^^Tx^H'^cVE^Nlfi^^^Af^ HX64077306 RA84.C1 M38 1 988 Report ol the State RECAP Mass. repartment of ^ublic ^ealth •••Report of the State Board of Health on Water-supply & Sewerage. RA8U. d M38 CoUege of S^f^v^iciani anti S>urgeon£( Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Open Knowledge Commons http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateboOOmass .SENAT14 .... .... No. 4, R E P O H T STATE B().\RD OF HK.Vi;rH OK MASSACHUSETTS WATER-SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE, UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 274, OF THE ACTS OF 1886. Jaxuart, 1888. r.OSTON UKK.ili .\ I'ulTKU rKIJNTING COMi'A^'Y, STATE PRIXTEKS. 18 Post Office Square. 1888. SENATE .... .... No. 4. / r^ REPORT STATE BOARD OF HEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS WATER-SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE, UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 274, OF THE ACTS OF 1886. January, 1888, BOSTON : WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS, 18 Post Office Square. 1888. CONTENTS. Page I. Advick to Citiks and Towxs, 2 Water-Supply, . 3 Disposal of Sewage, 11 Pollution of Inland Waters, 22 Disposal of Manufacturing Drainage, 24 II. Examination of Inland Waters, 25 Taunton River, 32 Charles River, 33 Blackstone River. 35 Merrimack River, 36 III. Puuification of Sewage, 37 Experimental Station at Lawrence, 42 Recommexdations, G6 Report of the Chief Engineer 07 Report of the Biologist, 89 Chapter 274, Acts of 1886, 1)5 SENATE . . . . No. 4. Comtnonmcaitt) of MhssatimOts. Office of State Board of Health, 13 Beacon St., Boston, Jan. 9, 1888, Hon. Halsey J. Boardman, President of the Senate. Sir : — I have the honor to present to the Legislature the Report of the State Board of Health, required by the pro- visions of section 1 of chapter 274 of the Acts of 1886, entitled " An Act to Protect the Purity of Inland Waters." Respectfully, your obedient servant, SAM'L W. ABBOTT, Secretary State Board of Health. WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. WATER SUPPLY AISTD SEWERAGE. Report of the State Board of Health required by Section 1 OF Chapter 274 of the Acts of 1886. The work of the State Board of Health under .the ' ' Act to protect the purity of inhind waters," and under the appropriation of $30,000 made by the last General Court, may be divided into three departments : — I. That of advising cities, towns, corporations and individuals in regard to the most appropriate source of supply for their drinking waters and the best method of assuring the purity thereof and of disposing of their sew- age. II. Obtaining information in regard to all of the existing sources of domestic water supplies in the State, and sub- jecting samples from each source to chemical analysis once a month, and to biological examination Avhen necessary, and in makino- such chemical examinations of other inland waters as the general purposes of the Act require. III. Collecting information in regard to experiments that have hitherto been made upon the purification of sewage by applying it to land, and arranging for and conducting such additional experiments upon such purification as are necessary to obtain knowledge required for immediate use within the State. I. In the first department there have been twenty-five appli- cations* from the following cities, towns and individuals for advice or official action by the Board. Of these, eleven were in regard to water supplies, as follows : Boston, Chel- sea, Somcrville and Everett; Bradford, Randolph and * Blank forms of application for advice under the provisions of chaffter 274 of the Acts of 1886 have been prepared for the use of cities, towns and others, and may- be i.rociued at the office of the Board at 13 Beacon Street, Boston. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 3 Ilolbrook, Andover, Ayer, Belmont, North Easton, May- nard, Ncedham, Athol, Mansfield. There were also eleven ai)plications in regard to sewerage : from Taunton, ]\Iilford, Ware, Westlield State Normal School, Westborough Lunatic Hospital, Clinton, Brockton, Southbridge, Athol, Reforma- tory Prison for A\'onien, AV'altham. Two applications in regard to pollutions of streams : Arlington, relating to pol- lution of Alewife Brook and Lower Mystic Pond, and Palmer, in regard to pollution of Graves Brook, and one applica- tion from A\". II. Abbott, concerning the disposal of manufac- turing refuse at Northampton. To satisfactorily answer the questions submitted to the Board, under tlie provisions of chapter 274 of the Acts of 1886, the Board has adopted the following practice : The plans and estimates presented by the parties in interest are at once referred to the engineer of the Board, in order that he may make a careful examination of the localities con- cerned and determine the value of the evidence already col- lected. Should this be sufhcient to enable him to come to a conclusion satisfactory to himself, the result is reported to the Board. The appropriate committee, and in many in- stances the whole Board, then visits the locality. The advice of the consulting engineer is also obtained in all im- portant cases ; and pul)hc hearings are held whenever it seems probable that useful information can be obtained in this w^ay. The Board has not held it to be a part of its functions to prepare original plans, and has carefully avoided any inter- ference with the work properly belonging to the engineers employed ])y the parties making application. The responsibilities in carrying out the provisions of this Act are, as will be seen by the above statement, no less than those of the parties directly interested, nor can they be properly performed except after mature consideration, with the advice of thoroughly educated experts. Water Supply. The application of the Boston Water Board in l^ehalf of the cities of Boston, Chelsea and Somerville and the town of Everett, in regard to taking the Shawsheen Eiver as a source of supply for these communities, was presented to the 4 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Board of Health on the 19th of January, and occupied the attention of the Board and nearly all the time of its engineer and assistants for more than two months, with careful re- vision by its consulting engineer. The fundamental ques- tions of the probable growth and future needs of these communities were thoroughly investigated, and with the cordial co-operation of the Water Board of Boston,. through their engineers, in supplying data in their possession, the quantity of water that can be depended upon from the present sources of suppl}^ of the city of Boston was ascer- tained fi"om their latest surveys and complete records ; and the comparative cost of future maintenance of the supply to these communities from the different sources was deter- mined. It was concluded by the Board of Health that it was not only for the interest of all pai-ties holding property within the valley of the Shawsheen River, but also largely for the interest of the cit}^ of Boston and the communities associated in her application, that the present sources of supply controlled by the city of Boston were and would be for many years the most appropriate source of supply for these communities, and on the 6th of April the following communication was made to the Boston Water Board : — State Boakd of Health, 13 Beacox Stkeet, BosTox, April 6, 1887. Col. Horace T. Rockwell,^ CAa»v«aH of the Boston Water Board. Dear Sir : — The State Board of Health has had in careful consideratiou the scheme of taking water from the Shawsheen River for the use of the cities of Boston, Chelsea and Somer\dlle, and the town of Everett, which you, in their behalf, presented on the IDth of January in accordance with chapter 274 of the Acts of 1886. The purpose of this Act bearing upon the proposed scheme is, that this Board shall consult with and advise yoxx whether this is the most appropriate source of supply, having regard to the inter- ests of all who may be affected thereby. In considering this question we have made a careful investiga- tion of the present and future needs of the communities which you represent, and the amount of water wliich can be depended upon from the sources of supply which have by the State been put under your control. The conclusions already reached, differing in some respects from 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. those presented by you, have so important a bearing upon the general consideration of the subject that we now present them as the basis for fui-ther consideration. From a careful study of the experience of Boston and other places made by our chief engineer (the details of which upon this point or upon others which may arise he will, if you desire, explain to you or to your engineer), he reaches the conclusions, which we regard reasonable and well founded, that with careful and business- like restriction of Avaste the consumption of water withiu the dis- trict supplied by Boston in 1895 may be reduced to 66 gallons per inhabitant ; and to provide for the increasing yearly use for the next forty years four-tenths of a gallon per year should be added to 6Q gallons for the quantity to be supplied for each succeeding year, making the estimated consumption of water per inhabitant in this district as follows : — 1895, 66 gals, per inhabitant 1900, 68 " 1905, 70 " 1910, 72 " 1915, 74 ''■ 1920, 76 " 1925, 78 " 1930, 80 " The population of the district now supplied with water from the Boston Works has been as follows since 1840 : — YEAR. •- Population. Increase in Five Years. 1840, 122,646 - 1845, 157,836 35,190 1850, 193,027 35,191 1855, 232,663 39,636 1860, 268,916 36,253 1865, 292,382 23,466 1870, 327,951 35,569 1875, 388,175 60,224 1880, 413,713 25,538 1885, 451,898 38,185 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. From a careful stud}^ of the growth of the whole district and of its several parts, we find it reasonable to conclude that the future growth will be nearly as follows : — YEAR. Population. Increase in Five Years. 1890, 493,100 41,202 1895, 534,900 41,800 1900, 577,300 ■' 42,400 1905, 620,300 43,000 1910, 663,800 43,500 1915, 707,900 44,100 1920, 752,600 44,700 1925, 797,900 45,300 1930, 843,800 45,900 The sources of supply now used for this district are Cochituate Lake, Sudbury River and Mystic Lake. The latter drains an area which has a population of about 800 per square mile. The amount and present rapid increase of this population, together with the character of the refuse from many manufacturing establishments, indicates the probable necessity of the future abandonment of this source of suppl}^, and w^e confine our consideration to the Cochituate Lake and Sudbury River sources. The quantity of water which can be depended upon from these two sources, when all of the storage basins which the city of Boston proposes to build are com- pleted, has been the subject of careful study by our engineer, based upon the quantity that was derivable in the series of years 1880 to 188.3, when the yield of the streams was very much lower than ever before known, with the results of a net daily yield from these sources of 56,000,000 gallons during the driest year. From this quantity there is to be deducted 1,500,000 gallons, w^hich the law requires should be allowed to run down the river daily ; 2,700,000 gallons daily which the towns upon the Sudbury and Cochituate watersheds will, it is estimated, have the right to draw from these sources, and deducting also 1,800,000 gallons for unforeseen contingencies, we have 50,000,000 gallons available daily, during the driest year, for the use of the city of Boston. This quantity will be sufficient to supply the estimated population 1888.] SENATE — Xo. 4. 7 of Boston, Chelsea, Somerville and Everett with 72.8 gallons per inhabitant until li)12, and will supply tlie estimated population of the present territory of the city of Boston with 80 gallons per day per inhabitant until 192.5. Having reached these results from a careful consideration of the actual existing conditions, this Board is constrained to advise that the most appropriate source of supply for a term of years for the district which you rejiresent is the territory already under the control of the city of Boston in the Cochituate and Sudbury River areas. If these, our conclusions, are borne out by the experience of Boston, Chelsea, Somerville and Everett, although the ^fystic be abandoned, the city of Boston can from the other sources under its control supply these commu- nities, and need not, for quantity of water, seek a new source for fifteen years at least, and then there will be ten years for coustnictiou of works before the additional quantity will be needed. We would add that, from such examination as we liave been al)le to make, pecuniary considerations are in the opinion of the Board largely in favor of the development of the Cochituate and Sudbury Iviver sources to their full extent before introducing a new source. By order of the Board, Samuel W. Abbott, Secretary. Bradford. — The selectmen of Bradford, by letter dated Feb. 2, 1887, asked the advice of this Board with reference to two ponds which they thought might l)e suitable as a source of Avater supply. These were Johnson's Pond in the towns of Groveland and Boxford, and Mitchell's, or Hovey's Pond, in the latter town. The ponds Avere examined by our engineer and samples of their waters were taken for analysis ; but the time of taking the samples being that of higli Avater from spring rains they were not regarded as conclusive. The Board replied on ]\Iarch 2 that — While no evidence is presented by such examinations that the qualit}^ of the water, either of Johnson's or of Mitchell's ponds, is at this time objectionable, the Board is unable without further examination, which would extend until after your March town meeting, to give a definite judgment as to the appropriateness of these ponds for your water supply. Raxdolph axd Holbrook. — The joint boards of Water Commissioners of these towns, on the 23d of February, sub- 8 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. mitted their plans for taking the water of Great Pond, lying partly in Randolph and partly in Braintree, for a joint water supply. It was proposed to pump the water into iron water towers, one to be situated in each of the towns to be supplied. After carefully examining the surrounding country to see if some of the objections to this source could not be avoided, the following advice was given : — The State Board of Health has by its engineers examined the available sources of water supplj'^ for the towns of Randolph and Holbrook, and considering theu' present population and probable growth has been unable to find a more appropriate source of supply than the proposed source, — Great Pond in Randolph and Brain- tree. This source has, however, unfavorable characteristics which demand attention. Upon its watershed live about one quarter of the inhabitants of Randolph, nearly 1,000 people, whose sewage should be kept out of the pond. From about one-half of these houses the sewage can at reasonable expense be turned into the watershed in the south-easterly part of the town and be disposed of with the sewage from that quarter. The remaining sewage in the drainage area of the pond should be effectually filtered, or otherwise purified, so that it will not be detrimental to health before being turned into the pond or into any of its tributaries. Andover. — The committee on water supply of this town notified the Board that a petition had been presented to the Legislature of 1886 for authority to take a water supply from any source within the limits of the town, and that the petition had been referred, l>y that body, to the Legislature of 1887, where it was then pending. The large number of cases relating to water supply and sewerage having precedence of this one prevented its consideration until the action of the Legislature, in granting the petition, made it unnecessary for this Board to act until the quest-ion should come to them in more definite form. Ayi-:!!. — The Water Commissioners of this town, June 20, 1887, asked the advice of this Board as to two proposed sources of water supply. They also asked if subfiotl waters had been found more satisfactory throughout the State than jjond waters. The sources submitted were 1888.] SENATE — Xo. 4. 9 ,Sandy Pond, .said to have an area of alxnit seventy-live aeres, and a proposed well near a niill-pond. The advice contained in the reply of the Board, given below, with re- gard to storing waters colJecfed from the (/round in dark, covered reservoirs, was l)ased largely upon the experience of cities and towns in this State, which was at that time ])eing gathered in connection with the svstcniatic examination of all of the public water supplies. Further returns received, and the result of chemical and biological examinations since made, emphasize the need of following this advice : — In response to your request to know whether subsoil waters have been found more satisfactory than pond waters we give you a summary of results reported to the Board up to the present. Of seven places which collect ground water and store it in open earthen and masoniy reservoirs, three report trouble, and four report no trouble. Of fourteen places so collecting and pumping into iron or masonry tanks, some of them covered, two report trouble, one which shows by analysis to be poor before being stored, and twelve places report no trouble. The surface water supplies, including both ponds and storage reservoirs, have given more trouble east of the Connecticut River than west of it in the mountainous region. Up to the present time the ground water supplies have given less trouble than surface water supplies, and the ground water supplies are far more satisfactory when nsed directly after being drawn or with as little storage as practicable. The samples of water submitted from both of the sources of supply are of satisfactory qualit}' ; that from the flowing well is unusually satisfactor^^ The information furnished is not suffi- cient for determining whether a sufficient quantity can be obtained from the proposed wells or not. If assured of the necessary quantity the Board would advise adopting the supply from wells, and to avoid deterioration when stored in open reservou's such water as cannot be conveyed directly from the wells to the con- sumers should be stored in a dark, covered reservoir, made as small as practicable. A second and larger reservoir may be necessary as a resource in case of fire or other emergency. Belmont. — The Water Commissioners, on the 28th of June, 1887, gave notice of their intention to take water from the Waterto^vn AVater Supply Company. The pro- posed source being an established water supply which had 10 AVATEK SUPPLY AND SEWEPAGE. [Jan. been examined by the Board and found of suitable quality, notice to this effect Avas sent to the Commissioners. NouTii Eastox. — The Board of Water Commissioners in July sul)mitted outlines of i)roposed plans of water supply for the village of North Easton. It Avas proposed to collect a supply of ground water from a well to lie sunk in a meadow not far from one of the mill-ponds on the Queset Piver. The matter was examined and the source which they had selected approved, with the further advice that in case of insufficient quantity an additional supply should be sought from underground sources and connected Avith the proposed system without exposure to light. Maynard. — In the application presented to this Board, August 15, 1887, by the committee on water supply of the town of Majaiard, the statement is made that the committee are authorized to investigate the question of water supply for the town, and to petition the Legislature, to be convened in 1888, for permission to take the waters of AVhite Pond, situated in the toA\ns of Hudson and StoAv aliout two and one-half miles south-west of the site of a proposed iiumping station in the town of Maynard. The committee asked the adVice of this Boaixl as to the most a})propriate source of sup})ly for the town, and particularly as to the source selected by them. This source has been examined by our chief engineer, and an analysis of the water has been made. The sufficiency of the supply as regards (juantity is not so obvious that it can be determined from such examinations as we think it practicable for our engineer to make, and the connnittee have been asked to employ an engineer to make sui-veys and far)iish more definite iirfbrmation upon this point. Needham. — The water committee of this town asked the advice of the lioard in regard to two sources for the supply of ground water, which they had been investigating. The Board advised that the danger of pollution Avithin the Rosemary Valley was so great that this source should be rejected ; also, for the same reason, water .should not be 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 11 taken from that ])()rtioii of the valley containing" Colburn spring', west of Dedliani Avenue. The area ea.st of Dedhain Avenue appears suital)le at preseiit, hut may not contimie of satisfactory quality with the growth of the town, and the Board advised further ex- amination for a filter gallery on the bank of Charles River, to be used in connection with this supply or distinct from it. AxiroL. — In the application presented to this Board by comnumication dated Nov. 18, 1887, the statement is made that the town has voted to petition the next Legislature for the right to take water, for domestic and other purposes, from Phillipston Pond in the town of Phillipston. The committee of the town of Athol who have this matter in charge ask the opinion of this Board as to whether this pond will furnish a sufficient quantity of water of good quality to supply the town in years to come. The proposed source and others in the vicinity of Athol have been examined by our engineer and the matter is now under advisement. Mansfield. — The Board of Water Commissioners of the Mansfield Water Supply District on the 12th of Decem- ber, 1887, gave notice to this Board of their intention to intro- duce a system of water supply, and submitted outlines of their proposed plans. The investigations in this case have not vet been made. Advice in Regard to Disposal of Sewage. Taunton. — On Dec. 18, 1886, the Sewerage Commission of this city submitted a report containing their conclusions as to the best method of disposing of the sewage of the city. Briefly stated, they report that Mill River, which at pres- ent receives the sewage of the city and the drainage from gas works, etc., is at times offensive, and that, to prevent offence, it is desirable to straighten and wall the stream, to make the bottom concave, to remove the lower dams, and to obtain the control of the water of one or more mill privi- leges for the purpose of flushing ; with these things carried 12 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. out, tliey believe the river can cany the sewage of the city for a long time to come. On Feb. 4, 1887, the Board sent the following reply : — That from the reports of its engiueers of the results of their examinatiou of the ground which was visited in company Avith the Sewage Commission of the city, this Board does not ap- prove of the proposed system of sewage disposal for the city of Taunton. MiLFORD. — The town of Milfoixl, through their engineer, Mr. Ernest W. Bowditch, submitted plans for the disposal of the sewage of the town by filtration through land, the effluent from the filter beds to go into the Charles River. Mr. Bowditch appeared l^efore a committee of the Board and explained the proposed scheme. After due considera- tion the Board replied that — In their opinion it is not desirable to locate a filtration ground on the banks of a stream which supplies water for domestic use, and as JNIilford is upon such a stream, but also adjacent to a drainage area not so used, the Board suggests that examination be made to determine whether a suitable filtration ground may not be found in the drainage area not used for a domestic water sup- pi}'. If, however, the filtration ground must be located in the drainage area used for a domestic water supply, it is regarded as undesirable to have its effluent discharge directly into the river, and preferable to select a ground which is distant from the river, that anj' effluent from the ground not properly filtered may be recognized, and prevented from entering the river. Ware. — The Road Commissioners submitted to the Board, March 19, 1887, two plans made by different engi neers for the sewerage of the town. Both plans proposed to discharge the sewage into the Ware River. The Board advised the town to have plans pre})ared for a system of sewerage providing for the separate removal of sewage and storm-water, and to have the cost estimated for comparison with the cost of the system proposed by the present plans. In the latter part of July an outline of a proposed system of sewerage, in which storm-water and sewage are to be kept separate, was submitted to the Board. After giving a hear- 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 13 ing to the town and to others interested, the Board gave the following advice : — The State Board of Health havhig given a hearing to the town of Ware and others interested in the disposal of its sewage, and having considered the plan of sewerage presented, renew their recommendation that the separate system of sewerage be adopted in order that, shonld it prove necessary in the fntnre to purify the sewage before turning it into the river, it can be done with reasonable expense. With such system, and the understanding that the turning of crude sewage into the river may in time prove detrimental to the needs and interests of this or other communities, and it will then be otherwise disposed of, the Board approves of the general method of disposal presented. In regard to advice asked upon details of the system to be adopted, the Board finds the plan presented so incomplete that it cannot serve as a basis for such advice. The economy and efficiency of a separate system of sewerage depend so much upon the proportion of parts to the work required of them, and the design and arrangement of details, that* much more study should be expended upon these subjects than the present plans indicate. The plans should comprise a general plan, with drainage dis- tricts shown upon it, profiles of each street showing sewers with sizes and grades, and the locations of all cellars in the business portions, or in other places where they may be difficult to drain. The plans and profiles should also show the location of manholes and flushing chambers. Details should be made showing designs of brick sewers, manholes, flushing chambers, catch basins, etc., and of the river outlets and works to protect them. A report should be made by the engineer, describing the system and how it is to be operated, and giving the estimated cost of the whole sj'stem, and of such a portion of it as would be desirable to bttjld at first. Upon receiving such plans the officers of the Board will exam- ine and advise if any changes are desirable. State Normal School at Westfield. — The follow- ing letter contains a statement of the condition of the drain- age at the State Normal School at Westtield, indicated in the application of the Committee on Education of the Legis- lature, together with the advice of the Board relative to the same : — 14 AVATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. To the Chairman of the Committee on Education. Dear Sir: — The State Board of Health received from Mr. Foote, the secretary of the committee on education, a plan of a proposed sewer in School Street, Westfield, — with the proposed Act, House Document No. 195, — with the request from said committee that the State Board of Health would examine and report to the committee if the plan proposed be the best method of relieving the State Normal School and Boarding Hall of the ill effects which they experience from the present condition of drainage in their vicinity. The method proposed is to build a two feet b}^ three feet brick sewer through School Street, from where the town brook crosses this street to the south side, to where it re-crosses to the north side, a distance of some 700 feet, turn the brook through this sewer and cut off all^that part of the brook which lies south of School Street, and then drain the State buildings into the sewer. The most important objects affecting the State property being to remove the unwholesome brook with open walls, now used as a sewer, which runs directly under the cellar of the Normal School Boardijag Hall and to drain the two State buildings. The State Board of Health has examined this matter by its committees and by its engineer, and while other plans for accomplishing the desired result fit the State buildings, sucli as replacing the open walls of the brook through the lot of the Boarding Hall by a thirty inch iron pipe with tight joints and a sufficient pipe sewer from the school building down School Street to the brook, have presented some advantages over the one proposed in the bill, the Board has upon further consideration been obliged to conclude that neither of these methods presents an adequate or permament relief to the State buildings and the territory adjacent and along the valley of this brook. This brook extends for a third of a mile below the proposed sewer as a sluggish ditch winding through barnyards, and under buildings, much obstructed by sewage debris, the flow from adjacent privies and from street and yard surfaces, and is the general receptacle of anything which people wish to get rid of ; the walls are falling in and are being crowded nearer together by frost ; the bottom is filled witli one foot or more of decaying material which upon being stirred sends up foul gases. It will be evident upon consideration that a sewer seven hundred feet long, replacing eiglit or nine hundred feet in lengtli of such a brook, in which distance the fall in the brook is about one foot, will nut in its middle section reduce to an appreciable extent the level ^of water standing in the ground adjacent, and in time of heavy rain upon the ;314 acres drained by this brook above Washington 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 15 Street the cellars which have been flooded by t|jis brook are still to be flooded ; and the small culverts up the stream which now hold this water l)ack in ponds after heavy rains will naturally be enlarged from time to time, bringing the water down the valley after a rain more freely and causing increased flooding of cellars. The large drainage area of 314 acres (nearly one-half a square mile) above Washington Street cannot, in such rains as we have had and are liable to have every few years, be drained by a sewer two feet by three feet, nor by a brook like Town Brook, without overflowing its banks. It is as impossible as it was in 1878 for the Westfield River with its drainage area of 3.50 square miles to discharge its 53,000 cubic feet of water per second by its river channel without overflowing its banks. To prevent such an over- flow the people of Westfield have enlarged the opening at this dam and increased the area of the river channel by building a long and high dike. At Town Brook the same principles must be employed by a different method. The sewer must be made larger, be placed at a lower level and discharged farther down the valley. A thirty-inch pipe with lead joints could be put in place of the stoned brook through the premises of the Boarding Hall, and the Normal School be drained down School Street to the brook for about half the cost of the sewer proposed by the bill in School Street, and the buildings be as well provided as with that sewer ; but neither plan will in the opinion of this Board give adequate and permament relief. Such relief can be obtained by building a sewer four feet in diameter from where the brook first crosses School Street, west from the Boarding Hall, at a lower level, in which water will have its surface in the different stages, three feet lower than at present. This sewer should be continued down School Street to Elm Street, across Elm and down Main Street to the brook at the Riding Park. Here the sewage and brook water could be turned into Town Brook for the present, but if the water now coming from the canal be cut off, or if, in future, a large amount of sewage be brought down this main sewer in Main Street, it would be necessary then to have at the Riding Park an overfall to discharge storm water directly into Town Brook and continue a smaller sewer, about two feet in diameter, large enough to convey the ordinary sewage dowii Main Street to the river. The town of "Westfield had an investigation made fourteea years ago and a plan proposed for main sewers in Elm Street and in Main Street. The School Street district by that plan was to di-ain through the northern part of Elm Street to the river a little below the dam ; but there is to this plan this serious objection^ which has been brought to notice since the plan was proposed^ 16 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. The water below the dam, near the outlet then proposed, stood in the great freshet of 1878 at the height of 87.8 feet, and should such a freshet again come the water here would flow back through the sewer into the cellars of a large section of the town, including those of School Street ; but at the outlet now proposed near the Riding Park the water of the great freshet stood at the height of 82.7 feet or five feet lower than below the dam, and would conse- quently flow back to so much less height in cellars ; and farther, the increased fall in the shorter distance enables this main sewer to be much smaller than an equalh' efficient one would be, dis- charging near the dam. The engineer of the Board has made an estimate of the cost of such a sewer, which is upon a more liberal basis than the estimates made for the town fourteen j-ears ago and is intended to cover fully all that it would cost to build the sewer at this time, provided no ledge be encountered. This estimate for the sewer four feet in diameter, with its manholes and entrances from where the Town Brook first reaches School Street west of the Boarding Hall to the Town Brook at the. Riding Park, amounts to $32,000. It is the opinion of the Board that such a sewer, shown upon the accompanying plans, should be built by the town of Westfield for the preservation of the health of its residents ; and it would in the judgment of the Board be much better for the State to pay the town a liberal assessment towards the building of such a sewer with a branch along Washington Street to the Boarding Hall than for the State to spend the amount proposed in accordance with Bill No. 195, with the ine%dtable result of neither adequate nor perma- nent relief. The principal of the school very properly objects to delay in remo\'ing the brook from under the Boarding Hall, on account of injury to the inmates and the knowledge of probable injury deterring others from coming to the school. This may be overcome during the necessar}' time of construction of the sewer by leaving two cellar windows open and from an opposite quarter of the cellar, putting up a wooden flue 18 inches square against the outside of the house, connecting it freel}^ with the upper air in the cellar and producing in it an artificial draught by means of a fan or by a group of burning gas jets sufficieu|; to change the air fre- quently in the whole cellar. Westborough Lunatic Hospital. — On the 8th of April the trustees of the ho?!!})ital requested the Board, among other things, to examine the system of sewage dis- 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 17 posal at the hospital and recommend a proper disposal of the sewage. In a communication to the trustees dated May 9th, treat- ing principally of the condition of the buildings, and ad- vice in regard to them, the Board made the following statement in regard to disposal of their sewage : — * The present method of disposal of sewage after leaving the hospital is to convey it across the main road to the orchard and let it run on the surface down the hill in the watershed of the Sudbury River, where it forms a small contribution to the water supply of the cit}^ of Boston. This method of disposal cannot, of course, be allowed to continue. There is in this field perhaps fifteen acres, so situated that the sewage could be applied to it advantageously, and under proper management this could be allowed to be done during the months of rapid growth of the crops ; but during six mouths of the year, at least, the sewage should be withheld from this area and taken in an iron pipe to a tract of land over the brook running from Chauncy Pond to Little Chauncy Pond, the drainage from which land is not used for a water supply. The details of the arrangement of irrigating ditches on these two tracts can be decided after surveys are made giving contour lines at every foot in height, and locating trees and other obstacles to ditching to be avoided. The tract of land over the brook, owned by the hospital, does not appear from an examination to have so many natural advantages for purifying sewage as the twenty-eight acre tract next beyond, which we were told could be bought for a moderate price ; and the choice would be determined by the more detailed examination of your engineer designing the arrangement of your irrigation field. In October, 1887, the trustees of the hospital, through their engineer, submitted a plan proposing a subsoil distri- bution of the sewage upon a tract of land on the side hill, north of the hospital and outside of the watershed of Sudbury River, so that the effluent would not run into any water used for a domestic supply. The engineer of the trustees appeared before a committee of the Board Nov. 3, 1887, and explained the nature of the ground upon which he proposed to dispose of the sewage * The remainder of the letter relative to other sanitary conditions at the Hospital may be found in the General Report. (Public Institutions.) 18 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. of the hospital and the general features of the plan. From his account the material proved, by trial pits, to be so much better adapted to the filtration of sewage than inspection of its surface promised, that the Board advised the trustees that it saw no reason to doubt that the sewage of the hos- pital can be disposed of upon that tract without risk to the health of its inmates or to the public. The details of the method of distribution were not submitted, and the Board consequently expressed no opinion upon the subject. Clinton. — The Board of Road Commissioners submitted a plan for the sewerage of the town to this Board for advice. It was proposed, generally, to take storm water and sew- age together in the same sewers to an intercepting sewer in the valley of Coachlace Brook. This sewer was intended to carry but little more than the dry weather flow of sew- age, overflows being provided for the discharge of all ex- cess during storms. The plan provided for carrying the sewage to the bank of the south branch of the Nashua River, but left the question of its final disposal in abey- ance. After careful examination of the subject b}^ its engineers, and giving a hearing to all interested, the Board gave the following advice : — The State Board of Health has by its engineers examined the question presented by the town of Clinton, and advises that the sewage of the town be separated from its storm water, and that the sewage be purified either by intermittent filtration upon land, or by chemical precipitation, or by a combination of the two pro- cesses, before being turned into the river. At the heiglit proposed for the outlet of the main sewer, the sewage for nearly the whole of the present town can be conveyed without pumping to land upon which it may be purified by inter- mittent filtration ; and if the town grows to such an extent that this area becomes insufficient, it can still be used for filtering the night sewage, and the day sewage can be pumped to higher land near, which appears well adapted for the purpose. The height of the outlet would also admit of clarification of the sewage by chem- ical precipitation. The town should have the matter of the purification of its sew- age carefully examined, and plans therefor, by the best method, prepared by an engineer competent to do such work. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 19 Any data, which the chief engineer of the Board may have, vrhich will be of service to the town in such investigation will be at your disposal. Brockton. — The question of the disposal of the sewage of this city was brought before the Board in February, 1887, while the petition of the city with reference to the same subject was pending in the Legishiture. A bill having been there framed, which, if enacted, required subsequent action by this Board before the scheme of sewage disposal contem- plated could be carried out, the city authorities did not desire further action at that time. In July, 1887, no final action having been taken by the Legislature, the joint standing committee on sewerage and drainage of the city of Brockton gave further notice to this Board of their intention to introduce a system of sewerage, and submitted outlines of proposed plans, and asked the Board to consult with and advise them as to the best prac- ticable method of disposing of their sewage. The Board have by themselves and by their engineers, with the assis- tance of the engineers employed by the city, carefully investigated the difi'erent plans which have been proposed, and on Oct. 31, 1887, they gave a hearing at Brockton to all parties interested. The Board to the present time has made only the preliminary report given below, the more detailed report being delayed that the Board might be guided in its advice by the experiments on the disposal of sewage now being carried on by them at the Lawrence Experimental Station. In response to an application from the city of Brockton to the State Board of Health for advice as to the best practicable method of disposing of the sewage of Brockton, the Board will in future make a more detailed report, but for your imme- diate use state the following conclusions : that the method of purification by intermittent filtration upon land is best adapted to your circumstances, and that the muster field area, partly in Brockton, partly in Easton and partly in West Bridgewater, is the best adapted for a filtration area for the purification of such sewage, affording abundant area for the future growth of the city. The Board also finds that the part of this ai'ea within the city 20 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. of Brockton, together with other land near to, and easterly there- from, which is not so favorable for the same purpose, forms an area within the limits of the city which for several years will be adequate for the purification of the sewage of Brockton. SouTHBRiDGE. — The Special committee on sewerage of the town of Southbridge, in July, submitted plans for the disposal of the sewage from a portion of the town, in con- nection with the improvement of the channel of a polluted brook passing through the thickly settled part of the main villao-e. After the matter had been investigated and a hear- ino- had been o-iven to those interested at the rooms of the Board, the following reply was made : — The Board of Health is not prepared to advise the town of Southbridge to dispose of its sewage in the way proposed by the plans presented. It may not be many years before the town will be requned to purify its sewage before discharging it into the river, and the Board advises that before adopting any plan to relieve a locality, a study should be made of a means of conveying the sewage proper of the whole town, separate from storm water or ground water, to a place where it can be pumped to a filtering area and be purified before being turned into the river. Such study and plans being made, it will then be for the Board to decide whether the sewage may temporarily be turned into the river. By proceeding in this way the Board sees that much expense is likely to be saved by the town in redesigning and rebuilding works uusuited to the work to be required of them. Such information as may have been obtained by the State Board of Health upon the subject of sewage disposal in general, and with special reference to the conditions existing at South- bridge, will be placed at the disposal of the authorities of your town at the office of the Board. Athol. — The sewerage committee of Athol, Aug. 29, 1887, submitted plans for the sewerage of the town, which proposed the discharge of the sewage into Miller's River, below the lower village, and asked this Board as to their right to so discharge it. The Board replied as follows : — So long as the river is used as a supply for drinking water at Orange, Athol is, by chapter 80, section 9G of the Public Statutes, 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 21 prohibited from discliarging sewage into the river. The sewage may be purified b}' filtration through land, so that the eflfluent may be turned into the river. From an examination made by the engi- neer of the Board there appears to be land near the Fitchburg railroad, about one and a quarter miles below the proposed outlet, to which the sewage may be pumped, that is suitable for filtration purposes, and it is possible that other suitable area may be found to which it may be conveyed by gravity. The Board advises the town of Athol to have examination made by a competent engineer to determine the most economical method of disposal upon a suit- able filtration area, for which purpose the engineer of the Board will give the engineer of the town any data in the possession of the Board that may be of sendee. Sherborn Reformatory Prison for Women. — The Commissioners of Prisons, Oct. 10, 1887, asked the advice of this Board in regard to supplementing the present sew- age-disposal area by the addition of some land, easterly and across the road from the prison ; also, whether the pipe, conveying sewage from the present sewage-tanks to this land, could be carried under the basement of one portion of the building without detriment to the health of the inmates. The Board, in their reply, suggested some modifications of the plan proposed, and that the pipe passing under the building, and for not less than twelve feet outside of it, should be of cast-iron of the kind used for water-supply in cities, to be connected with tight lead joints. The reply ended with the advice that in the opinion of the Board a pipe sewer constructed of iron as above described, below the basement of the prison building, would not injure the health of the occupants of the prison. They do not consider the proposed irrigation field east of the prison essential to the general plan of sewage disposal ; and they are not prepared to say that the profit from the use of sewage irrigation, as an assistance to the farming opera- tions of the establishment, would yield fair return upon the money thus spent. Waltham. — The Sewerage and Drainage Commissioners of Waltham, in submitting their scheme for sewage dis- posal, make the following statement to this Board : — 22 AVATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. The Sewerage and Drainage Commissioners of the city of "Wal- tham were ordered by the city council last year to report a system of sewage disposal for our city. We reported in favor of the system recommended by the State Commissioners, namely : the building of a truuk line of sewer down the valley of Charles River to Boston ; to be constructed and maintained by the several cities and towns using it. Since the action of the Legislature last winter, postponing action on the State Commissioners' report, we have been considering other methods of disposal, and particularly the sj'stem of clan'fi- cation by the use of precipltants, and then discharging the effluent into Chai'les River, and it is with reference to this method of disposal that your advice is particularly desired. After o'ivino; a bearino; to the town, the Board sent the following : — The Board is not prepared to adA-ise the city of Waltham to adopt the plan proposed : to clarif}^ the sewage by chemical pre- cipitation, and discharge the effluent into the Charles River. The general subject of the drainage of the Mystic valley, and so much of the Charles River valley as may be drained with it, has been submitted to this Board by the General Court with instructions to report, one year from this time. Until this examination is com- pleted, the Board will not be in condition to make definite recom- mendations ; but the Board, as at present advised, sees no solution of the question of the sewage disposal of the city of Waltham so satisfactory as some method of conveying it to the deep sea at Moon Island, in conjunction with the city of Newton, and the town of Brookliue and the Brighton District of Boston. Pollution of Inland Waters. Arlington. — The selectmen and Board of Health of the town of Arlington, on the 14th of February, 1887, presented a communication to this Board representing that Alewife Brook, forming the boundary line between Cambridge and Arlington, received a large quantity of sewage from three Cambridge sewers, and much oflfensive matter from the slaughter-house of Niles Brothers ; that the waters of said brook are at all times contaminated and polluted, and that they constantly endanger and imperil the public health. These authorities of the town, therefore, requested this Board to take such action in the premises as may be author 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 23 ized by law to prevent the pollution of the waters of said brook. A hearing was given March 8, 1887, to the Arlington authorities and other parties interested. On the 9th of July, 1887, a second communication was received from these same authorities requesting this Board to cause examinations to be made of the waters of Alewife Brook, and of the Lower Mystic Lake, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same are in a condition likel}^ to impair the interests of the public or imperil the public health. In addition to this request the communication con- tained substantially the same representation and request as the first one. The Board caused examination to be made in July and August with the result that they found Alewife Brook pol- luted to such an extent that it has ceased to be a brook and has become a sewer, and below the entrance of the drain from Niles' slaughter house is much more offensive than ordinary city sewers. Its condition improves somewhat before reaching Mystic River. The public health requires that such an open sewer should not exist, and the means of relieving the public of this nuisance are a part of the problem of disposal of the Mystic River sewage, which the Legislature has referred to this Board and which is now being actively con- sidered. On the days when the lower Mystic Lake was visited there was no noticeable odor except in the immediate vicin- ity of the place where the discharge from the Mystic Valley sewer enters the pond. Chemical examinations, however, show that the waters are polluted, as may be seen by the following analysis of water taken from the surface in the middle of the upper half of the lake, on July 27, 1887, expressed in parts in 100,000 : — Total I'esidue, 241.50 Loss of residue on ignition, 82.40 Fixed residue, 209.10 Free ammonia, 0.0578 Albuminoid ammonia, .... 0.0506 Chlorine, 127.0 Nitrogen as nitrates and nitrites Present 24 WATER SUPPLY AXD SE^^T:RAGE. [Jan, Palmer. — People living along Graves Brook in this town made complaint to the Board that the waters of the brook had become polluted by the filth coming from a car- pet mill, including both the manufacturing refuse or drainage and the washings from privy vaults, to such an extent as to make the waters foul and ofi"ensive, and to imperil the public health. The circumstances were examined and the following response made on December 7 : — Section 96 of chapter 80 of the Public Statutes provides that " no human excrement shall be discharged into smy stream used as a source of water supply by a town within twenty miles above the point where such supply is taken, or into any feeders of such stream within such twenty miles." Water being used from the river at Chicopee Falls for domestic purposes within twenty miles from the carpet mill at Palmer, this mhl and all others in the \'iciuity are prohibited from discharging then- privies into the stream. As to the further discharge from the carpet mill the State Board of Health does not see* that in the case as stated by you they have authorit}'^ to interfere. Disposal or Manufacturing Drainage or Refuse. XoRTHAMPTON. — On the 3d of December, 1887, an appli- cation was made to this Board for ad\dce with reference to the disposal of the drainage from proposed soap works to be built in Northampton. The Board caused examinations of the locality to be made by its secretary and appointed a time for a public hearing, when the application was with- drawn on account of the failure to procure the desired land for the works. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 25 n. The following observations pertain to the operations of the Board referred to in the second department of work.* The Board of Health has at various times called attention to the limitations of the methods hitherto practised for deter- mining the character of the substances present in water, which may have an injurious effect upon human health. It was therefore decided to call to the assistance of the Board some analytical chemist of the highest repute, who should be directed not only to repeat such examinations as have heretofore from time to time been made, but also to again critically examine the successive steps of such exami- nations with a view to their possible improvement and extension. We believe that at the end of a year's work we can point to improved methods of analysis, and that we shall then be in condition to give a more exact interpretation of results. Prof. T. M. Drown of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has had charge of the chemical analyses. Mrs. R. H. Richards has had the immediate oversight of the labo- ratory staff, consisting of Messrs. A. H. Gill, Henry Mar- tin, H. A. Richardson and Miss Isabel F. Hyams. Regular work was begun in June, 1887, and there have been exam- ined 1,509 samples of water. In accordance with the general plan, as above stated, a great deal of work has been done in studying the changes which waters undergo in differ- ent conditions, and in perfecting analytical processes in the line of greater accuracy and rapidity. We have thought it advisable to withhold a general dis- cussion of the analyses already made until we have in our possession observations extending through all the seasons of the year. The chemical examinations of the water supplies have been accompanied so far as possible by a study of the animal and vegetable life always present to a greater or less degree in surface waters. Mr. G. H. Parker, S.B., assistant in Zoology in Harvard * See page 2. 26 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. University, has had charge of the examinations of waters with reference to the forms of vegetable and animal life which are either evident to the naked eye or which can be studied with the lower powers of the microscope. To E. K. Dunham, M.D., was assigned the investigation of the bac- teria and kindred forms of vegetable life, which can only be studied with the higher powers of the microscope, and by various elaborate methods of cultivation, requiring much time and great technical skill. Mr. Parker began his work in July. Dr. Dunham entered upon his investigations in October. It is too early, there- fore, to attempt to draw many very definite conclusions from their observations in their respective fields of inquiry. The details of a plan for procuring samples of water from the various supplies under consideration, so accurately de- fined as to permit of comparison with samples taken from the same sources throughout the year or in any succeeding year, have been carefully prepared by the chief engineer of the Board, F. P. Stearns, C. E. Preliminary to this work all the statistical information which could be obtained was brought together and so arranged that all the recorded facts concerning any public water supply were made available. We can therefore com- pare with more confidence than ever before our successive observations of the water supplies of the State. All the important details relating to this subject will be found in the report of Mr. Stearns hereto appended, to- gether with a very instructive discussion of some of the results obtained. It will be seen that municipalties representing eighty-two per cent, of the whole population of the State are provided with public water supplies, — a sufficient argument for treat- ing this question with a consideration due to one of our most important sanitary problems, and with the certainty, more- over, that the difficultes of the situation will increase from day to day. Some observations upon the composition of water in filter galleries by the side of streams and ponds will also be found in this Appendix, to which attention is also called. They have great practical value in demonstra- 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. ■ 27 ting some of the advantages of this method of collecting potable waters. As only a limited number of water supplies could be examined by Mr. Parker and Dr. Dunham, it was thought wise to begin with the largest and most important supplies, first on account of the great number of people dependent upon them, and secondly, because all their physical condi- tions were much better known, and because more informa- tion could be had without expense to the State. From time to time other water supplies have been examined in this exhaustive manner, as occasion has seemed to require. Three classes of plants are found in our ponds and reser- voirs. First, those which are fixed in the l)asins, such as the common pond weeds and a few filamentous algse. Sec- ond, those which are suspended in the water, but do not readily decompose, including the common green algse {des- mids, diatoms, etc.) and duck- weeds. Third, those which are suspended in the water and readily decompose, the blue- green alg^ (^Coelosphoerium, Anaboena, and Clathrocystis). Plants firmly fixed in streams and basins are harmful mainly in afibrding a lodging-place for the development of plants belonging to the groups two and three above noted. In basins having much fluctuation of level, plants of the first group may injure the water by their death and consequent decay. The floating plants of the second group are injurious, since, after a long carriage through a closed conduit or in continued hot weather, they die and decompose. In Boston water, taken from a tap, they are usually dead; in Cam- bridge they are usually alive in the water taken in the same way, and ofi'end only the sense of sight. The members of the third class multiply very rapidly, and secrete a jelly, which, together with the plant, readily un- dergoes decomposition. These plants usually decay in the basins, and are represented in the water drawn from the taps only by a few fragments. Of animals, two classes may be mentioned : the fixed or sessile forms, and the free swimming. Of the latter the entomostraca are the only troublesome forms, and these 28 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. maiol}' in the hot weather, when the rate of reproduction is very high. Of the sessile animals two are noteworthy, the fresh water sponge and the polyzoa. The latter usually encrust the gates and open ends of pipes. One gela- tinous form lives in the ponds, — sometimes free, sometimes attached. The comparatively small number of the polyzoa and their hardiness render them generallj'^ less important than some of the other organisms. The sponges are undoubtedly the most troublesome of the animals found in water supplies. They seem to have established themselves in the service- pipes of the Boston and Charlestown systems, but are not found in the Cambridge system. They readily decompose and strongly taint the water. They are now conspicuously absent in the sources of Boston's water supply. Some of the lines upon which relief from the nuisance occasioned by these organisms may be sought are the fol- lowing : Fixed plants can be cleared from ponds by the usual methods of raking. Improvements of the ponds by deepening and removing the loam will probably do much to check the growth of plants in groups two and three. In Mr. Parker's preliminary report, which is printed in the Appendix,* will be found some observations upon the changes undergone by water from one locality, under the difierent conditions of storage in a filter gallery, in an open and in a covered reservoir. These observations have a great practical value, and demonstrate the value of covered reservoirs as a protection against the vegetable life, which seems to be the ordinary'' source of the disagreeable tastes and smells so common in our ponds and reservoirs. Four rivers in the State have been systematically exam- ined. These are the Taunton, the Blackstone, the Charles, and the Merrimack. In the study of composition of river waters and the changes which they undergo in their progress, we must, in addition to the chemical determinations, bring into our consideration the geology and surface topography of the region through which the rivers flow. Wooded and swampy lands will give to their waters, with sluggish flow, high color * See Appendix A. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 29 and much soluble vegetable matters. Barren and rocky districts have rapid streams with little organic impurity and more or less mineral matter, according to the character of the rocks over which they flow. Deep mountain lakes furnish water of high purity, with- out odor or color, and the waters of shallow lakes and ponds in low rolling country are generally colored from dissolved vefjetable matters, and often have a distinct odor from aquatic growths of vegetable or animal origin. Any investigation, therefore, into the pollution of streams by the drainage of human habitations or by manufacturing refuse, presupposes the study of the streams themselves, and the nature of their mineral and organic contents before they reach the point of pollution from sewage or similar drainage. It is well to bear in mind that, although the admission of sewage into streams constitutes the principal and dangerous pollution, natural waters, far removed from human settle- ment, may be impure and repellent by reason of the pro- ducts of vegetable and animal growth and decay. Because a stream is dark colored or is distasteful, and contains or- ganic matter and products of putrefactive change, we must not take it for granted that it is contaminated by human refuse, or that it is dangerous in containing, necessarily, the germs of specific disease. One chemical analysis of the water from a stream will not tell us (except in extreme cases) whether the stream is or is not contaminated dangerously with sewage. Indeed, many analyses of the water taken at random at different seasons may often fail to give us this information. We need to know what is the character of the water under nor- mal conditions of rainfall, and also what it is in dry seasons, and when the water is unusually high. When a stream is swollen after heavy rains the water is turbid from suspended earthy matters and matters of organic origin washed down from the banks of the stream. An analysis made under these conditions will give a very difi"ereut result from what would be obtained during summer heat and drought. Yet the knowiedo;e of the character of the water under both con- 30 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. ditions is a matter of importance, in tlie study of the changes which a stream undergoes as it flows through a populous and manufacturing district. Further, the degree of the polhition of a stream will obviously depend on the relation between the volume of the water flowing and the amount of contaminating material which enters it. The fouling of small streams by an amount of drainao;e which a large river would absorb without notice- able efiect, is a matter of common observation. Neverthe- less, when it concerns the matter of a supply of water for drinking purposes it is of the first importance to keep a jealous watch over the efiect of an increasing vplume of drainage entering rivers even of large size. In the chemical analyses of the waters of the rivers (as well as the water supplies of the State in general) those sub- stances have been determined which experience has shown to be the most important in influencing the character of water when used for domestic purposes. Briefly expressed, the scheme of analysis is as follows : The water is inspected for turbidity and sediment. The odor at ordinary tempera- tures, and at a point near boiling, is noted. Its color is recorded on a scale formed by adding the so-called Ness- ler reagent to varying amounts of ammonium chloride. This scale is the same as that used in the determination of free and albuminoid ammonia. Color 1 is a distinct yellowish brown when seen in a depth of five or six inches ; 2 is a decided yellowish brown. On this scale Cochituate water as drawn from a faucet is on an averasje about 0.35. The " total solids " express the amount of both organic and mineral matters which the water contains. The " loss on io;nition" represents in most of the surface waters very closely the organic matters, and the "fixed solids" those of mineral origin. And here it should be said that it has been the usual practice in carrying out these analyses to include the sediment and suspended matters in the determinations, ex- cept in those cases where the amount of undissolved matters is excessive by reason of heavy rains or other causes. In such cases the determination has been made on both the unfiltered and filtered sample. " Free ammonia " is one of the products of the decay of 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 31 organic nitrogenous matter, either vegetable or animal, and "albuminoid ammonia" represents the amount of nitrogen- ous matter which is capable of giving ammonia in the pro- cess of decay. The "nitrogen in the form of nitrates" expresses the completion of changes which go on in nitro- genous matters in their progress from the organized to the inorganic condition. Chlorine is generally present in water as chloride of sodium or common salt (one part of chlorine being equiva- lent to 1.65 parts of common salt). It may come from the soils and rocks over and through which the water passes, and from proximity to the sea, and it may also come from the waste products of human life and manufacture. It is this latter orio^in that ogives it its o^reat sio-nificance in water analyses as a possible indication of sewage, in which it is always present in considerable amount. In the following table of analyses of four of the rivers of the State these determinations have been arranged in two groups, in order to bring together the determinations which are most closely related to one another. Thus, we have a table of Organic Contents, in which will be found the nitro- gen in the form of free ammonia, in the form of albuminoid ammonia, and in the form of nitrates. With these is given the color of the water (on the scale mentioned above) , since a very close correspondence has been made out between the depth of the color (which represents the vegetable organic matter in solution) and the amount of albuminoid ammonia. In the other table of 3Imeral Co7itents the fixed solids express the amount of the mineral matters present, and the chlorine the contents of salt. The loss on ignition, as before said, is approximately the total amount of organic matter present, irrespective of its origin and character. The tur- bidity is given in this table, since it bears a close relation to the amount of solids determined by analysis. The chemical results embrace a period of seven months, from June to December. The study of these tables is interesting and profitable, but as they cover only a part of the year any conclusions drawn from their study in their present form may have to be modi- fied as the work progresses. Moreover, the past summer 32 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. was one of unusual rainfall, and the waters of this period cannot be considered as normal. The collection of the samples of water was so planned that the waters of any one river should be taken from the various stations as near as possible on the same day. Even with this precaution to ensure con)parable results local rains have at times a disturbing influence. The samples taken from the tributaries of the rivers are given in the same series as the rivers, but they were not as a rule collected at the same time. The Taunton River. The Taunton River represents a drainage area of 450 square miles. Within this area the waters of the river and its tributaries have been examined at nine stations, mainly in the eastern portion ; but the monthly samples from these points were not always collected on the same day. The analyses have been arranged in three groups. First, the Salisbury Brook above Brockton, which furnishes the water supply of the city, Salisbury Plain River below Brockton, and the Taunton River at Sturtevant's Bridge, Bridge water, just above its junction with the Nemasket. In the second group are the waters brought in by the Nemasket, namely : Elders Pond, Little Quittacas Pond, Assowompset Pond, the Nemasket at Middleborough, and also at the Old Mill just before it joins the Taunton. In the third group are two stations on the Taunton River, one just below its junc- tion with the Nemasket at Dunbar's Bridge, and the other at the city of Taunton (see Tables la and lb). It would be interesting in studying the character of the waters of this area to know the kind of water brought in by the eastern tributaries, and those draining North Easton and Bridge- water, which flow into the Taunton before its junction with the Nemasket. On comparing the character of the first two groups one is first impress^ed with the fact that the waters from the north are high colored, and that those from the south, brought in by the Nemasket, have but little color. This high color is accompanied, as usual, with high albu- minoid ammonia. The lighter colored waters from the south, with lower amount of albuminoid ammonia, have a NORTHERN TRIBUTARIES. TABLE I. "A." TAUNTON RXVER A^jSTD THIBUT^RIES. {ORGANIC CONTENTS). Paiits in 100,000. ISST. July, . AugUBt,* Beptembor, October, 2Tovambor, Docembor, Receives draiDogc of Brocktoo between the points at wbicb the eampleB were taken, aa indicated Id the unalyseB at the right and left of this epace. RIVER BELOW JUNCTION. u early In September. SOUTHERN TRIBUTARIES. July, . August, November, . December, . { mliiold Nitrogen Nltmtcs. September. October. November. December. NOBTUEUN TliinUTARIES. TABLE I. " B." t^untojst river _a.nd tributaries. (MINERAL CONTENTS;. Pahts m 100,000. lUmcKTON ' 'fro FIAo" "it K8K 11 voriL 1 -■■-:-■»■"-»■ ■'■""°"''m:,u;r„r '■'■"""'*''' Turbidity. iz. ISIlUIOTI. Sull(]ii. c„„V,„. Kc'ceivcB DraiLugf of Itrocklou. Turbidity. Solids. iKidtloii. !11 ™.„.. n.e,™..„..j^.™..«we»,.. Turbidity. sir Ignition. Fixed Solids. Chl„,„.. IHflT. Juno, . July, . . DoclJod, UuclJt'tl, Heavy, . Ik-Hvy, . Bllfjlit. . Decided. (..80 6.0S 4.11) 2.02 2.05 2. Id 2.88 a.oo 2.36 ■: -•• .:» 2:00 ,:™ ,:2o ":,^?..,t,( Dodilod, Decliled, Deciilcd, Docidod, 7.45 3.45 4.40 4.20 .09 .72 .67 MVEE BELOW JUNCTION. 8oplcml>or, . Oulobor, Novomlor, . TAUKTON UIVER — ''' iiu'r.'^"",!"""' A,™.™. Dooembor, . Muan, . Tiiiliidily. IZ. ilguitlou. sZ. Cidotino. Turbidity s™d";. Igidtlun. so^^. Cldotlne • ThiH Buinpio wiifl tnkoii early lu 8oi)lumbcr. SOUTHERN TRl BUTAHIl;S. Very 1 .light, 1 Very 1 Blight. ) Dceided, Slight, . •light, 1 :: 2.87 3.85 .72 .68 Slight, . Slight, . Very ) slight, j SllL;lit, . Sllijbt, . Slight, . Dleliuct, 6 84 3 70 09 3 3 60 75 73 68 59 Juno. July. August. Sc'iilembor. Docembor. '^'CZuI^"' '■'"-,,^-7-;;'''»'"' ASSOWOHM.ShT I'OND, i,.«AJKCTj«VM,, M,1,I,UK- '"■"""■■roiw.",""'""''' Tirrbldlly '' iKlllllull. jr. CUdorluc Turbhllty. T«,n, !.....„ Solid., jlgiillloii. Solids. Clilorlnc. Turbidity IZ. iBultloii. sililds '''"°''"' Turbldity. IZ. Loss on rixc cillorliic Igiilllun. Sotltls. Turbidity :;::;. ,"",::;;. TZ. Cl„o,l„.. Juno, . .„:„,. :» .:. .:.3 :. Sllgbl. . :. ~ :„ :« «,.:„,, :,. 0:00 :.. :« Slight, . Slight, . Very 1 flight, i .'light, 1 .Tight, ! \ flight,) 8li'«ht, 1 _4.00 1.23 «I z July. . . Aiigiial, Bo))tcnibor, Omobor, Kovombor, Oouombor, Menu, . * :: 30 30 70 I \ 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 33 very slight effect in reducing the intensity of the color in the northern waters, on account of the much smaller volume of water flowing in the Nemasket. The Taunton River, after receiving the purer waters of the Nemasket, is but slightly altered in color, and the free and albuminoid ammonia are not much reduced. The waters from the north are also more turbid, and carry more earthy and flocculent sediment than those from the south. To this suspended matter, as well as to the organic matter in solu- tion, much of the albuminoid ammonia is due. Thus the sample for October from the Brockton storage-reservoir, on Salisbury Brook, which gave .0518 parts of albuminoid ammonia, gave only .0282 after simple filtration through paper. The high loss on ignition in this water, nearly tme- half of the total solids, points also to a large amount of organic matter. The mineral matters, or fixed solids, in- crease in the northern tributaries from 2.67 at Salisbury Brook to 4.50 at Sturtevant's Bridge, and the chlorine, which generally increases in the same ratio as the fixed solids, rises from 0.33 to 0.67 parts. In the southern tributaries we have much less solid matter brought in, both organic and mineral. The turbidity and sediment are, as a rule, less, and the fixed solids and loss on ignition are both lower After the union of the rivers the Taunton, owing to its much greater volume, preserves its general character, but the Nemasket waters have, nevertheless, a noticeable effect in lowering the free and albuminoid ammonia and the fixed mineral contents. In the further progress of the river to the city of Taunton, it remains substantially constant in com- position ; but the effect of the drainage of a populous region is shown in a decided tendency to an increase of the free ammonia. The Charles Eiver. The Charles River has been examined regularly at five points, — at South Natick, West Roxbury, Newton Upper Falls, Waltham, and Watertown. There are, also, one analysis of the river water at Milford, three of Rosemary Brook, vvhich joins the river below Newton Upper Falls, and five of Stony Brook, which tiows into the river above 34 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Waltham. If we compare the averages of the two end points in this series (see Table Ila and lib), namely, the river at South Natick and at Watertown, the contrast is striking. The free ammonia is increased ten-fold, the nitrogen as nitrates three-fold, the fixed solids rise from 3.83 to 5.54 parts, the chlorine from 0.43 to 0.69 parts, and there is a decrease in color in the proportion of 84 to 57. In so far as these figures express in a general way the tendency to progressive pollution they convey im- portant information, but they are misleading if they give the idea that the river at Watertown always bears this relation to the river at South Natick. If we compare the analyses of the waters from these tvi^o stations in Jul}^, we find the composition nearly identical as regards organic contents ; but in November, the free ammonia and nitrates are very much higher in the river at Watertown. A single random analysis may sometimes tell us a good deal about a water, but it may lead to serious error if we attempt to get from it more information than the actual figures tell us of the com- position of the one sample, taken under certain conditions and at a certain time. The danger of error decreases with the number of analj^ses and the length of time covered by the investigation, but it is not entirely eliminated until we are thoroughly acquainted with causes of accidental changes in a stream, as well as with those which are regular and normal. The high albuminoid ammonia of the water at South Natick is normal if we take into consideration the general average high color of this water, and the low free ammonia associated with it points to the vegetable nature of this impurity. At Watertown the water is generally of lower color with a tendency to high free ammonia, conditions which point to contamination by drainage. The mineral contents of surface waters are not, as a rule, subject to such irregular and fitful changes as the organic contents. Thus, in the Charles River the chlorine increases steadily, almost without break, from Milford to Watertown. The changes show great regularity both in the waters of each station when compared with themselves, and also from station to station as the stream flows onward. In general. TABLE II. "A." CHARLES RIVER. (ORGANIC CONTENTSJ. rAIt-ra IN 100,000. oTr"" '-'.-'. I" 'Z '°Z ' 'Z !'! 'ZI 'I! 'Z " Z 'Z 'Z ,\ m.s o™ m .'I T." 'Z 'I- It" 'Z «*! «! "'I- 'Z 'Z '"' TABLE II. " B." CII.A.RX,ES RIVER. (JIINERAL CONTENTS). Paiits in 100,000. .,H,™.. .,Bo,™n„.ok. 'bLI^°"L"3"' ....™„„.„.^„. ll„„.™,B.oo.,^.„.^,. • 1 "oii.^r.'si"""'' .,w..„.. .,w™™. Turbldlly. i:i IgnltloQ. s"S. Torbltllly. 121 iB»m™. JomI o.„... TurWdily. ■s'.S. iBQitlOD. Solid.. C.„l„. Turlildlly. sTi Ignition. s«m1. Tuchldlty. SoC!. IgOWOD. s'r C.1..1.. TLirUlllty. IZl iBiSS.a. Zl 0.1.,.. TiirbUllty. Zl Ignition. sTl 0...... Turbidity. s™. Igoitlon. 6^.'al'. ...... July, . . Augnel, 8ci.Winlii.T. . Mean, . '%«,! IM i.m =.*. .30 Blight. . suebi, . : J» I z : '"fi^giit, 1 "^ght, ( "ughi, ( " l!.S E : "figlil, i Slight, . Slight, . e : J : j'io : "aKght, i 5^B6 ::: 4^00 :: ^'ii,,.! Slighl, . :: ; : : : Slight, . Slight, . 0.27 : : : Slight, . ?:: =••» ; ;: : TABLE III. "A." BLAOKSTOlSrE EIVER. (OKGANIC CONTENTS). Pabis in 100,000. HO,.„KB,o„„.n.„»V.,.. l.,<,™.s™„„ ■=.>.»»„. "•"•"-"'„;:.=:"'■'"""- , m™ „,.o,, orrrw„o..,.„ 6kwb„. Dudtid nr LjiiB^QiJisiMAaoKn .in. oraEn M.™. C„„. aIZIu. -r:r NItrogcD c.,„. a™i.. ^r"or NUroecn c.,„. JZ,.. ?::r NUroHCD 0... .^1'::,.. r:r Nitrogen CO... .:„"!. r:r S,.™g.n July, . Scptcmljcr, . " 0000 0170 OO' :;: ;E :: .007 0.3 Z E :: r E 0380 ^1' :!' E Z 'E <1 by I TABLE III. " B." bl^ck:sto]S"e river. CMINERAL CONTENTS). Parts in 100,000. Ho™.S™„„.„„vo,.. .™.™«„„o.l.™,„. , M,„ =„.,w Ou™;r"»c..™„ B.„.. B.„™n„.J|=,.».™o,n» M,™.. ton. Loi. Lo.. Lo., Lo.. Turbidity. B.,„.. IgnltloD. S.,,0.. OMortoc. Turbidity. =""-• ICOiliOQ. s.,„.. OMoilD,. Turbidity sea.. Ignition. s'r. ^"'■ loo. ■"""""'■ igot,;.. "' ... CMorlno. Tnrbldlly so,,... Ignition. Boii... Ohiort... Jm.""' SWghl, . 2.2, LOT 1.20 .11 SIlBht, . 2.02 0..7 2.0. .U dirty. 122.00 0.30 13.00 1 n Do.ia.a,. O.OS 1.52 5 13 .77 Sllgbl,' 5.52 1.12 3.70 .53 July, . . (42.00 3.25 38.75 2 12 DUtinct, . 7.27 27 00 .82 Dialincl, 4. so 1.00 3 SO 42 Aui!..i, . DKllMcl, . a.07 1.02 1.(6 .OS "-:«,«, 1 3.20 1.30 1.00 dirty, 1 H.,10 3.-0 1J.80 1 21 Dlnioci, . 7.05 05 5 10 .00 Slight, 5.22 1.07 4 15 41 S.i«cml..r, . DMldOj,. !.60 0.00 i.eo .IS 2.00 0.51 2.35 dirty, 1 23.00 7.30 lO.OO 03 Di.Unet, . 7.07 » 6 »7 .71 Slight, 5.30 1.35 05 52 Ootobor. . Dwlilod, . 2.0S 0.7S 1.00 .13 siiebi, . 3.25 0.75 2.00 ""^dlrty"" j 10.00 0.10 10.50 00 DlBtinct, . 7.55 36 20 .81 UiBtluct, 0.50 1.05 4 15 50 rr;: "r:; 2.00 ::: z ;;i Blight, . z ;:» Tl dirty. dirty, |Z 10.20 23.80 1 z DLtlo.t,. 7.15 Z I z z Dwiir. I'm LM ' '! 5, """■ ■ - 2.02 I.Ol 1.02 .11. 3.10 ...5 2.21 .10 2...3 0.5. 1..3. I 39 7.3. 13 5 02 .7. 5.31 1.28 • 03 51 r 1888.] SENATE — No. 4; 35 the months lowest in chlorine throughout the series were July and August, and the highest November and December. If we had only the chlorine determination at South Natick in November and the chlorine at VVatertown in Auofust, the contamination of the stream as shown by these figures from South Natick to Watertown would be as 54 to 59 (1 to 1.1), whereas the rel ition between the two determinations in Au- gust shows 89 to 59 ( 1 to 1.69), and between the two in November as 54 to 80 (1 to 1.63). The evidence of pol- lution by drainage which we get by the determination of the free and albuminoid ammonia must, in this way, always be confirmed by the evidence furnished by the contents of chlo- rine ; but to be sure of our ground we must know that the conditions under which the samples were taken make the determinations fairly comparable. The nitrogen in the form of nitrates at Watertown is higher than in the upper waters of the Charles. This shows a complete oxidation of a small portion of the nitrogenous matter, presumably of animal origin, and it afibrds an addi- tional proof of previous contamination. The process of nitrification is not very active in river waters, and the nitrates do not there assume the same significance as Ihey do in s^round waters. The Blackstone Eiver. The Blackstone River affords a good instance of intense pollution of a stream by excessive sewage and the waste products of factories, and its partial purification by subse- quent dilution. (See Tables Ilia and lllb.) The head waters of the river, represented by the Holden and Leicester storage reservoirs, are fairly good waters of moderate color, with a marked tendency, in the Leicester reservoir, towards the development of free ammonia, which, however, is not accompanied by high chlorine. The river about one mile below ^^'orcester, after having received the sewage of the city and the waste liquors from the Washburn & Moen Wire Works, is excessively foul. It is muddy and dirty in appearance, and full of dark floccu- lent, suspended matter. It has frequently an acid reaction 36 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. from the pickling liquors. The water at this point may be fairly called sewage. At Ux'bridge the river has received the water from Lake Qiiinsigamond and other tributaries, and shows in conse- quence some improvement, but not enough to enable it to be called anything else than foul. At Millville, the lowest point at which samples have been taken, the water has lost some of its objectionable leatures, but it is still unfit for use for drinking. The mineral mat- ters and chlorine at this point are not excessive, but the high free ammonia shows the continued presence of putrefy ing material. The Merrimack River. The Merrimack River is being studied (as shown in Tables IVa and b) at six points, from Nashua, N. H., to Haver- hill, Mass., as well as at its head waters at Lake Winnepi- seogee, and on four of its tributaries. If we compare the waters of the Lake with that of the Merrimack at Haverhill there is a striking difference in composition. The former is colorless and of high purity, and the latter is colored, and carries a good deal of organic and mineral matter in suspen- sion and solution. Again, if we compare the two extremes on the river itself at Nashua and Haverhill we still notice a wide difference in character At Haverhill the free ammo- nia is double that at Nashua, the albuminoid ammonia one and a half times as much, and there is a slight increase in the nitrates The fixed solids are increased fourteen per cent., the volatile solids eleven per cent., and the chlorine twelve per cent. The changes between the stations immediately succeeding each other are less marked, but they are, in general, in the line of progressive contamination. As has been previously noted, the evideme derived from the solid contents and the chlorine is more uniform in this regrard than that derived from the nitrogenous matter. In the latter we notice con- siderable fluctuation, but in the former the increase is quite uniform The Merrimack is a good instance of the ability of a large river to receive a good deal of polluting material, in the TABLE IV. "A." m:eiirim:j^ck: river. (ORGANIC CONTENTS). Parts in- 100,000. w,»»,„.».„m„„,„L.K.v„x.... A,m.™.. , A„„I.„w.,... 0™™Low...,„„™„.Oo«oo„. A..V.I,™™™.., B..o.I.™»„. A.o™B.™„,„. c.,„r JZ,.. r:r '■"r° c.„. aITo,.. aIZT NU™.. CO.. A^... ?rr Nllrogon o.,„. A — . r:r Nitrogen CO,. aJ::.,.. '^rr" NltroEon C.,„. aZI. r:r Nllrogon C.W. aJ:.!. "aLJ.,.'.' ""7° July, . I I I I Z » > E E : I ?5t E E : J :: I's E 003 :: •""" ::: E « : E E E :r M08 IT^ Z TiaiBTJTARIES. TABLE IV. ■B." (MINERAL CONTENTS). P.vuTS in 100,000. Wo,-K,r.«.ooE^ nn-Kn. at Lakk Y.lt^ob. A,N.„™. ^.„.o™„. 0„...,.L.„„..„.v.„.o»»n.. ..o™..™™. 3™.™»n. .„„H™„u„,n. Turbidlly. IZ. Ignition. s'ut. »-• Turbidity. sIS; IgQltlOE. s^" --■ Turbidity. zz. iBnltlon. 6^r. 0M„„„. Turbidity. i:i S"lo°.°. sr. — Turbidity. sr. iBLltlon. sr. — ■ Turbidity s'r S::: .r. -"-• Tttrbldlty. IZ. i:;:,::. s'r — ■ July. . . Scplembcr, . Blight, . NODO, . Slight, . J.so I I "" •;: SLelt, . ■BIlBbi, . ^kd',1 :: l.J. :: ■': Slight. . ,,''«fiBht, 1 Very ( aJight, 1 tS.15 i!m r: 'n Slight, . Slight, . ^"llBlit, 1 I'™ !'m »0 ■: Slight, . Sliglit, . 4.M :■:: E: : E:: 5 : ^50 3.48 : ^ sKght, ! I : ]J TRIBtlTARIES. K..,„„It„™,„C.,.„.. N™„K.™n,„K.„... A.„n..R.v„..,Non™..„..o.. Co>,co„.,,.,v™,„L=,vjnn, s„.,,„„.» ■.,„„,„«•,..„».„». Turbidity. :z. Ignition- s'r. Cb,„l„. Turbidity, i:i IgUltlDD. Fixed Ob,.«„. Turbidlly. i:i Igiillion. jr. Cb,..n.. Turbidity. s™;.'. IgnitloD. Solid.. ObloHoo. Turljiaity. IZ Igoitloii. !1T1 July, . . aeptCraber, ■ ^^ht,! Slight, . SllBfit, . SiiBht, . :: !.: ^ °-i ... Slight, . Slight, . DlBllnot, . aiiBht. . ^ :: 'iZ a.B 20 Slight, . ""t'.b.,l Slight, . BilBllt, .. I I it: I : : " ,:. :. :,. .; "e'Xght, t ''"ibt,! Slight, . BUght, t ' z E 4.10 :: 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 37 form of sewage and manufacturing refuse from large cities, without becoming seriously polluted. It has in this re>*pect not only the advantage of large volume, but it is unusually well aerated by agitation in rapids, dams and water-wheels, which, without doubt, have some influence in counteracting the influence of the organic matter How far the results of chemical analysis would have been different in a summer of normal rainfall it is impossible to say. By referring to the tables it will be seen that the water samples examined were very generally turbid, owing to the frequent and heavy rains. The tributaries of the Merrimack which have been exam- ined, namely, the Nashua, Assabet, Concord and Shawsheen, are all less pure than the Merrimack at the points of junc- tion, and contribute therefore to the impurities of the Merrimack. The Shawsheen is characterized by its high color, and its corresponding high albuminoid ammonia. It is, however, generally clear and free from sediment. III. Purification of Sewage by Applying it to Land. In England, France and Germany, and to a limited extent in this country, sewage has been satisfactorily purified by applying it to land used for growing crops, with the result that the water flowing from underdraius was nearly as good as the supplies of drinking water of those countries, so far as chemical and biological examinations could determine. The quantity which can be applied depends upon the per- meability of the soil and the underlying strata, the amount of rainfall and the character of the crops. In England from 2,000 gallons per acre per day to 6,000 gallons have been applied, giving an average of a little more than 4,000 gallons per acre per day where the rainfall is twenty-two inches in the year. In Germany about 3,000 gallons per day are recorded, and near Paris, in a very open sand, about 11,000 gallons per acre have been applied in raising cabbages, but this amount would drown the crops on any land that could be cultivated without irrigation. 38 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. It is probable that upon ordinary farm land in Massa- chusetts 2,500 gallons per day per acre are as much as could be applied to any valuable grass crop, and there would be required 400 acres of irrigation ground for each million gallons of sewage. Or the city of Lawrence, using sixty gallons of water per inhabitant, would require an irrigation field of 1,000 acres, or one quarter of the area of the city to use in irrigation the dry-weather sewage of the city. We may then conclude that desirable as the use of sewage in irrigation is, we cannot depend upon irrigation alone in the mure thickly settled parts of the State for preventing the pollution of streams. The limit to the quantity that can be applied in irrigation is injury to the crop. Some kinds of laud are found to be capable of purifying a much larger quantity of sewage than the crop can bear, if the sewage be applied at intervals of time, leaving the land to drain and become more or less filled with air between the applications. This method is known as intermittent filtration. By this method the suspended matter is retained near the surface, and is to a great degree burned up, and the liquid percolating in thin and broken laminse comes in contact with the air, and much that is held in so- lution is 2::iven up or changed, and the effluent proves to be eflfectually purified. This purification was at first supposed to be due to the oxidizing efiect of the air, but the experiments of Schloes- ing of France, and Frankland and Warington of England, prove that with this there must be the active presence of organisms to produce nitrification. Schloesing found by passing sewage through glass tubes filled with baked sand and with marbles, — First. No purification was produced. Second. After a while the effluent was quite clear and free from organic matter. Third. Upon applying chloroform to the tube, purifica- tion stopped and did not commence again till all traces of the chloroform were washed out. He was thus confirmed in the conclusion that purification requires the active co-operation of organic life. No purifying or nitrifying effect being produced at first by sand, in which organic life had been destroyed by heat, 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 39 and the nitrifying effect beginning after sewage had been some time passing through, he conchided that the sewage in- troduced the nitrifying elements, and that as their [)urifying action ceased when treated with cldoroform and began again after the chloroform was washed out, he concluded these ele- ments were living orijanisms. liobert Warington in England has made many valuable experiments upon nitrilication in soils and waters, and being confirmed in the view that it is due to living organisms has sought to determine the distribution of the nitrifying organ- ism in the soil, and concludes that it is practically con- fined to the surface soil and occurs to a very small extent in a clay subsoil removed two or three feet from the sur- face. Dr. Frankland of England, by experiments, passing sew- age through two-inch glass tubes sixteen feet long, filled with sand or sand and chalk, found that about six gallons of London sewage can be satisfactorily purified per cubic yard in twenty-four hours. He concluded that purification is a process of oxidation, the products being carbonic and nitric acids, consequently a continual aeration of the soil is necessary. With glass cylinders 10|^, inches in diameter filled with about five feet in depth of soil, he found, by applying sewage intermittently and at diflerent rates to different soils, the fol- lowing results : — Darsley soil; a light brown loam, purified, 9.9 gallons per cubic yard in twenty-four hours. Bennington soil ; a porous gravel, which had been used five years for sewage irrigation, gave 7.6 gallons per cubic yard in twenty-four hours, of effluent "almost as good as London water." Hambrook soil ; a light reddish sand, did not at first purify but after a fortnight it began, but would not purify more than 4.2 gallons per cubic yard in twenty-four hours. - Barking soil ; at first absorbed some fertilizing ingredi- ents ; but with 3.8 gallons in twenty-four hours showed in- creasing quantities of organic matter in the effluent for twelve weeks, and the effluent gradually became crude sewage. The results with sand from Hambrook are like those ob- tained by Schloesing with sand and marbles. It took some 40 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. time, in this case two weeks, before the effluent began to show nitrilieation ; whereas when loam from Darslev was used, or soil from Bennington which had pre^^ously been treated with sewage, nitrilieation began immediately. The conclusion reached was that in the loam, nitrifying organisms existed as shown by Warington, and nitrification set in at once, while they did not exist in the sand and gravel but were introduced by the sewage and were retained in passing over the particles of sand, where they multiplied till they were in sufficient number to effect the nitrification of the sewage. At the Clichy Laboratory, near Paris, experiments were made in a plate-glass tank, six and a half feet high and about eight inches square. One inch in depth of Paris sewage was put upon this sand daily for five years, with the result that the sand was generally clean, after the five years' use. The quality of the effluent was excellent as shown by the following analysis in parts in 100,000 : — Sewage strained; I Effluent. ■ through Paper. Ammoniacal niti'ogen, Albuminoid nitrogen, Niti'ic niti'ogeu, . 2.69 0.406 0.04 3.14 .02 .01 1.96 1.99 Frankland's experiments with sand, and with sand and chalk, gave the following results when discharging 5.6 gal- lons per day per cubic yard, or 45,000 gallons per acre if five feet deep : — Sewage. Effluext — • Through Through Sand and Chalk. Solids in solution, ..... 64.5 77.6 94.6 Organic carbon, 4.386 .734 .582 Organic nitrogen, 2.484 .108 .092 Ammonia, 5.557 .012 .016 Nitrogen as nitrates and nitrites, .000 3.925 3.478 Total combined nitrogen, .... 7.060 4.043 3.583 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 41 The effluent t]irouo:li Bennington soil, five feet deep at the rate of 61,000 gallons per acre per day, Dr. Frankland said was " almost as good as London water." The quantities of sewage applied in intermittent filtration, in which we have satisfactory analyses of the effluent, are those of experiments on material in glass tubes having areas from three square inches to eighty-seven square inches, and the amount of sewage applied and satisfactorily purified varied from 30,000 gallons per acre per day to 80,000 gal- lons per acre, upon a bed five feet deep. One soil tested failed to purify the lesser amount. The amounts repoiled as applied to various filter beds in England and on the Continent are from 3G,000 to 90,000 gallons per acre per day, but the analyses of the effluent when given are not so satisfactory as those obtained in the laboratories. From tliese results it appears that filter beds, if of proper material, can purify ten or twelve times as much sewage per acre as can be applied to our farm lands in irrigation. It is upon the basis of these results that we must enter upon experiments to determine the amount of sewage we can in this climate purify with sucli material as is deposited in our valleys. At present no one can tell in regard to any area that may be selected the character of the effluent that will result from the application of sewage in large or small quantity, nor the efl'ect of our winters nor of long storms upon the effi- ciency of the bed, nor the proper intervals for application. This knowledge can be obtained only by trial and careful observation. To make such trials in the most economical way to obtain reliable information and actual additions to the knowledge of the world upon this subject for immediate and urgent use in this State, the Board of Health has es- tablished an experimental station and is now actively pur- suing the investigation in regard, first to the soils, sands and gravels to be found in its neighborhood, afterward to be replaced by those which may be proposed for such use in other localities. 42 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Sewage Experimental Station at Lawkence. Wherever sewage is to be iDurified in any manner it is im- portant on the ground of economy that it be collected and conveyed to the purifying grounds separate from and un- diluted by storm water or surface drainage, and in seeking a location for experiments upon the filtration of sewage, a supply of ordinary city sewage undiluted by storm water was sought, but no such locality in the State being available the Board found many advantages in locating the experi- mental station in the city of Lawrence, upon the north bank of the Merrimack River, where land owned by the Essex Company was placed at its disposal for the purpose. To this place sewage is conveyed in a two and a half inch pipe of galvanized iron, from a point in the main sewer of the city about 1,000 feet above its outlet, a'nd above the en- trance of streams from the manufacturing establishments ; this sewage from stores and from the dwellings of perhaps 10,000 people may reasonably be regarded as ordinary city sewage, similar during very dry weather to sewage separate from storm water, but during wet weather very much diluted by surface drainage. The iron pipe follows the sewer to its outlet, and there rests upon the bed of the river for 3,000 feet, then ex- tends 300 feet within the filtering grounds. The filtering grounds comprise about two-thirds of an acre with surfiice from fifteen to twenty feet above the river in summer. The material of the field is fine sand, known as river silt, deposited by the river upon its banks at times of freshet. Within this area the Essex Company had constructed in former years, for its own use, a building three hundred feet long, and about ten feet wide, and ten feet high, nearly all below the surface of the ground, lighted by windows in the roof. Within this building was a drain, and above this a Avooden flume about two feet wide and one foot high, resting on piles, two at every five feet of its length, and sloping in its length about one foot in one hundred feet. This flume is divided at each twenty-five feet of its length by a tight par- 1888.] i SENATE — No. 4. 43 tition, each section forming a basin twenty- five foct long, about two feet wide and one foot liioh and containing: be- tween two and three hundred gallons. Each section is jirovidcd with an outlet by which its contents may be turned into the drain beneath. Outside of the building, in the field, where the surface of the ground is seven and one half feet above the upper edge of this flume, opposite each of ten of the !^ecti{)ns of twenty- five feet in length is placed a wooden tank, buried to its top. These ten tanks were made of cypress, circular in phm, sixteen feet eight inches in diameter inside, at the bottom, seventeen feet four inches at the top, and six feet drep inside. They were set with the bottom sloping four inches in its width toward the building, and the top of the staves cut level with the low side. They rest upon mud sills and a bed of puddle, and before the sides were puddled in, the tanks were proved to be completely water tight. From the lowest point in the bottom, a two-inch iron pipe, through the ground, conveys drainage trom within the tank to the nearest section of the flume within the building. In each tank fifteen feet in length of underdrain of horse- shoe section, of about two square inches in area, is set half an inch above the bottom, and the floor covered with one layer of coarse gravel stones about one inch by two inches, this by another layer of smaller size, upon which follow layer after^layer, decreasing in size to one eighth of an inch in diameter, and making a thickness of three and a half incbes. This fine gravel is covered with very coarse mortar sand, with top surface level, three and one half inches deep in the middle of the tank. Above this substratum the several tanks are filled as follows : — Tank No. 1. Filled with five feet in depth of very coarse clean mortar sand, taken from a depth of six or eight feet. Tank No. 2. Filled with five feet in depth of very fine, nearly white saud, taken from a pit below discoloration by weather. Tank No. 3. Filled Avith peat, which is nearly all vegetable matter, but contains a little mud. The top of the peat bed which 44 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. had been cultivated was removed and the tank filled four feet with the undisturbed lower layers, and one foot of the original top layer put on top. Tank No. 4. Filled with five feet in depth of river silt, being mostly a very fine sand, from the excavation made in setting tank No. 5. Tank No. 5. Filled five feet deep with an excellent quality of brown soil taken from a garden which had been cultivated many years, and manured and put down to grass last spring. Tanks No. 6, 7 and 8. Filled to be as near alike as possible, with three feet eight inches of coarse and fine sand and fine gravel. Ten inches of yellow sandy loam, and six inches of brown soil, in the same position as found on the river bank, w^here it was covered with a poor growth of pine trees. Tank No. 9. Filled four feet three inches deep with a very compact sandy hard pan of clay, sand and gravel, from Prospect Hill, Lawrence, covered with nine inches of brown soil. In each case the filterino: material was thrown scatter! nsr into water which partly filled the tank. After filling each tank to a height three inches below the top, a little sloping bank one foot wide was filled around the inside of each tank, of the same material as the upper layer of the filter, to prevent the liquid applied reaching the side of the tank too freely. Tank No. 10 is for the present used for the measurement of the rain fall and the evaporation. Within the building at a higher level than the top of the tanks are placed two measuring basins, into which the sewage is pumped, and by a scale of heights indicating gallons the quantity to be put upon each filter tank is noted, and this quantity is distributed by movable hose to either of five tanks from one measuring basin, and to the other five tanks from the other measurino^ basin. Similar scales indi- eating gallons, in the basins in the building below the filter tank outlets, serve to measure the effluent from each of the filters. Samples of crude sewage from the upper measuring tanks, and of the effluent from the lower measuring basins, are daily submitted to chemical and biological analysis. In Jthc field beyond the filter tanks the area of about one- third of an acre is sloped in the direction from the line of 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 45 tanks a})out one foot in ten feet, and in the direction par- allel with them about one foot in one hundred feet. This area is laid out in shallow drains to receive sewage for fil- tration, underdrains being placed sixty feet apart to catch samples of the effluent. These underdrains are put at the depth of four feet, and slope like the surface, — one foot in ten feet, — being about fifty feet in length, opposite tanks Nos. 3 and 8, and oppo- site the space between Nos. 5 and 6. Trenches were cut two feet wide and the bottom coated with two inches of puddling clay, plastered on a little lower in the middle where the two-inch drain tile was laid with open joints and surrounded wath six inches in depth of gravel. The surface drains are in the material of the field which for several feet in depth is a fine river silt, which freezes about as readily and compactly as clay. To guard against the interference of this hard freezing, shallow trenches, which follow the surface of the field in slopes, 1 foot in 30 feet, 1 foot in 50 feet, and 1 foot in 100 feet, were dug out one foot wide, with the bottom level of the same width, and of the following depths : No. 1, 6 inches deep ; No. 2, 1 foot deep ; No. 5, 3 feet deep ; No. 6, 2| feet deep ; and filled in to these depths with coarse mortar sand similar to tank No. 1. Trench No. 7 was dug out 1^ feet wide and 2 feet deep; and trench No. 8, 2 feet wide and 1-| feet deep, and filled with the same sand. These trenches are filled with coarse sand of the different depths and widths, to determine how much of such material is necessary to prevent trenches in river silt from freezing, and preventing filtration in the coldest weather. These trenches have the surface of the sand about four inches below the level of the ground adja- cent, except near their lower end, where in fifty feet it increases to ten inches below. They are about five feet apart, and in length as follows : No. 1, 113 feet; No. 2, 152 feet; No. 3, 195 feet; No. 4, 221 feet ; No. 5, 17G feet ; No. 6, 218 feet ; No. 7, 203 feet ; No. 8, 177 feet. Before applying sewage to the tanks and trenches it was thought best to see what effect these several filtering mate- 46 AYATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. rials would produce upon drinking water, and at the same time to determine the limiting quantity that could be passed through a layer of each material five feet deep most com- pletely underdrained. With this in view arrangements were made with the Water Board of the city of Lawrence to supply the experi- mental station with water, free of cost to the State, the Board of Health communicating to the Lawrence Water Board such results of its experiments upon drinking water as may be of service to that Board. The results of these experiments made to the present time are now given in detail for each tank : — Filter Tank m. 1. Filled with very coarse mortar sand. The tank contains about 9,500 gallons of sand which was thrown into water and left saturated a month, when the water which flowed out readily amounted to 1,200 gallons in one hour, and 1,750 gallons in one and one-half hours, after which the rapidity of flow gradually decreased, 2,100 gallons having flowed out in 11 hours and 2,220 gallons at the end of 72 hours when the rate of flow was six-tenths of a gallon in an hour. About one-fifth of the cubic contents of the tank flowed out in two hours. The drainage was continued one week, durino- which time 145 gallons of rain fell into the tank, 150 gallons of the efliuent came from the gravel and unclerdrains, and the filtering material contained a little more than 2,000 gallons of air. Sand similar to this in tank No. 1 has been examined and found to contain about 35 per cent, of air space when per- fectly dry. It follows that at this time this tank of 9,500 gallons of sand contained 2,000 gallons of air and 1,325 gallons of water. Into this was poured daily 136 gallons, or the equivalent of one inch in depth over the surface of the sand, of water drawn from the city service pipes from Novemlier 14 to November 20 ; then 408 gallons daily from November 21 to November 26 ; none added on November 27 ; 544 gallons daily from November 28 to December 6 ; 1,000 gallons daily 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 47 from December 7 to December 11 ; and 4,000 gallons daily from December 12 to December 16. This water being applied with considerable care, to spread it over the surface, must have pushed before it a large part of the 1,325 gallons already in the tank, before it appeared at the outlet ; how large a part we have not yet the means of determining with certainty. Probably it did not appear until 1,000 gallons had passed out, or until seven days after the first of the 136 gallons was applied. Com- paring the quality of the water applied with that which flowed out after 1,000 gallons had passed after each change in quantity, we have given in the following table the mean result of the chemical analyses of applied water, and the effluent from this tank during the application of each of the quantities of water. These results show a progressive improvement in the filtered water for the five weeks that the filter was in use, up to the end of filtering 1,000 gallons per day, and a slight decrease in percentage of impurities removed while 4,000 gallons per day were flowing through. The general results at this tank to December 16 are : Removing the color completely ; reducing the organic matter to ^ ; reducing the free ammonia to ^ ; reducing the albuminoid ammonia to nearly ^ ; reducing the chlorine to I", and reducing the nitrates to' | of the amounts in the applied water. From December 17 to 23 this tank was supplied with 230 gallons daily of efliuent from tank No. 5, which is filled with garden soil, with the mean result given in the table. The color was removed. The organic matter, which is the loss on gently igniting the solid residue on evaporation of the water, reduced to one-quarter and the ammonia to one- seventeenth of the applied water ; the chlorine reduced from 0.45 to 0.24 and the nitrates unchano;ed. From December 24 to December 30 this tank was again supplied with 4,000 gallons of city water per day, with nearly the same general result as when previously applied. 48 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. uaSojijM O H -jf|«uv JO -ox o o (M CM o o CO -* o o GO 10 O' o Oi CM '—I 1-H o o CX5 C» o o o o O 00 1— ( 1—1 O O CO CN l-H O O O 'TtH CO 00 -H r-H O O O o CO o CO to CM (M O o o 00 CM CO CO -^ CO CM 0:1 CM t^ T-M p l->; P "-O CO CD 1-5 o -^ lo -^ CO CTi CTj O CM O CO CM i-H ■^ '-; "^"^ <^ -ri^ CO -* CO ^^ CO p c<; -^ CO • ■ 1 • • 1 • • 1 • • 1 • • CO ^ CO . . CM . _; r-H T— I p O r^ > O O CD ci c3 p:] 'OS) . . tS) . c3 • bn :o I— 1 CO -* bo ■ bo * on 1—1 •S • 1— 1 1—5 f>5 . t>5 bo O O p. r-T be o3 bo ■ o o o be bo fc^co" C CM ■P;0 ■ Q) 6 c3 bo bo a t^ CO -rfH CM -^ CO CO ■* u ' f-T ^r • ,^- • jj- • tT ^T 11 §;g P^'S &:^ <=> <^q CO q CO q c^ >-0 lO CO o lO C>5 CO CO O CM O CO T-I O lO q < O 7—1 ; '^ CO o CO H r^ ^ CO c4 CO cq j Oj 2 g 1 (^^ lO o to o C5 t- CO lo o t- tH CN GO C^ CO CO lO q iq CM -+ o o =: i-H T-i d 7-5 d 7-5 d 00 7-5 d 7-5 ►J M r-i CM Ed C3 O _: O lO o CO oo CO lo CO o o >o a C3 ^ CO t^ CO CO (>) CO O CT L^ CO CS ^O »o -^ CO ^ c^ ^ c4 !>; CO CO T-5 Tj5 1 ■ • 1 • • I . . I ■ ' CO o CO 1 1 1 CO 5 B ■ * 1 rn" 7—1 C5 ■rn T-T . . , . o . . 7-1 . . CM . . i-H > o . > O O ft P o . . 6 o p . . ci 0) P . . ;^ s O 4J ^ ^ o -4J CO cq . . 7-1 '3 . . CO ■ 6 ' ' 73 'C^ t^ > O i P bo bo l§ • ^ - • ^ ■ • ^ c3 - - •^ >-j >> 'ci o 'B' !>j • ^ 'p^ *c3 P>j "Ch a 'a a, A p Oh Ph a 'C CS rt (S cS c3 © • O ■ • -tJ rt "S ci t; • t» . k. • 1^ ^ K- a 0) l^s -"^ &1 ? a $% CI 'TJ S 7^ 3 c3 3 la s ^:3 ss S^ gs 1 W -<3 <5W <1W CO W cc3 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. ' 51 The ai)plicd waters of each stage arc compared with the effluent which came after 1,800 galk^is had flowed out after the beginning of tlie application. These results show a very decided improvement in the filtered water the longer the filter was used and the greater the quantity of water put on daily ; the organic matter burned out decreasing from 0.80 to 0.57, and the sum of the ammonia from .OOGo through .0036 to .0026, and the nitrates increased from .007 through .010 to .013. The final results, which are the best, are with 1,000 gallons a day flowing through the tank and are : Removing the color completely ; reducing the organic matter to y*^ ; reducing the free ammonia to -^^ ; reducing the albuminoid to -J- ; leaving the chlorine unchanged ; reducing the nitrates to I of the amounts in the applied water. City sewage was applied to tank No. 2 from December 19 to 23, at the rate of 136 gallons per day, when it was in- creased to 272 gallons per day. The results are presented in the table, and up to the present time show an effluent which is chemically about as good as the city water which has been applied previously, but the chlorine and albuminoid ammonia have been increas- ing: since the sewage be^an to come through, and further time is necessary before making a conclusion as to the con- tinued action of this filter upon this quantity of sewage. The effluent is bright, clear and colorless. Filler Tank JSTo. 3. From 8,500 gallons of muck 230 gallons flowed out in twenty-four hours, and 500 gallons in one hundred and seven hours, when the rate of flow was about two gallons per hour, but the amount of air left in the muck cannot be stated, because as the water flowed out the muck settled. The water began to flow out November 9. Up to Novem- ber 17, 136 gallons of water had been put on from the city main, and 334 gallons from rain, making 470 gallons applied. Eight hundred and tAventy-six gallons had flowed out and near an inch in depth stood upon the surfiice ; this with ninety-four gallons from rain, kept water upon the sm-face till November 26, when it disappeared, and the 52 'water supply AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. surface was left to dry till December 3, from which elate to December 13 fifty gallons per day were applied, but this accumulating on the surface was discontinued. The quantity flowing through the tank has gradually de- creased until it has become less than one gallon an hour, although the surface is continually covered with water. The quality of the water flowing fiom this tank after the first two weeks has been nearly constant, and is expressed by the following mean of ten chemical examinations : — Total residue on evaporation, 13.20 Loss on ignition, 3.07 Fixed, 10.13 Free ammonia, 0058 Albuminoid ammonia, 0239 Chlorine, 1.26 Nitrogen as nitrites and nitrates, 017 Nitrites, . . . . ' Present. The applied water consisted of about 510 gallons of rain and 636 gallons of city water. The color of eflluent was less than that of applied water. The organic matter is more than doubled. The ammonias are higher than those of the city water, and lower than those of the rain water. The chlorines are greatly increased, being four times those of the city water, but are growing less. The nitrates have increased from .012 to .018, and in the latter half of the time have been about the same as those of the city water. On the whole the effluent from this tank is not as good as the applied water, and. the small amount that passes through renders this material of little value as a filtering material. This amount is but 1,800 gallons per day per acre, in excess of the average rain falling upon it. From December 26, city sewage to the amount of twenty-five gallons has been applied daily, and when rain fell in suiEcient quantity to cover the surface it has been bailed out ; seventy-five gallons being taken out on De- cember 29. Up to the present time no effect of sewage is noticeable in the effluent, probably none has gone entirely through the filtering material. 1888.] SENATE — Xo. 4. 53 FVter Tank Ro. 4. From 8,500 gallons of river silt, 550 gallons of water flowed out in seventy -eight hours without appreciable settle- ment of the sand, although the surface cracked. The sand then contained about 550 gallons of air, and about 2,000 gallons of water. Into this was poured daily 136 gallons of water from November 14 to 26, and 272 gallons daily from November 28 to December 7. On one of these days, December 1, when the tempera- ture was 4*^, the surface of this tank froze and prevented the passage of water. Outside of the tank river silt was found to be frozen to a depth of eight inches, or about equal to that of clayey hard pan. Continued application of the water at temperature of about 40^^ on the following day caused the frozen surface to melt and let water through. To avoid stopping the experi- ments on this tank in still colder weather a change was made in the surface by excavating trenches, and filling them with the coarse sand, like that in tank No. 1. The outer trench was one foot from outside of tank, one and one half feet deep and two feet wide. The inner trench was five feet from the outside, tVvo feet deep and one and one half feet wide, and in the centre was excavated and filled with the sand, a cylinder sixteen inches in diameter, and three feet deep. These trenches receive the water immediately below the surface, and enable a much larger quantity of water to be put upon this tank than formerly. The maximum flow from the tank when 13G gallons were applied was fifteen gallons per hour. When 272 gallons were applied it was 24 gallons per hour before the change, and Qb gallons per hour after the change ; and with ] ,000 gallons per day the maximum flow was 110 gallons per hour. After the change the amount of water left in the tank when drained, after 272 gallons were applied, was probably about 1,700 gallons. The 272 gallons were continued daily from December 8 to 11, and 1,000 gallons daily from December 12 to 18, then 136 gallons of sewage were applied daily from December 19 to 23, and 272 gallons of sewage from December 24 to 31. The mean results of the chemical analyses for each quau- ity applied are given in the following table : — 54 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. 6 w •auuomo a ■a ■838 -^[Buy JO 'Oil CO '^ T-H r-H O O --I o (M CO o o O CO o o C5 -t1< CO 00 l-H O o o 00 o C^ CO T-H O o o CO 05 CO to rH O o o o o >o to CM O CO o o CO o CO o o CO o '-Q O (M CO o o o o 1—1 OJ CN OS o o o o CO o CM Ci o o o o (M CO o o o o CO CM o o C» O CO -^ CM CO GO CO CO o CO CO CO lo iq CO <>? «>^ O CO C^ lO 1— i Ci" %. t> ^ < QJ o t> . bD >l ■ ■ o ■ g o !^ c3 ■+J >^ o 1—1 • r3 • . t^ . 1—1 Si Fh >■ •T3 c3 « ^ • a, • • ^H • . a 5 •^ s o ."3 >^ ^. .S). 03 • he -<-' CO (M oS CO ^ r-( (M ■ be ■ i3 bD !* l>i Pr> C!^ Oh Oh ^ Oh 05 Oh c3 be (M O be be r5 r5 be be a CO tH CO -^ ^ : ^ m o:^ o:^ Qj O || c3 1:1 <3W beg im cow beg il mW 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 55 The effluent from the original tank wa^ not as good as the applied water, nor did it improve after the change, while 272 gallons were applied. Before and after the change when 272 gallons were ap- plied the results were : — The removal of color ; a considerable increase in the fixed solids; a slight increase of organic matter; a large increase in the free ammonia, with a decrease in the albuminoid ammonia, leaving the sum of the ammonias ten to lifteen per cent, greater ; the chlorine unchanged ; and the nitrates at first less became greater than in the applied w-ater. While 1,000 gallons were applied to the changed material the effluent improved and became better than the applied water, and continued improving, while the lesser quantity^of 136 gallons daily was passing through after the application of sewage to the top and before it reached the bottom. The sewage applied on December 19 gave the first indication of reachino- the outlet on December 27 by a slight increase in the chlorine from 0.23 of the previous days to 0.29, but on December 29 it became certain by the increase of the chlorine to 0.63, of the nitrates from .032 to .058, and of the organic matter from 0.87 to 1.85. The effluent from sewage has to the present time con- tinued to increase in impurities, and on January 5 the organic matter w^as twenty per cent. ; the free ammonia one half of one per cent. ; and the albuminoid ammonia one and one quarter per cent, of that of the applied sewage. The chlorine had increased to three quarters of that of the sewage, and the nitrates had increased sevenfold. Filter Tank JVb. 5. From the 8,500 gallons of garden soil, 400 gallons of water drained out in seventy-four hours w^hen the rate of flow became one and one half gallons per hour. There was slight settlement and some cracking of surface, which cracks were afterwards filled with soil. This tank is reojarded as then containino^ 2,100 o-allons of water. There w'ere applied 136 gallons of city water daily from November 14 to 26, and 272 gallons were applied daily for 56 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. a week, after which some accumulated on the surface and the quantity was gradually reduced to 230 gallons, which was continued to December 23. The water evidently dissolved impurities from the soil in increasing quantities till De- cember 9, after which the quantities remained nearly con- stant. The mean results of the chemical analysis for each quan- tity applied are given in the following table : — 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 57 pUB SOJUJIX SB uaaojjij; •auuoiqo --I o o o o 12; •S3S •4f iBuy JO -ox C5 lO t^ rH G^ CI O O t^ o o o o CO CO 00 > o fcD bn be c Uj CI ^ -^ CO t^ I— I O o o CO CO o o -t o o o Tj5 c5 bs) .S CO 5c3 5" 3^ <5H 58 WATEE SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. The color of the effluent, slight at first, grew deeper as the experiments continued, but not as deep as that of the applied water. The fixed and volatile solids were both increased nearly two and a half times that of the applied water. The free ammonia was increased to thirty times and the albumi- noid ammonia five times that of the applied water. The chlorine was doubled and the nitrates decreased to one third, but as the use continued the chlorine at first large grew less, approaching that of the applied water, and the nitrates, at first small, increased, to be nearer that of the applied water. Filter Tank J^o. 6. From 8,500 gallons of material consisting of about 6,236 gallons of gravel and sand, 1,414 gallons of yellow subsoil and 850 gallons of brown soil, about 950 gallons of water flowed out in forty hours, ending with a rate of flow of four gallons per hour, which rate was rapidly decreasing. The tank then contained 950 gallons of air, which was one-ninth of its volume, and probably 1,600 gallons of water. Into this was poured daily 136 gallons of water from November 16 to 26, then 272 gallons from November 28 to December 14. On December 15 the six inches of soil was removed from the tank and the water applied directly to the surface of the yellow subsoil. The mean results of the chemical analyses for each quan- tity applied are given in the following table : — 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 59 o M ■S9JFJ1(>{ O c; "-H o --I "CO pii«sai[jJ!N O — ' O ^ O .-HO o p p p p p p SB uaSoJijjj •auijomo CO <^ l>; "^ C^ G^J <^? a ■ O -f ^ -*< O CC "O 3 — • O (M -+ :t CO CO CO ■i ■o 2 O 1— 1 O I— 1 o .— 1 O s ^ " p p p p p p p o B a ■ O O t>. (MO .-< (>TO . -# 5 < ^ rt< CO ^ CO CO oi c^ o £, • •* ^ O O O O O >— f C3 o o fH C7i (^J <^ ^"^ P <^ "^ •A 3 1 o 1-5 o T-H o 1-5 o O Q ^ o o t>. 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'Ph 1 D. ^ cat^ 5^ .S^" 11 Oi • ■ 0) o oj t>^co M n-t 1— t » — 1 3 |q 3 &3 il ^ • -^ - .^ - -^ •S9S (M (M t- -+I O CO lO 05 -^IBUV JO '0^ 1—1 u ' pT ■ U ' u eing kept covered with water, the rate of flow is but twelve gaHons per day, which is about seven-tenths of the average rainfall upon this area. On December 30 a hole was cut in the surface of this tank nine inches through soil and six inches into wet puddling material, and a wooden conductor six inches square inside and four feet lon^;, set vertically in the hole and filled around tight with the material excavated and a further bank of soil built up around it. This box stands fifteen inches into the material of the tank and the top stands two feet nine inches above the surface. Since December 30 this box has been supplied with ten gallons of sewage daily, that the efliuent may show the efiect of sewage draining constantly through such material into a well. The water applied to the tanks and the effluent have been subjected to careful microscopical examination by Mr. G. H. Parker of Cambridge with the following general result : — Of the twelve plant forms and one animal form represen- ted by many of each Idnd found in the applied water, none have been found in the effluent. In the effluent from most of the tanks have been found a very few representatives of two plant forms and in that from one tank of three plant forms and one animal. The plants found are characteristic of ground waters and are supposed to act as purifiers by living upon the organic matter. Dr. Edward K. Dunham, bacteriologist of the Board, has taken samples of the applied water and the effluent from each of the filters every other day during the month of December, and determined the number of bacteria in each sample by culture plates. He is not yet ready to report upon the difierence of species of those applied and those coming from the filters. The following table gives the average number of ^^able bacteria in one cubic centimeter of water taken from each source durino- the month of December : — 66 WATEE SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Appliec 1 water, . 68 Xo. 5, . 49 No. 1, . 20 6, . . 17 2, . 20 7, . . 18 3, . 36 8, . 55 4, . 21 9, . . 107 The number of bacteria found in a cubic centimeter of the applied sewage averaged 193,000. On January 3 the effluent from tank No. 2 contained 6,618 and on January 5 over 10,000 ; and the effluent from tank No. 4 on January 3 contained 95 and on January 5 a great increase ; and some of the species from the effluent are the same as in the sewage. RECO]iDIEXDATIOXS . The Board recommends the continuation through the summer and fall of the monthly examination of all of the drinking waters of the State which are subject to pollution by sewage or by low stages of ponds and streams, which owing to the unusual rainfall of the past summer were not then found in an ordinary summer condition, and the contin- uation of the analysis of such other waters at intervals as may appear desirable. The Board also recommends the active prosecution of the experiments upon the purification of sewage, recently com- menced, through the coming year, and the prosecution of such additional investigations as may become necessary to properly interpret the results of the examination of water and of sewage. For these purposes and to make the necessary investiga- tions in order to advise cities, towns, corporations and indi- viduals in regard to the best method of assuring the purity of intended or existing water supplies, and the best method of disposing of their sewage, and to carry out the other pro- visions of chapter 274, the Board estimates that the sum of $25,a00 will be required. H. P. WALCOTT, T. K. LOTHROP, H. F. MILLS, E. U. JONES, J. H. APPLETON, F. W. DRAPER, T. C. BATES, State Board of Health. SENATE — No. 4. 67 REPORT OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER. To H. P. Walcott, M. D., Chairman State Board of Health. Sir : — Herewith is submitted a report for the year ending Dec. 31, 1887, of work done by the engineering department of the Board in compliance with the provisions of chapter 274, Acts of 1886. The main work of this department during the year may be divided into two classes : ( 1 ) , the examination of proposed plans or schemes of water supply or sewerage submitted by the various cities and towns ; (2), the examination of existing water supplies and inland waters of the State with reference to then- purity. Much time, has also been devoted to work in connection with chapter 95 of the Resolves of 1887, relating to the disposal of the sewage of the Mystic and Charles River valleys, of which no report will be made here. The engineering force employed at the beginning of the year has been increased by the addition of two assistants to the perma- nent force. Other temporar}' assistants have been employed from time to time as their services were needed, chiefly on work con- nected with water examinations. EXAJHNATIOX OF PROPOSED PlAXS OF WaTER SuPPLT AND Sewerage. Under the provision that all city and town authorities and cor- porations shall submit to the Board for its advice outlines of theu" proposed plans and schemes in relation to water supply and sewerage, many plans have been submitted. These cases and the action taken upon them are described in the accompanying report of the Board. Following the established policy of your Board, I have made careful examinations of the location of proposed works of water supply and sewerage, and of such other localities in the vicinity as it seemed necessary to consider in order to ad%'ise as to the most appropriate source of water supply, or the best method of disposal of the sewage. In addition to these examinations all available information relating to the project has been gathered as a basis for a written report to your Board. During the year seven 68 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. such reports have been made relathig to water supply and eleven relating to sewerage. In addition to these examinations and reports, four cases have been specially submitted to Mr. Joseph P. Davis, the consulting engineer of the Board, who has made an examination and has also reported in writing. In most of the other cases he has considered the schemes in a more general way and has furnished advice verbally. Some of the cases presented during the year have been very important, and have required an extended investigation to develop the facts required as a basis for sound advice. Among these may be mentioned the application of the cities of Boston, Chelsea and Somerviile, and the town of Everett with reference to a water supply from the Shawsheen River, — a subject which required more than two months of steady work of the office force for its investigation, — and the application of the city of Brockton for ad^'ice as to the best method of disposing of its sewage, which re- quired many days to be spent in and about that city, aided by its engineer, to determine as well as could be without actual surveys of each place, the best one for the disposal of the sewage upon land. In the case of the city of Boston and the associated municipali- ties, which, as they are all supplied by the city of Boston with water from the Mystic works, I will call the Boston Water Dis- trict, the first question submitted to your Engineer was in re- gard to the length of time the present sources of water supply, when fully developed, would serve Boston alone, or this 'whole district. This was in either case a problem of three principal elements. 1 . The population to be supplied. 2. The quantity of water to be allowed per inhabitant. 3. The capacity of the sources when developed. In considering the first element of the problem, tables and dia- grams were prepared showing the population from 1810 to the present time of the present territory of Boston ; of the Boston Water District ; of the territory of Boston proper, excluding all annexation, and consequently East and" South Boston ; of the terri- tory in 1865, prior to the annexation of Roxbur}^, Dorchester, West Roxbury, Charlestown and Brighton ; and of the Metropoli- tan District, comprising all cities and towns within a limit of about nine miles from the State House. The past experience of the first two districts indicated a some- what definite law governing the rate of increase, and was thought to be the best basis for future estimates. The others were con- 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 69 sidcred to show the relations of the first two to the whole Metro- politau District and the effect of restricted territory upon the future rate of growth. > The future popuhition as estimated was much smaller than any previous estimates that have been made in connection with the Boston water supply, either by those favoring or opposing the addition to it of the Shawsheen River. It has been customary to estimate the growth of cities by per- centages of increase in a given time, and to consider these per- centages as somewhat nearly constant. This is what might naturally be expected if the increase in population was wholly due to the excess of births over deaths ; but in Boston and the Boston Water District, this rule does not appear to apply, since the growth in each five-year period from 1840 to 1885 was approxi- mately constant in numbers and not in percentages. This result is due, in part, to the relation of emigration to immigration, and to the encroachment of the business upon the residential districts, taken iu connection with the somewhat limited area of the latter. 1 refer to this area as being limited, not because it would not hold the whole growth of the Metropolitan District for many years, but because there is a much larger area near the city, which offers nearly equal attractions to those engaged in business in the city. The effect of limited area in decreasing the rate of growth is strikingly shown when the population of Boston proper (exclud- ing all annexation) is examined. In 1850 its population was 113,721 ; in 1855, 126,296, an increase of 12,575 in five years. From 1880 to 1885 the increase in five years was but 63. In the present territory of Boston the rates of increase, during the same five-year periods, were respectively 33,920 and 27,554 ; while in the Metropolitan District, outside of Boston, the corresponding figures were 21,040 and 37,214. These figures indicate that the slower rate of growth of Boston is due, largely, to its limited ter- ritory, the suburban municipalities absorbing a large share of the growth. The possibility of the annexation of more territory was con- sidered, but it was found impossible to predict its occurrence or its effect ; some of the places suitably situated for annexation having a limited water suppl}^ and others an ample supply for a long time iu the future. The second element in the problem, namely, the quantity of water to be allowed per inhabitant, was one not easily answered. In the large cities of this country, from 61 to 154 gallons are used daily. Boston used 66 gallons iu 1870, 91 gallons in 1883, and 74 gallons in 1886. On the last date measures for the restric- 70 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. tion of waste were in force. Of the large cities, the smallest con- sumption, 61 gallons, is in Brooklyn, N. Y., and it contrasts more strongly with the 74 gallons used in Boston, when it is considered that systematic measures to restrict waste are in force at the lat- ter place and not at the former. A very little consideration of the subject shows one important difference in the conditions of the two places. In Boston, in addition to the inhabitants, a large number of people coming from the suburbs use the city water during the day, while in Brooklyn the reverse is true. Both Boston and Brooklyn have adopted the polic}^ of measuiing water sold to large consumers ; yet, from the reports of the two places, it was found that the metered water in the former place was equivalent to 18 gallons daily, per inhabitant, while in the latter it was only one gallon. Some of the large users of water, such as hotels and steam railroads, in a business centre like Boston, are found only in limited numbers in a city like Brooklyn, occupied chiefly by dweUing-houses. Correspondence with the Brooklyn authorities elicited the fact that many of the large consumers of water in that city had private supplies drawn from the ground, a thing which is not often practicable in Boston. Examinations of this kind showed that the legitimate present and future consump- tion of water in Boston could not properly be based, to any great extent, upon the experience of other cities, and it was, conse- quently, necessary to study carefully the present legitimate use of water in Boston, and its increase in the past. I will not refer to this portion of the investigation in any detail, but will mention that it was a very careful one, and it showed that while the present consumption of water in Boston could, after a term of years, be materially diminished by the business-like application of known methods of restricting waste, j'et there was a legitimate increase in the amount of water used per inhabitant, which would probably cause the legitimate iise to rise as high as the present consumption at the end of about thirty years. The third element of the problem — the capacity of the sources when developed — could be more accurately answered than ever before, because of extended surveys, then about completed, made by the city of Boston for the purpose of ascertaining the capac- ity and cost of storage reservoirs requii-ed to develop these sources. "With these new data, and the records of the very dry years of 1880 and 1883, the result was obtained that the Sud- bury and Cochituate sources would yield for the purposes of the city water-supply fully 50,000,000 gallons per day. This quantity was based upon the record of years so much dr3'er than any other in the history of the Boston Water Works, that it did not seem 1888.] SENATE— No. 4. 71 necessary to make further allowance for the occurrence of two such years in succession, or for the occurrence of still dryer years, particularly as many years would elapse before the consumption of water would approach this quantity, and there would then be further experience to draw from. Having drawn from these three elements of the problem the solution that the two sources mentioned (the Mystic being excluded) would probably supply Boston until 191-2, and the Boston Water District until 1926, estimates were made of the probable and comparative costs of supplying for a term of j^ears, with water from the Shawsheen or from the Sudbury and Cochituate works, the district now supplied with water from the Mystic works ; the results being very favorable to the substitution of the Sudbury and Cochituate sources. EXAMIXATIONS OF WaTER SUPPLIES AXD InLAND WaTERS. An appropriation providing for a comprehensive examination of the water supplies and inland waters of the State was made by the Legislature April 2.3, 1887. The work was begun soon after this date. These examinations consist chiefly of monthly anai3^ses of water from all the water supplies of the State, and of the more important rivers and other inland waters, supplemented at varying intervals by the examinations of a bacteriologist, and of a biolo- gist who examines the grosser forms of microscopic life in the waters. It has been the duty of your Engineer in connection with this work to make himself familiar with the various water supplies of the State ; to determine under the general direction of jonv Board where samples of water should be taken ; to arrange for thek regular and systematic collection, and to gather information about all physical characteristics of the different water supplies, such as temperatures, volumes flowing in the streams, heights of water in the reservoirs, etc. The results of the chemical and other examinations of the waters, when reported to the Board, have been in the custody of your Engineer, who has carefully studied them with the view of determining from his own stand-point in which directions new examinations could profitably be instituted, or those being made extended, diminished or discontinued. At the beginning of the work, which has thus been outlined, the following ch'cular and blank for returns were prepared : — 72 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Office of State Board of Health, 13 Beacon Street, Boston, May 23, 1887. To . The State Board of Health intends to make monthly analyses for the ensumg year of waters used for domestic supplies within the State, and, in connection theremth, desires to obtain general information respecting the several water supplies. It, therefore, requests that jow will send such printed information as you can ; particularly reports describing the construction of your works, the occurrence of any unusual tastes, or growths of vegetation in or upon the water, or any general disease affecting the fish in the streams, ponds and reservoirs. An answer is requested to such of the questions in the accomi^anying blank as are applicable to your works. The library of the Board now contains the rejiorts mentioned below. Respectfully yours, F. P. Stearns; Engineer State Board of Health. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State Board of Health. Please fill out such portions of this blank as are applicable to your works, and forward to F. P. Stearns, Engineer State Board of Health, 13 Beacon Street, Boston. Some of the blanks have been filled from information now in the pos- session of the Board : jDlease correct if wrong. Date, 188 . 1. Name of city or town. 2. Population, 1885. 3. Date when works were built. (If not all built at one time, state what additions were made, and when.) i. By whom are works owned ? 5. Source or sources of water supply. 6. Area of water-shed supplying such source or sources. 7. General geological and topographical character of the water-shed. 8. Mode of supply, whether by gi-avity or pumping, and whether dis- tributing reservoir or tank is used. 9. General description of storage and distributing reservoirs, — natu- ral or artificial, how constructed, area of water surface, capacity, char- acter of bottom, amount of shallow flowage, etc. 10. Does all water pumped go through the distributing reservoir or tank ? 11. What portion of the water pumped goes into the disti'ibuting reservoir ? 12. Whether or not the water is delivered into the distributing reser- voir at one side and drawn out at the other. 13. Xumber, kind, size and depth of wells used as sources of water supply. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 73 14. Desci-ibe filter galleries or basins, and connections, if any, with stream, pond or reservoir. 15. Average daily capacity of works in dry year. 16. Daily average consumption. 17. Number of persons using the water. 18. Is water supplied to any one outside of your town or city? 19. Material of distributing mains. 20. Material of service pipes. 21. Does the water supply receive sewage, drainage from factories (mentioning kind), or other liollutions ? 22. If there have been any bad tastes in the water, or excess of vege- table growth, or if the fish have been generally affected, and such occurrences are not fully described in printed reports, please describe the same and the remedy adoj^ted, if any. 23. Have analyses of water from the present source been made ? By whom? When? If not given in printed reports, j^lease furnish copy of same. 24. Have I'ecords of the temperature of the w^ater been taken in the past ? If not printed, will you furnish copies if blanks are sent ? 25. Will you keep records of the temperature of water in the future, if a thermometer and blanks are furnished ? 26. Will you furnish samjiles of water for analysis each month, and forward at stated times by express, if bottles are supplied ? 27. To whom shall future correspondence be addressed? 28. Name and address of collector of samples. 29. Name of Express Co. 30. Name of person furnishing this information. Beginning the first of June, 1887, every public water supply in the State was visited and examined by your Engineer, or one of his assistants ; places for taking samples of water were chosen, and the methods to be followed were explained to those who were to take them. Arrangements were also made for having daily records of the temperature of water taken at many places and sent monthly to this office. From these returns it is found that all of the twenty-three cities' in the State, and 103 out of a total of 327 towns, are wholly or in part provided with a public water supply.* This number excludes several towns in the western part of the State, where a limited number of families are supplied through a small pipe, by some individual or company, from a spring or stream on the neigh- boring hills ; also others, where water is pumped from a manufac- turing establishment to the dwellings of the operatives in the vicinity. * Four towns, for which water-works are being constructed and are so nearly firiisbcd that they will be in operation the greater part of the coming year, are in- cluded in this and subsequent statements. 74 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWEPvAGE. [Jan In Table No. 1 the numbei- of cities or towns, having or not having public water supplies, are classed by each 500 of popula- tion, up to G,000, according to the census of 1885. All places having a population of 6,000 or more, which includes all of the cities, now have a public water supply. Table No. 1. POPULATION. No. of places of given population having a public water supply. Total population of places in pre- ceding column. No. of places of given population not having a pub- lic vrater supply. Total population of places in pre- ceding column. Under 500 500-1,000 1,000-1,500 1,500-2,000 2,000-2,500 2,500-3,000 3,000-3,500 3,500-4,000 4,000-4,500 4,500-5,000 5,000-5,500 5,500-6,000 Above 6,000 1 3 4 8 10 5 2 13 12 7 3 4 54 451 2,437 5,346 13,559 22,057 14,254 6,155 49,441 51,763 33,312 15,633 23,036 1,357,934 22 69 39 33 21 18 8 6 5 1 1 1 7,530 52,751 47,086 57,305 47,233 49,706 25,534 22,598 21,318 4,555 5,436 5,711 Totals, 126 1,595,378 224 346,763 From the totals given in this table it will be seen that although but few more than one-third of the whole number of cities and towns in the State have a public water supply', yet the total popu- lation of the places supplied represents 82 per cent, of the popu- lation of the State. This estimate of population represents the whole number of persons in the municipalities supplied, and is con- sequently somewhat, though not very much, in excess of the number of persons who can avail themselves of a public supply. By further examination of the table it will be observi-ed that there are but three towns having a population exceeding 4,500 that are not .1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 75 supplied, and that where the population exceeds 3,500, the majority are supplied, while beloW thfs Unlit the reverse is true. There are some important towns where the supply is limited to but one of several villages. There are iu the State 123 sources of public water supply, count- ing as a source, eacli separate system of waterworks, and also each of the sources used in connection witli any particular system, when essentially different in character. Tliis does not agree exactly with the number of municipalities supplied, since iu many cases a city, town, or company supplies several places, while in others a city or town has several sources of supply. To indicate the nature of the sources, they may be divided into fifty supplying ground water, and seventy-three suppl3^ing surface water. Further classification of the sources may be made as fol- lows : — Qround-water Sources. Springs, . . 16 Large wells, . . 16 Tubular wells, . 7 Filter galleries, . 7 Filter basins, . . 4 Total, . Surface-water Sources. . 50 Artificial storage reservoirs, . 36 Natural ponds, . 32 Streams, . . 5 Total, 73 The line of separation between the different classes is somewhat in- definite. A filter gallery or well on the banks of a stream may each furnish water of identically the same character, while another well may furnish the water of a natural spring which it has replaced. Natural ponds by having their level raised may flow extensive meadows, and so become less satisfactoi-y reservoirs than those that are wholly artificial. Tubular wells are frequently sunk in the bottoms of large wells or filter basins with the view of increas- ing the supply of water; and in other ways the classification is somewhat complicated, yet it furnishes a fair idea as to the sources from which the water supply of the State is obtained. The cities having a population of more than 25,000 each, thirteen in all, get their supply from surface sources. Of the cities and large towns having a ground-water supply may be mentioned the following : — 76 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. City or Town. Population in 1885. Newton, 19,759 Waltham 14,609 Newburyport, 13,716 Quincy, 12,146 Woburn, 11,760 Milforcl, 9,343 Brookline, 9,196 Hyde Park, 8,376 In Table No. 2 the various water supplies are classified by dates. The dates given are those when a modern public water supply was first introduced into a city or town. Table No. 2. Increase in num- ber of places sup- plied during the given time. Increase In number of places supplied per year. Previous to 1860, 1860-1869, 1860-1869, 1870-1874, 1876-1879, 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884, 1885 1886 1887 Total, 4 10 29 15 4 6 3 6 7 18 5 13 126 0.4 1. 6.8 3. 4. 6. 3. 6. 7. 18. 5, 13. This table shows the activity in water-works construction since 1870. Before that time the total number of municipalities sup- plied was twenty, or less than one-fifth of the present number. Nearly one-half of the whole number have obtained their supply 1888.] SENATE — Xo. 4. 77 since 1880. The table takes no account of the many important additional supplies provided in many cases. Of the 23 cities in the Commonwealth, 20, having a total popula- tion of 1,030,282, own their water works ; while 3, having a total population of 57,214, are wholly supplied by private companies. Of the 103 towns having a public water supply, 50, having a total population of 285,080, are supplied from their own works, and 53, having a total population of 222,71)6, by private companies. In this classification no account is taken of secondary supplies of small importance which exist in many places. The total popula- tion of the cities and towns owning their own works is 1,315,368, against 280,010 for those supplied by private companies. About 200 samples of water collected from the existing water supplies of the State, and from 36 places on 17 rivers and ponds, are received monthly at the laboratory, in addition to a varying number collected as occasional specimens from other places or in connection with special investigations of new sources or existing works. Daily records of the temperature of the water at 50 places, and of the heights of water and other information needed to make an approximate estimate of the amount flowing in the rivers at 19 places, are taken by water-works and mill superinten- dents, or special observers, and are forwarded monthly to this office. Schedules are prepared each month to show the day on which each sample of water should be collected, and are so arranged that the samples will reach the laboratory at a nearly uniform rate during the first five week-da3'S of each week, in order to permit them to be analyzed prompt!}' when received. The schedules are also arranged so that waters having some relation to each other shall be collected on the same day or, in the case of rivers, after such an interval of time as will allow the water to flow from one sampling place to another. The willing co-operation of the Avater-works superintendents and others, and their readiness to collect and forward samples of water and to take such observations as we have desii-ed, have added greatly to the value of the work done and have decreased the labor of this department ; j^et the tabulation and examination of the analyses and returns, the occasional visits to the different water works for further information or to collect samples, the special investigations made, and the very large amount of corres- pondence necessarily incident to such work, together with other work not connected with the water examinations, have kept the force employed in this office extremely busy. 78 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Ill arranging in the beginning where samples of water should be taken it was the aim to get them in such a way that the chemi- cal analyses would not only furnish a standard for future com- parisons, but that they should show in addition general laws affecting the purity of water supplies. With this in view samples were taken of ground waters from filter galleries, wells and basins, and of surface waters in neighboring ponds or streams, to determine the effect of such filtration as might take place ; other samples were taken to show the effect of storing ground or surface waters in open distributing reservoirs or in open or closed water towers ; others the effect of continuous filtration through a thin layer of sand or gravel ; others the comparative quality of water taken from the surface, mid-depth and bottom of a deep reservoir ; others a comparison between water entering a storage reservoir and after standing in it ; and others the effect of aeration caused by the flow down a long steep brook of water pre"ST-OUsly stored in a reservoh". Many results have already accumulated, and an examination of them indicates that in addition to the great fund of scientific knowledge which they will furnish, much of practical value to those designing and sui^erintending water works may be learned from such comprehensive work. It is not proposed at this time, when the series of examinations of the waters is incomplete and all seasons of the year have not been included, to make any extended statement of the results found ; some, however, are so well indicated and so important that it seems desirable to report them as they now appear. When the first filter galleries were built beside the rivers or ponds it was expected to get water filtered from the neighboring surface supplj'. It was found, however, that the water from the galleries differed very much in chemical analysis, temperature and appearance from the surface waters, and before pumping stood at «, higher level. From all this it was concluded that the water did not come from the neighboring pond or stream but from the land side.* Two instances are given in Table No. 3 of analyses of surface waters and of the filtered or ground waters beside them. * Wbcre water frum the land side is mentioned in this report, it refers only to Wilier derived from rainfall soaking directly into the ground, and not to that which frequently cn:ers a filter gallery or well from the land side, having come b}' a cir- cuitoiis course from iho adjoining pond or stream. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 79 Table No. 3. Analyses of Samples of Water taken from a pond and from a filter gallery beside it, also from a river and from driven wells near its bayilcs. [Figures express parts per 100,000.] Date of taking sample, Date of examination, Sediment, Turbidity, Color,* Odor, cold, Odor, hot. Total residue, . Loss of residue on ignition Fixed residue, . Odor and characteristic C on ignition, . . ^ Free ammonia, Albuminoid ammonia. Chlorine, . Nitrogen as nitrates, Nitrites, . Hardness, Temp, of water at source, July 11,'S7. July 11,'87 Filter Gallery. " 13, " Light brown flocky. Decided. 0.4 Peculiar and offensive. Stronyly of- fensive and persistent. 12.74 2.17 10.57 Strongly peaty and some- what disa- greeable. 0.0042 0.0803 2.94 0.003 None. 5.57 About 77° " 13, " None. None. None. None. None. 11.70 1.95 9.75 Disagreeably irritating and acid. 0.0012 0.0022 2.29 0.034 None. 5.57 About 52° July 11, '87. " 11, " None. Slight. 1.0 Faint. Veiy faint. 5.95 1.75 4.20 Driven Wells. Julyll,'87. ■' 11, " None. None. None. None. None. 6.10 0.75 5.35 strongly peaty. Peculiar and acid. 0.0069 0.0432 0.58 None. None. 76° 0.0000 0.0010 0.81 0.039 None. 3.'38 51° From an examination of this table it will be seen that there is a very decided difference in the character of the two classes of waters in nearly every respect except in residue and chlorine. * Colors are designated by a scale of figures increasing with tbe increase of color : 1.0 represents a distinct yellowish brown when seen in a depth of five or six inches ; 2.0 represents a decided yellowish brown. Odor is obtained by agitating the water in a closed bottle, about half full, and then smelling the air. 80 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. Sediment, turbidity, color aud odor (cold and hot) do not appear in the water taken from the ground, the ammonias are very much diminished, and the nitrates are increased. The temperature of the ground water was also much less at the time of year when these samples were taken. There are several reasons why it seems probable that water di'awn from filter galleries, or by other means from the ground in the vicinity of bodies of surface water, comes to a large extent from the latter source ; and it was thought that if tliis could be shown to be the case, and it could be shown at the same time that the filtered water lost the general characteristics of surface waters and assumed those of ground water derived from rainfall soaking into the ground, the knowledge would be of much practical value to those locating or enlarging a ground-water supply. To settle the question, if possible, a special case was chosen for thorough investigation where the supply for a town was pumped from a filter gallery, distant about 130 feet from the shore of a pond. The amount of water pumped from this gallery during the year equals a daily average of about 900,000 gallons. The pumps are operated during each week day for about ten hours, no pump- ing being done on Sunday. The level of the water in the filter gallery remains permanently below the surface of the pond, lowering when the pumps are in operation and rising when they are stopped. These fluctuations vary in extent at different times of the year. In December, 1887, the water rose to within about one foot of the level of the pond on Monday mornings, when the pumping had been discontinued for thirty-eight hours, while other mornings it was six inches lower. In the evening it was about four feet below the pond. The mean of seven analyses, made monthly from June to December, 1887, of the water of this pond and of the filter gallery beside it, are given in Table No. 4. In the last column of the table is given a mean of correspond- ing analyses of water from an open distributing reservoir, into which water is pumped from the filter gallery. Reference will be made to this in a subsequent portion of this report. 1888.] SENATE - No. 4. 81 Table No. 4. Mean of Seven Analyses made monthly from June to December, 1887, of the water of a, pond, a Jilt er gallery beside it, and an open distributing reservoir into luhich water is pumped from the filter gallery. [Figures cxproes parts per 100,000.] Pond. Filter Gallery. ■ Open Distributing Keservoir. Sediment, .... Some. None. A little. Turbidity, .... Considerable. None. Some. Color,* .... 0.4 0.0 0.0 Odor, cold, .... Considerable. None. Some. Odor, hot, .... Considerable. None. Some. Total residue. 13.79 12.06 11.81 Loss of residue on ignition, 2.19 1.54 1.57 Fixed residue, . 11.60 10.52 10.24 Free ammonia, . 0.0149 0.0014 0.0032 Albuminoid ammonia. 0.0480 0.0028 0.0105 Chlorine, .... 3.74 2.40 2.30 Nitrogen as nitrates and nitrites, .... 0.022 0.031 0.017 . Nitrites, .... Present twice. None. Present once. This particular source of water supply was chosen in preference to any other because the pond was artificially salted by the drain- age from manufacturing establishments on its feeders ; so much so that it contained about ten times as much chlorine (one of the components of common salt) as most ponds at the same distance from the sea and not affected by drainage. The value of an abnormal amount of salt in a surface water for determining the source from which water comes to a filter gallery lies in the fact that it is a stable chemical compound, and is not re- moved when the water containing it in solution is filtered through the ground. In proof of the latter part of this statement numerous instances may be cited where analyses of filtered and unfiltered water show * For scale of color sec foot note, p. 79. 82 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. the same amount of chlorides. The most conclusive proof, how- ever, is furnished by the careful and extended experiments made at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the late Prof. "Wm. Ripley Nichols and described by him in a paper * presented to the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, April 16, 1884. It is, of course, possible for water passing through ground con- taining salts to dissolve them and so increase their proportionate amount in the water ; and in the case of filtration from a pond or stream into a filter gallery the latter may contain more or less salt than the former, owing to the admixture of water coming from the land side. By reference to Table No. 4 it will be observed that the water of the filter gallery contains 2.4 parts of chlorine per 100,000, or about six times as much as is usually found in water at this dis- tance from the sea. This large quantity may be accounted for in two ways : either by the filtration of water from the pond, or by some abnormal condition of the soil which makes the water from the land side rich in chlorides. To determine whether or not the water from the land side presented this unusual feature, samples of water were collected from an unpolluted brook and pond in the vicinity, and from several pits dug deep enough to collect water coming to the filter gallery from the land side. In the samples of the water from the pond, brook, and three of the pits in which the water stood at a higJier level than in the pond, the amount of chlo- rine varied from 0.25 to 0.45 in 100,000, averaging 0.37, or less than one-sixth of the amount in the filter gallery. Just what the figures that have been given mean may be more easily under- stood by showing the results in a different form. The average amount of water pumped daily from the filter gallery may be stated in round numbers as 900,000 gallons or 7,500,€00 pounds. The chlorine in the water is found to be 2.4 parts per 100,000, equivalent to 180 pounds of chlorine in the daily pumpage. If it is assumed, as is probably the case, that all the chlorine in the water is combined with sodium in the form of common salt, it can be shown from the relation which these two components always bear to each other that the total amount of salt pumped per day is 297 pounds. An equivalent amount of water derived from the land side would contain only 46 pounds of salt, while the same amount of water derived wholly from the pond would contain 462 pounds. These figures not only show that the water in the filter gallery is a mixture of the waters from the pond and the land side, but * On the Filtration of Certain Saline Solutions through Sand : Journal of the Asso- ciation of Engineering Societies, vol. iii., p. 139, 1884. 1888.] SENATP: — Xo. 4. 83 tliey permit a fairly good estimate to be made of the proportion whicli must come fiojn eacli source to produce the degree of salt- ness equivalent to that found in the water fnjui the gallery. Such an estimate shows GO per cent, of the water to have come from the pond and 40 per cent, from the land side, during the seven months under consideration. Other investigations were "made to determine the source supply- ing water to this gallery, and they may be mentioned in a subse- quent report when the investigations of the whole year are completed. They Avere generally corroborative of the results here given. Before leaving the subject of the source of this water supply it may be well to state that it is improbable that much of the water derived from this pond comes through the comparatively narrow strip of ground separating the pond from the gallery ; in fact, the statement may be made in a general way that in the bed of a stream or pond the spaces between the grains of sand and gravel usually become choked up with silt and vegetable matter to such an extent that little water will pass through any given square foot of surface ; and it is only where a large area of bed overlies or adjoins the porous stratum that it is safe to expect that a large supply can be obtained by filtration. When the water is once in a coarse gravel stratum of considera- ble extent it may find its w\ay readily to a filter gallery even from a long distance. That some of the water came from a long dis- tance to tlie gallery in the case specially investigated Avas proved by test pits dug near the shore across an arm of the pond and 1,000 feet from the gallery. The water surface in these pits stood severalfinches below that in the pond, fluctuated with the change of level in the filter gal- lery, and the Avater from them contained more than the normal amount of chlorine found in the ground water in this vicinity, showing that some of the pond water passed through these pits on its way to the gallery. Coarse gravel will hold in its interstices about 30 per cent, of its volume of water, and where the gravel beds are extensive the large body of water contained in them has to move sloAvly towards the filter gallery to furnish the amount pumped, so that some of the water may be weeks or CA'en nionths in its passage through the ground. Upon examining the relatiA'e analyses of water from the pond and filter gallery, as given in Table No. 4 on page 81 it will be obserA'ed that in most features the difference betAveen the two can- not be accounted for by the mixture of water from the pond and land side in the proportion before stated. Sediment, turbidity, 84 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. color and odor (cold and hot) wliicli are very noticeable in the pond water, are absent in the water from the filter gallery. The residues and chlorine do not show a greater difference than can be accounted for by the mixture of the waters. The change in the ammonias is the most noticeable feature, the gallery water containing but one-eleventh as much free ammonia and one-seventeenth as much albuminoid ammonia as that from the pond. The greater amount of nitrogen as nitrates and nitrites (nearly all nitrates) in the gallery water, might be accounted for by the mixture of the waters, but it is more probable that the increase is due to the oxidation and consequent purification of the decomposing nitrogenous matters indicated in the pond water by the presence of the ammonias. The water of the pond is shown by the analyses to be entirely unfit for drinking, while water from the gallery analyzes well in many respects, but is to be ^'iewed with some suspicion on account of its source. In addition to the chemical analyses of these waters, other examinations were made to determine whether bacteria and the grosser forms of microscopic life (algae, etc.) found in the pond water were removed by its filtration through the ground to the gallery. The number of bacteria found per cubic centimeter in the pond water Oct. 12, 1887, was 70; in the water from the gallery, 1.3. On the 12th of December, 1887, the numbers found were respec- tively 65 and 1. The mean of these results shows that the gal- lery water contains but one-tenth as many as that from the pond. The species were n#t determined, and it is not known whether the bacteria found in the gallery were developed there or whether they came through the ground. In many other instances in this State, where comparisons have been made of the number of bac- teria in surface waters and in the filter galleries or wells beside them, much greater differences have been found than in the cases above given ; an extreme instance showing a ratio of 10,500 to 2. The bacteria found in all of these cases may have been and probably were harmless, but since the best known of the path- ogenic bacteria are no smaller, it seems fair to assume that the means which will remove one will remove the other. That filtration through even a moderately thin layer will, under proper conditions, remove a very large percentage of the bacteria from water, has been very definitely shown by the experiments of Dr. Percy F. Frankland* b}^ pj-actical experience in the filtration • Water-purification, its Biological and Chemicil Basis, by Percy F. Frankland, Ph.D., etc.; Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, vol. •Ixxxv., Lon don, 18S6. 1888.] SENATE -No. 4. 85 of the water supplies of London and Berlin, and Ly recent ex- periments at the Lawnuiee Experimental Station, described in the report of the Board Avhich this accompanies. In fact, the effi- ciency of the Berlin filter beds is now determined by the percent- age of the bacteria which they will remove from the water. The examination of the waters of the pond under consideration, for microscopic growths other tlian bacteria, showed the presence m abundance of several species of algaj, some of which were gelatinous forms which readily decompose and produce disagreeable tastes and odois in the waters ; other growths were present in small numbers. The water of the filter gallery did not contain any of the species of organisms found in the pond, though it did contain a few other species, — one in some abundance. These results are in accordance with those obtained from other water supplies somewhat similarly situated. In tlie warmest weather in summer the temperature of the water of the pond was as high as 80° Fahrenheit, while that of the filter gallery was about 52°. As a general result of these special examinations, corroborated in many respects by similar results found at other water supplies in the State, the following practical conclusions may be drawn : — That it is practicable in many instances to obtain a supply of water from a bed of porous gravel adjoining an unfailing pond or stream, without reference to the amount of water that may be ob- tained from the land side. That where the soil does not contain soluble matters to injuri- ously affect the water, it will, when so obtained, be much purer by chemical and biological standards, will be much cooler in summer, and in all sanitary and commercial features will be much better than water taken directly from the pond or stream. That since it is impracticable in man}' cases to get an entirely satisfactory supply of water, it is preferable to obtain a ground- water supply by filtration from a surface source that is somewhat objectionable, rather than take surface water directly from a source that is some degrees less objectionable. There are other conclusions which ought not to be drawn to which it is equally well to call attention. It should not be inferred that the results above indicated will be obtained where only a thin layer of sand or gravel intervenes between the surface source and the filter gallery, and the filtration is continuous, since examinations, in several instances, of water filtered under such circumstances have shown it to be worse than that which had not been filtered : nor should it be inferred that it 86 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWEEAGE. [Jan. is safe to take a supply by filtration from a seriously polluted body of surface water, since, while the chemical analyses show by far the larger portion of the decomposable organic matter indicated by the ammonias to have been removed by filtration, yet the small amount remaining may be of a harmful nature, and there is no definite assurance that the purifying powers of the soil may not at times be overtaxed. It may properly be urged as an objection to seeking a supply of ground water that the quantity to be obtained cannot be told with the same certainty as that from a visible supply. The quality of the Avater, however, makes it desirable to secure such a source when practicable ; and while the exact amount of water cannot be ascertained in advance of the actual construction and test of the well or filter gallery, a competent engineer, experienced in these matters, can form a judgment upon which much reliance may be placed. In Table No. 4, on page 81, in addition to the analyses of the waters of the pond and the filter gallery, already discussed, the third column gives the mean analysis of the water in the open distributing reservoir. When the pumps are in operation, the surplus water goes to this reservoir, and nights and Sundays when the pumps are stopped it furnishes the water used. Complaint is made in summer by those using the water that it tastes badly when it comes directly from the reservoir, while that coming directly from the filter gallery does not. The chemical analyses show that in nearly all other respects the water has seriously deteriorated in quality by storage. Sediment, turbidity and odor make their appearance in the reservoir water. Free and albuminoid ammonia, indicating the presence of decom- posing or decomposable nitrogenous organic matter, have greatly increased, while the nitrogen in the form of nitrates has decreased, apparently by the passage of a portion of the nitrogen from the inorganic to the organic condition. A cause for this and a practical remedy appear to have been found by Mr. G. H. Parker, the biologist of the Board, charged with the examination of water for organisms other than bacteria, and are contained in his accompanying report. The remedy which he proposes (the entire exclusion of light to stop the growth of vegetation) has been applied in the case of the iron storage tank of the Brookline high service, and the serious trouble from bad taste, which previously existed, has entix'ely 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 87 ceased ; moreover, the chemical purity of the water in the tank is as great as at the source. A result corresponding to the last statement has been found under similar circumstances at several other places in the State similarly situated. The marked deterioration, as determined by chemical analyses, of ground water stored in large open reservoirs, is a feature in all cases that have been examined. The amount of deterioration is somewhat variable. Table No. 5 has been prepared to show the change due to stor- age that has taken place in six water systems during six months. The general result is the same as in the special case before given. The increase in the ammonias is even more max'ked. TA.BLE No. 5. Mean of Analyses made monthly from June to November^ 1887, of the ivaters of six filter galleries or tcells and of the corresponding open distrihuting reservoirs into ichich the tcater is pirimped from the filter galleries. [Figures express parts per 100,000.] Filter Galleries or Wells. Open Distributing Reservoirs. Sediment, .... None. A little. Turbidity None. Some. Color, None. None. Odor, cold, .... None. Some. Odor, hot, .... None. Some. Total residue, . 8.86 8.82 Loss of residue on ignition. 1.19 1.39 Fixed residue, . 7.67 7.43 Free ammonia, . 0.0004 0.0011 Albuminoid ammonia, 0.0017 0.0117 Chlorine, .... 1.13 1.09 Nitrogen as nitrates, . 0.088 0.064 88 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. In a majority of cases water from such reservoirs has, at times, tasted badly. In but few cases has trouble of this kind been re- ported from water stored in iron tanks ; but these few cases, and particularly the one already mentioned, make it desirable to ex- clude the light from any to be built in the future, or from any that give trouble at the present time. Where water from a pond or other surface source is pumped and stored in an open distributing reservoir no marked change in the analysis. takes place. Respectfully submitted, Office of the State Board of Health, 13 Beacon Street, Boston, Jan. 9, 1888. F. P. STEARNS, Chief Engineer, 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 89 APPENDIX A. REPORT OF THE BIOLOGIST. Cambridge, Jan. 4, 1888. To H. P. Walcott, M. D., Chairman State Board of Health. Sir : — The following report contains a brief preliminary account of the organisms, excepting the bacteria, found in certain potable ground waters. The influence of the organisms on the water and a remedy for their deleterious effects is discussed at some length. A fuller consideration of this topic and an account of the organisms found in surface waters will be deferred till a later report. As there is considerable variation in the plans of the six water s^^stems examined they will be treated separately. BrooMine. — The source of supply for the water of the town of Brookliue is a filter gallery lying parallel with and near to the Charles River. The gallery is completely closed and the water which is in perfect darkness is pumped from this gallery to two storage resen'^oirs, one an iron tank for the high service of the town, and another the open reservoir for its general ser\ace. The high service tank and open reservou' were the places where the water first met the light. From these two reservoirs the water is conducted by distributing mains to the town. The quality of the water delivered in the town was at times far from satisfactory. A strong taste and odor were often pres- ent in it, and these were the more marked when it was contrasted with the water at the pumping station. This latter was clear and completely free from disagreeable taste or smell. An examination of the microscopic contents of the water in the open reservou' was made July l-i. The water was found to con- tain five species of green algae, — Pediastrum, Eudorina, Volvox, Staurastrum and Asterionella, the last two of which were abun- dantly I'epresented. In addition to these there were a few filaments of a blue-green alga, OscUlaria, and the decomposed remains of an entomostracan (water flea). As the green algae were the only organisms abundantly present in the water and as there was no source of contamination, other than the contained organisms, it 90 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. was suggested that the disagreeable taste and smell was in the main due to the minute green plants. The question then naturally proposed itself, was there any means of ridding the water of these plants ? It has been known for some time that the life of all green plants is dependent upon cer- tain materials and surroundings. In order that a green plant should continue to live and grow it must have, in addition to a few less constant materials, some nitrogenous compound, water, car- bon dioxide and oxygen. These in themselves, however, are not sufiBcient to nourish the plant ; they can be utilized only in the presence of sunlight. So exacting is this latter requirement that any green plant destitute of food stored in its own tissues, if placed in perfect darkness, dies at once. "With this in mind as a working theory, it was suggested that the high service tank at Brookline should be completely covered and all light excluded. The tank was emptied , cleaned and a double roof with eaves was placed on it. This was impervious to the light and from time to time was examined to ascertain that no cracks had opened. Water was introduced and on October 7 a second microscopic examination was made. At this examination samples were taken at the pumping station, high service tank and open reservoir. The method of taking the samples is as follows : In cases where a faucet is available a stout cotton cloth is tied over the nozzle and about seven gallons of water are strained through it. This amount of water is sufficient for an ordinary examination and can be passed through the cloth in as short a time as fifteen minutes, without producing pressure enough to drive the organisms through the meshes. In cases such as the open reservoir, where no faucet was avail- able, a piece of cloth was stretched on a net frame and carried through the water. Such sample cloths should be placed in clean bottles previously rinsed with water from the same source as that for the sample. The contents of the cloth should be examined as soon after collection as possible, certainly within thirty-six hours. This limit is partiaUy dependent upon temperature ; in cold weather the cloths can be kept longer than at warmer periods. If the cloths cannot be examined at once they should be diied shortly after the collection is made, and in this state they can be preserved for months. When it is desirable to examine these dried cloths they can be moistened with distilled water. In the case of the Brookline water all the samples were examined while fresh. The sample cloth from the pumping station showed no green algae whatever. As the water in this portion of the system is in perfect darkness, the absence of green algae agrees well with 1888.] SENATE— Xo. 4. 91 the theory. Several filaments of Leptothrix, insignificant in amount, were all that was found. The water was clear and devoid of disagreeable smell or taste. • The sample cloth from the open reservoir showed as previously an abundant supply of green algae, a few representatives of the genera Pandorina and Staurastrum, an abundance of two specieS of diatoms and of one species of Anomopedium, with Raphidium and Vol vox represented in still greater abundance. The water was slightly cloudy and had a very strong taste and decidedly fishy smell. The sample cloth from the high ser\T.ce tank, now completely darkened, contained only one specimen of green alga, Closterium. This may possibly have been on the nozzle of the faucet, although this was washed before the cloth was put on. In addition to the alga there were several filaments of Hypheothrix which were prob- ably growing in the tank. These, however, like the Leptothrix of the sample from the pumping station were insignificant in amount. The water from the high service tank was now free from odor and taste, and for all practical purposes as good as that pumped at the filter gallery. From these observations it seems fair to conclude that since the unpleasant taste and smell in the water disappear with the dis- appearance of the gi'een algae, these latter are the cause of the taste and smell, and that any means by which the light is excluded from the storage reservoirs, fiilter basins, etc., will be suflScient to prevent the growth of green algae. "What has been said applies only to the green algae, and it is very natural for one to ask are there not other forms of vegetable or animal life which may adapt themselves to darkened chambers and in time become sources of contamination for the water. The possibility of this has already been suggested by the fact that in the closed tank and filter gallery two plants, Hypheothrix and Leptothrix, have been noticed. Could not these multiply to such an extent that in time they would become as noxious as the green algae? Before answering this question, we must glance for a moment at the relation which organisms sustain to their supply of food. All organisms depending upon the way in which they acquire their nutriment can be divided into two groups. The first group in- cludes those which manufacture their food from certain simple chemical compounds. In order to carry on this work they must have some source of energy ; this they find in sunlight. This group includes all green plants. The members of the second group, the animals and such plants as contain no green coloi'ing 92 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. matter, do not manufacture their own food, but nourish themselves by feeding directly or indirectly on organisms of the first group. For instance, man is a member of the second group ; his food comes from two sources, other animals and green plants. At first sight the former might seem a source of food iudependent of green plants, but a moment's reflection Avill show that the animals used for nourishment are in their turn dependent for food either directly on green plants or on some other animal which in its turn is dependent on vegetation. Thus ultimately all animal food is derived from green plants. As sunlight is essential to members of the first group, so are representatives of this group or some product of their decomposition essential to the life of members in the second group. It is conceivable, then, that a member of the second group, an animal for instance, may live in perfect darkness so long as it is supplied with nourishment derived directly or indirectly from green plants, but as the exclusion of light destroys the green plant, so the exclusion of the green plant or its pro- ducts of decomposition will destroy the animal. Hypheothrix and Leptothrix, the two plants found in small numbers in the darkened tank and filter gallery, are members of the second group. They depend for their food upon partially decomposed products of members of the first group. Water which has percolated for a considerable distance through soil usually contains a low percentage of these products, and the presence of Hypheothrix and Leptothrix indicates that in this case that small amount is utilized as food. It will also be noticed that since the source of the Brookline water is free from any green growth the amount of nutriment contained in the water must be relatively small, consequently the Hypheothrix and Leptothrix, being depend- ent upon this food for their growth, will probably never reach harmful proportions. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that in the Watertown system, to be described later, the Hypheothrix is found, and, although this system has been in opera- tion for some years and the opportunities for growth are quite as favorable as in the high service tank at Brookline, the plant remains as inconspicuous at Watertown as at Brookline. How far the conclusions obtained from the examination of the Brookline system are supported by other evidence will be seen from the following description of the five remaining systems. Walthani (Nov. 23, 1887). — In the system at Waltham, the water is pumped from an open filter basin on the Charles River to an open reservoir, and is then distributed to the town. If we neglect the high service tank of the system at Brookline, this sys- tem is essentially like that of the last named town, except that 1888.] SENATE — \o. 4. 93 the filter gallery is replaced by iin open basin. With this differ- ence we should expect to find green alg£e not only in the reservoir but also in the filter basin. An examination of the water in the filter basin shows this to be true, for in addition to a large growth of Spirogyra, a partially attached green alga, seven species are found floating abundantly in the water. Wobiirn (Oct. 12, 1887). — In the system at Woburn, the water is pumped from a filter basin not completely darkened into a main which distributes it to the town, and allows the surplus to flow back into a small reservoii'. Our theory would predict a slight growth in the filter basin and an increased growth in the open reservoir. On examination the water from the filter basin contained a single specimen each of four species of green algae and some filaments of Ilypheothrix. In the reservoir two species from the gallery were found in abundance, and two others were also present. One, a Confei*va, grew in large matted masses which, when dried, resembled the material of wasps' nests. Xewton (November, 1887). — The filter basin in this system is a long open canal running parallel to the Charles River. From this basin the water is pumped into a distributing main, and the surplus is stored in an open reservoir. From the exposed nature of the filter basin and reservoir we should expect in both an active growth of green algae. Examinations of the water show that, besides the growth of Spirogyra, which occurs along the bottom of the filter basin, the water contains suspended in it six species of green algae. Three of these were abundantly represented. The w^ater in the reservoir contains nine species of gi'een algae, four of which are abundant. This increase in variety, and num- ber of the species found in the reservoir over those in the filter basin, is perfectly consistent with a continued exposure of the water to sunlight. Revere (Dec. 12, 1887). — At Revere the water from a series of driven wells is discharged into a chamber lighted by windows, and from this collecting chamber it is pumped into distributing mains. The overflow is collected in an open reservoir. Under these conditions a slight growth in the collecting chamber and an increased growth in the open reservoir might be expected. An examination of the water gives the following results : The water in the collecting chamber contains a few each of three species of green algae ; in the reservoir four species of green algae are pres- ent ; two of these are of the same species as those in the chamber. Of the four two are abundant and one is very abundant. Watertoiun (Nov. 6, 1887). — The filter basin in this system is in part open so that one end receives diffused daylight. From 94 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan. this the water is pumped into the distributing main and the over- flow is collected in a tank. This tank, although covered with a roof, has an air space above it into which a number of windows open. The filter basin receives fully as much light as the same structure in the Woburu system, and as this latter contained a few green algse one would expect naturally a similar growth at Water- town. The tank, of course, receives much less light than an open reservoir, but there appears to be sufficient light to warrant the expectation of a few green algse. An examination of the water in both the filter basin and tank shows only a few filaments of Hy- pheothrix. This at first sight may seem exceptional. By way of explanation, however, it may be said that in situations such as fil- ter basins the presence of light only renders possible the life of green algae but does not necessitate their growth. The Water- town system then may be one in which green algae have not as yet made their way, but if once planted they might multiply there as elsewhere. It is noticeable, however, that owing to the small amount of light entering the filter basin and tank the growth of green algse would probably never become conspicuous, not to say harmfully abundant. The water from this system as well as that from Revere has never been noticed to have any disagreeable taste or smell. With this, the account of the examination of the ground waters is concluded. Excepting the conditions at Watertown, which have already been discussed, the four open reservoirs and four open filter basins examined all contained green algse. When the algae were abundant a disagreeable taste and odor characterized the water. The tank and filter gallery at Brookline, both completely darkened, contained no green algffi. In these two situations the water had no disagreeable taste or smell. From these facts it would appear that the green algse are, in the main, the cause of the bad taste and smell in the water and that these plants are de- pendent for their existence on sunlight. It is therefore concluded that the complete exclusion of sunlight from storage reservoirs, filter basins, etc., is an efficient practical remedy for the delete- rious effects of these organisms. Respectfully submitted, G. H. PARKER. 1888.] SENATE — No. 4. 95 Coromonhjealt^ of P^assac^nsftta. [Chap. 274.] An Act to protect the purity of inland waters. Be it enacted, etc., as follows : Section 1. The state board of health shall have the general oversight and care of all inland waters and shall be furnished with maps, plans and documents suitable for this purpose, and records of all its doings in relation thereto shall be kept. It may employ such engineers and clerks and other assistants as it may deem necessary : provided, that no contracts or other acts which involve the payment of money from the treasury of the Commonwealth shall be made or done without an appropriation expressly made therefor by the general court. It shall annually on or before the tenth day of January report to the general court its doings in the preceding year, and at the same time submit estimates of the sums requh'ed to meet the expenses of said board in relation to the care and oversight of inland waters for the ensuing year ; and it shall also recommend legislation and suitable plans for such systems of main sewers as it may deem necessai'y for the preservation of the public health and for the purification and prevention of pollution of the ponds, streams and inland waters of the Commonwealth. Sect. .2. Said board shall from time to time as it may deem expedient, cause examinations of the said waters to be made for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same are adapted for use as sources of domestic water supplies or are in a condition likely to impair the interests of the public or persons lawfully using the same, or imperil the public health. It shall recommend measures for prevention of the pollution of such waters and for i-emoval of substances and causes of every kind which may be liable to cause pollution thereof, in order to protect and develop the rights and property of the Commonwealth therein and to protect the public health. It shall have authority to conduct experiments to deter- mine the best practicable methods of purification of drainage or disposal of refuse arising from manufacturing and other industrial establishments. For the purposes aforesaid it may employ such expert assistance as may be necessary. 9(3 WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE. [Jan.'88. Sect. 3. It shall from thne to time consult with and advise the authorities of cities and towns, or with corporations, firms or individuals either already ha^ing or intending to introduce systems of water supply or sewerage, as to the most appropriate source of suppl}', the best practicable method of assuring the purity thereof or of disposing of theu- sewage, having regard to the present and prospective needs and interests of other cities, towns, corpora- tions, firms or individuals which may be affected thereby. It shall also from time to time consult with and advise persons or corporations engaged or intending to engage in any maniifactui-ing or other business, drainage or refuse from which may tend to cause the pollution of any inland water, as to the best practicable method of preventing such pollution by the interception, disposal or pmification of such drainage or refuse : provided, that no person shall be compelled to bear the expense of such consultation or advice, or of experiments made for the purposes of this act. All such authorities, corporations, firins and individuals are hereby requii'ed to give notice to said board of their intentions in the premises, and to submit for its advice outlines of their proposed plans or schemes in relation to water supply and disposal of drain- age or refuse. Said board shall bring to the notice of the attorney-general all instances which may come to it-s knowledge of omission to comply with existing laws respecting the pollution of water supplies and inland waters and shall annually report to the legislatm'e any specific cases not covered by the provisions of existing laws, which in its opinion call for further legislation. — {^Approved June 9, 1886. Acting under the provisions of this act, the State Board of Health is ready to consult with and advise the authorities of cities and towns and others, and to receive outlines of proposed plans from them, as provided in section 3 of chap- ter 274, Acts of 1886. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES This book is due on the date indicated below, or at the expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as provided by the library rules or by special arrangement with the Librarian in charge. DATE BORROWED DATE DUE DATE BORROWED DATE DUE C2a(25l)IOOM GAYLAMOUNT PAMPHLET BINDER -^^^ MaairtMtur«4 b> GAYLORDBROS Inc Syracuse, N. Y. Stockton, Calif. ^84. CI U38 1888 Massachusetts deot. of public ■ealth Report of the state board of heal th on vrater-supply F^. sewerage M3«