 5 2.4 34 94 21 16 2.4 4.0 0.5 0.0 70 70 65 3.7 1.0 9.6 .36.0 9.7 94 58 57 54 1.1 0.29 14 + Filters 3, 4 and 5. 2~ 423* 73 100 0.1 0.75 94.0 0.0 0.0 5.1 2.2 95 2.2 0.0 65 9.6 95.0 55 14 + *This increase in total solids is due no doubt to lime taken up from the filters. The sand in the filters contains from 5 to 10 per cent. '•;::