USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Melrose > City of Melrose annual report 1893-1895 > Part 15
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The above vote was taken by check list, "yes" and "no" ballots being used, and resulted as follows :
"Yes," 108
"No," IO
Total number,
118
294
WATER REPORT.
Your board immediately made application to the legisla- ture for the act to take water for additional supply, and we append the act.
HOUSE, NO. 906.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
House of Representatives, April 18, 1893. The committee on water supply, to whom was referred the petition of the board of water commissioners of the town of Melrose for legislation to provide said town with an additional water supply, report the accompanying bill.
For the committee,
ALBERT W. STURDY.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
In the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-three.
AN ACT TO PROVIDE A FURTHER SUPPLY OF WATER FOR THE TOWN OF MELROSE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Gen- eral Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :
SECTION I. The town of Melrose, for the purposes of furnishing an additional water supply to the inhabitants of the town, may take, hold and use the waters of the great pond known as Ell pond, otherwise Crystal pond, situated in the town of Melrose, and the waters which flow into and from the same, and sink wells upon any lands situate therein, and may also from time to time take and hold, by purchase or otherwise, such lands, rights of way and easements within the said town as may be deemed necessary for holding, pre- serving and protecting any waters thus obtained, and for conveying the same to any part of the said town of Melrose; and may erect on the land thus taken or held proper dams,
295
WATER REPORT.
reservoirs, buildings, fixtures and other structures; and may make excavations, procure and operate machinery and pro- vide such other means and appliances as may be necessary for the establishment and maintenance of complete and effective water works; and may construct and maintain conduits, pipes and such other works as may be deemed necessary for drawing, collecting, purifying, storing, retain- ing, discharging, conducting and distributing said waters through the said town of Melrose.
SECT. 2. Said town shall, within sixty days after the taking of any lands, rights of way or easements aforesaid, otherwise than by purchase, for the purposes of this act, file and cause to be recorded in the registry of deeds for the county of Middlesex, southern district, a description thereof, sufficiently accurate for identification, with a statement of the purposes for which the same were taken, which state- ment shall be signed by the water commissioners of the town of Melrose.
SECT. 3. The said town shall be liable to pay all damages sustained by any persons or corporations in property by the taking of or injury to any of their land, water, water rights, easements or property, or by any other thing done by said town under the authority of this act; provided, however, that said town shall not be liable to pay any damage resulting from the taking and using of the waters of the great pond other than the state itself would be legally liable to pay. Any person or corporation sustaining damages as aforesaid under this act who fails to agree with said town as to the amount of damages sustained may have the damages assessed and determined in the manner provided by law when land is taken for the laying out of highways, on appli- cation at any time within the period of three years from the taking of such land or other property or the doing of other injury under the authority of this act; but no such applica-
296
WATER REPORT.
tion shall be made after the expiration of said three years. No application for assessment of damages shall be made for the taking of any water, water right, or for any injury thereto until the water is actually withdrawn or diverted by said town under the authority of this act.
SECT. 4. The said town may, for the purpose of paying the necessary expenses and liabilities incurred under the provisions of this act, issue from time to time bonds, notes or scrip to an amount not exceeding in the aggregate seventy-five thousand dollars. Such bonds, notes and scrip shall bear on their face the words "Melrose Water Loan ;" shall be payable at the expiration of periods not exceeding twenty years from the date of issue; shall bear interest pay- able semi-annually at a rate not exceeding four per centum per annum, and shall be signed by the treasurer of the town of Melrose, and be countersigned by the water commis- sioners of said town. The town may sell such securities at public or private sale, or pledge the same for money bor- rowed for the purposes of this act, upon such terms and conditions as it may deem proper, provided that such secu- rities may not be sold or pledged at less than the par value thereof. The provisions of sections seven and eight of chapter one hundred and sixty of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and seventy, in regard to establishing and maintaining a sinking fund for the redemption of the Melrose water fund bonds, shall apply to this act, and said sinking fund shall remain sacred and inviolate and pledged to the payment and redemption of the Melrose water loan.
SEC. 5. Whoever wilfully, wantonly or maliciously cor- rupts, pollutes or diverts any of the waters taken or held under this act, or injures any structure, work or other prop- erty owned, held or used by said town, under the authority and for the purposes of this act, shall forfeit and pay to said town three times the amount of damages assessed there-
297
WATER REPORT.
for, to be recovered in an action of tort ; and upon convic- tion of either of the above wilful, wanton or malicious acts shall be punished by a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding one year in the house of correction in the county of Middlesex.
SECT. 6. All the authority granted to the town of Melrose by this act shall be vested in the board of water commis- sioners of said town, chosen and elected as provided by section six of chapter one hundred and sixty of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and seventy, who shall be subject, however, to such instructions, rules and regulations as said town may impose by its vote.
SECT. 7. This act shall take effect upon its passage, but shall become void unless it is accepted by a two-thirds vote of the voters of said town present and voting thereon at any legal town meeting called for the purpose within three years from its passage.
At the town meetings held June 15 and 24, this act and subject of taking water from land north of Ell pond was dis- discussed, and it was finally voted to lay the matter on the table, and then the following action was taken:
Voted, That the board of water commissioners and Daniel Russell, Stephen F, Keyes, Dr. Chas.C. Odlin and John Larra- bee be a committee to examine into and consider the matter of an additional water supply, including the proposition of Mr. Sibley, relating to Martin's meadows (so called), the taking of water from Bennett's pond or meadows, the Wake- field water company, or any other source deemed feasible, and report upon the same at an adjournment of this meet- ing.
At the adjourned meeting, held July 20, a verbal report of the above committee was made by their chairman, Mr. Geo. L. Morse, who stated that the state board of health had not completed its report, and asked for further time, which was granted.
298
WATER REPORT.
At the adjourned meeting, held September II, the com- mittee on additional water supply, made the following re- port, together with that of the state board of health:
REPORT.
The committee on additional water supply respectfully submit the following report of progress:
The long expected report of the state board of health was received on August II, and that all might thoroughly under- stand a matter so vital to every citizen of Melrose, and to the future interest of the town, by vote of committee said report was immediately published in both the local papers; and we trust that it has been read by everyone interested in this important matter now under consideration by the town. Said report is herewith submitted:
Acting under vote of last town meeting, your committee has made a contrct with Mr. Sibley, so that while he is test- ing the capacity of his wells, instead of allowing the water to run to waste, it is now pumped directly into our main pipe on Wyoming avenue, so that we have increased our water supply for the last two weeks about 225,000 gallons per day, and from now until November 20th, the date at which the contract with Mr. Sibley expires, probably double that quantity. The amount of water pumped daily since the 20th August, is as follows:
299
WATER REPORT.
WHITTIER'S WELLS.
1893, August 22,
221,100 galls.
23,
207,675
24,
163,875
25,
192,300
26,
231,000
27,
230,550
28,
219,250
66
30,
411,675
66
31,
275,475
Sep.
I,
302,400
66
66
2,
261,300
66
3,
168,525
66
7,
307,200
66
8,
324,820
66
IO,
564,675
Forty-eight hours less stoppages.
By vote of the committee the contract between Mr. Sibley and the town was also published in the two local papers.
The amount of water obtained from these wells is a sur- prise to your committee. It seems quite possible that we have struck an underground stream of water which was not indicated by the general watershed. Finding the boiler in use wholly inadequate for testing the capacity of the wells, another one, of sixty-horse power, has been hired at $2 per day. It is now hoped and expected that a supply of between four and five hundred thousand gallons per day can be pumped.
The expense up to the 10th of September is about $1,600. $2,000 has been spent as follows:
300
WATER REPORT.
WHITTIER'S WELLS.
Labor paid to September 2, $360 14
Labor due IO, 61 50
Sundry bills, approved and paid,
241 25
B. F. Smith & Bro.,
824 09
S. E. Benson & Co.,
II2 23
Stock, pipe and fittings,
403 75
$2,002 96
But in the event of no further use being made of the wells after the contract with Mr. Sibley expires, about $400 is to be paid back to the town by the Smith Well Co. for materials to be returned; this makes a net cost to date of about $1,600.
Your committee recommend that the sum of $1,000 be given them for further investigation.
A part of the duty of your committee was to investigate the feasibility of purchasing an additional water supply from the Wakefield Water Company. A sub-committee has had several interviews with Mr. S. K. Hamilton, president of the company, and find him not disposed to make a contract with Melrose, even to furnish us with the overflow of Crystal lake, Wakefield, although admitting that during the rainy season from four to five hundred thousand gallons per day go absolutely to waste. He, however, agrees with your com- mittee that it would be wise to connect Melrose with Wake- field water pipes, each town having a gate at the termination of their pipes, thus, in cases of emergency, enabling either town to supply the other temporarily with water.
Should further pumping from Whittier's wells show an additional supply of from four to five hundred thousand gallons per day could be obtained there, and could we, in addition to this, purchase the overflow of Crystal lake at a
30I
WATER REPORT.
.
reasonable price, the water problem with which we have been so long struggling, would be solved for the present.
The state board of health recommend that we purchase the oveflow of Crystal lake, Wakefield; but before we do so we must apply to the legislature for the right, as the charter of the Wakefield Water Company permits them to supply only Wakefield and Stoneham.
Your committee believes that the next general court, if asked, will give to Melrose this right; and that arrangements can be then made with this company to furnish us with their overflow of water. Later we shall probably have more to say on this subject.
We recommend that any further action regarding the Ell pond district, as a source of additional water supply, con- tinue suspended for the present, as all the necessary ex- perimenting in sinking wells through this district has been done; iron pipes, sufficient to pipe the streets, have been bought and are ready for use; so that should it become necessary to take water from this place and to get it quickly, a temporary plant could be erected, pipes laid, and pumping begun in from two to three weeks time.
There seems, therefore, no reason to act with haste; and every reason to move slowly until we have fully tested all other possible sources of supply.
GEORGE L. MORSE, STEPHEN F. KEYES, GEO. J. BICKNELL, CHAS. C. ODLIN, W. D. FISKE, JOHN LARRABEE, DANIEL RUSSELL.
302
WATER REPORT.
.
OUR WATER SUPPLY.
THE FOLLOWING REPORT HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY THE COM- MITTEE ON ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPLY.
Office of State Board of Health, 13 Beacon Street, BOSTON, Aug. 10, 1893. To the Water Board and the Committee on Additional Water Sup- ply of the Town of Melrose :
GENTLEMEN :- The state board of health received from the Melrose water board on May 16, 1893, an application for its advice relative to a proposed additional system of water supply, to be taken from the ground on the north side of Ell pond. On July 5 a second application was received from the committee on additional water supply for advice relative to taking a supply from Martin's meadows, so-called, from Bennett's pond or meadows, and from the Wakefield Water Co. On July 5, the last mentioned application was amended by adding Long pond, and its immediate vicinity, to the sources before mentioned.
Before considering these sources in detail, it will be well to refer in a general way to the capacity of your present source of supply, Spot pond, and to the needs of your town.
Spot pond during a year of average rainfall will supply to each of the communities taking water from it about 630,000 gallons of water per day; and during a series of dry years, such as have occurred in the past, will furnish about 500,000 per day to each community, without falling to a lower level than it reached in February, 1893. With the pond at its present low level it cannot be depended upon to even furnish 500,000 gallons per day to each community if the next two or three years should be unusually dry. The consumption of water in Melrose, by the meter records, from September, 1892, to June, 1893, inclusive, averaged 565,000
303
WATER REPORT.
gallons per day, which is 65,000 gallons in excess of the safe capacity of the pond for a series of dry years, even assuming it to have been filled in the spring, and still more in access of its capacity in its present low condition. It is obvious, therefore, that to meet even the requirements of the present and the very near future it will be necessary to pro- vide an additional source of supply or to decrease the con- sumption of water.
The consumption of water in Melrose at the present time is about fifty-seven gallons per inhabitant, which is more than the amount used by most towns similarly situated. As instances of low consumption per inhabitant may be men- tioned; Brockton, 25 gallons; Middleborough, 26 gallons; North Attleborough, 26 gallons; and Fall River, 26 gallons. On the other hand, Beverly uses 70 gallons; Braintree, 62 gallons and Brookline 80 gallons. During the period from September, 1892, to June 1893, inclusive, Malden used 50 gallons and Medford 48 gallons per inhabitant.
It seems highly desirable that Melrose should take ener- getic measures to restrict waste, but in view of the fact that the present demands upon Spot pond so largely exceed its capacity, and having regard to its present low state of the pond and the greater demand for water from year to year, due to the increasing population, the board is of opinion that a further supply should be obtained without delay.
The great expense to which Melrose would be subjected if it should attempt to obtain by itself a permanent supply of water, which can only be had from a comparatively great distance, the fact that the Legislature has already directed that investigations be made with a view to obtaining a water supply for Boston and its suburbs, and the need of an im- mediate addition to the present supply, all lead to the con- clusion that it is wise to obtain, at a comparatively small cost, a temporary supply which will meet the require-
304
WATER REPORT.
ments for the next five or six years. Should any of the sources mentioned by your committee be adopted, they should be considered merely as temporary sources which will have to be abandoned whenever the quality of the water be- comes impaired by the growth of population upon the terri- tory from which the supply is derived, or by other causes, or whenever a more satisfactory and permanent water sup- ply is introduced.
Of the sources mentioned by the committee it may be said that the water from Bennett's pond would not be of suitable quality on account of the large population near the upper por- tion of the brook which feeds it. With regard to a ground water from the vicinity of Bennett's pond, no definite answer can be given because no investigations of the ground at this place have been made. It is not improbable that the quality of the water would be good, but, judging from the surface indications, this source could hardly be expected to furnish a sufficient quantity of water to make it a desirable one to adopt at the present time.
Long pond by itself would not furnish a sufficient quantity of water to warrant taking an additional supply from it, and if a stream which flows near its westerly end should be di- verted into it the quality of the water would not be satisfac- tory if taken directly from the pond. With regard to obtain- ing the ground water supply in this vicinity no investigations of the ground have been made, but judging from surface ap- pearances, the conditions are even less favorable than in the vicinity of Bennett's pond.
The Wakefield Water Co. now takes its supply from Crys- tal lake, and the water is of suitable quality for the purposes of a public water supply. The quantity of water which this source will furnish in a series of dry years is but little, if any, in excess of the present requirements of the two towns now supplied by the Wakefield Water Co., and the only
305
WATER REPORT.
water which this company has to spare is the excess, during years of average or high rainfall, above the requirements of the two towns now supplied. The board, therefore, does not advise the town of Melrose to depend upon the Wakefield Water Co, for its additional supply. On the other hand, it is extremely important, as a precaution against a water famine in the next few years, that Spot pond should be again filled, a result which can be accomplished if each of the communi- ties now drawing water from the pond should obtain the greater part of its supply from some other source or sources; and it may, therefore be desirable, if suitable arrangements can be made, to have the Wakefield Water Co. supply as much water to Melrose as the capacity of its source will permit.
A sample of water collected from Whittier's wells in Martin's meadows, so-called, on July 20th, showed that the water obtained from the ground at this place was of satis- factory quality for purposes of public water supply, and from an examination of the premises it seems probable that this water will remain of suitable quality for use, at least until increase of population in this vicinity. The quantity of water which this source will furnish is apparently limited, and it is extremely doubtful if it alone will furnish a suffi- cient additional water supply of the town. Samples were also received from wells in the meadow above the one already mentioned, but the water from these wells was not of satisfactory quality to pump directly into the pipes.
The territory just north of Ell pond has been tested in several places. The first test was made in January, 1893, by pumping from a line of driven wells very near the pond. This test lasted for fifteen days and the average quantity of water pumped is said to have been about 461,000 gallons per day. Three samples of water from these wells were sent
20
306
WATER REPORT.
to this board for analysis. One was taken at the beginning of the test, another a week later, and the third at the end of the test. All of these samples were clear and colorless and free from odor, and although they all showed, by the greater amount of mineral matter and hardness than the natural waters of this region, the effect of the population upon the territory from which the supply is derived, the analysis also show that the water had been very throughly purified by its passage through the ground.
Three additional samples taken from this vicinity in June and July, 1893, gave results which confirmed those above mentioned, the analysis showing that in every case the water had been completely purified, chemically, by its pas- sage through the ground. The wells from which two of these last mentioned samples were taken were 175 feet from the pond, while the third sample was taken from one of the line of wells near the pond. A bacterial examination of a sample of water from one of these wells showed that the water was of good quality, bacterially.
There seems to be no doubt that the quantity of water which can be obtained from the ground in this vicinity is greater than from any other sources mentioned, and the principal question which arises with regard to this source is as to whether the water will remain of suitable quality for use after long-continued pumping. The principal source of danger is that the water of the pond, which is highly pollu- ted, will find its way through the ground to the wells with- out being thoroughly purified by filtration. Experience has shown in some cases" that water may filter from a pond to wells or to a filter-gallery and under some conditions be throughly purified by its passage through the ground and yet under other conditions fail to be purified. It is imprac- ticable to predict in the present case whether the water drawn from the ground will deteriorate in quality from this
307
WATER REPORT.
cause. Taking into account, however, the urgent needs of your town and the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient quan- tity of water from a better source, the board would advise that this location be adopted as a source of supply, but with the understanding that the works are to be of a temporary character and that the water is to be analyzed frequently and its use discontinued if it should become impure. The wells should be located not less than 175 feet from the pond and further from it if practicable.
On Feb. 9, 1893, the board sent a communication to the water boards of the three places drawing water from Spot pond, and, after giving the results of estimates as to changes in the level of the pond which would be likely to occur under varying conditions of rainfall, the board ended its communication with the following statement, to which it would again call attention :
"It is of the utmost importance to get as much water into Spot pond as possible, or, what is the same thing, to take less water from the pond so as to have a larger supply in the pond to provide for future contingencies, such as a grow- ing population and supplementary supplies which may become unsuitable for domestic use. Every million gallons of water which can be added to the pond has a distinct value to the three communities now depending upon this source, which is much in excess of the mere cost of pump- ing the water, and it would be a benefit to all of the com- munities if a fixed price were made per million gallons of water, which should be charged to each community drawing more than a certain defined quantity and credited to any community taking from the pond less than this amount. This would offer an incentive for individual action on the part of those places which now have or can provide supple- mentary sources of supply, and would not be unjust to any
308
WATER REPORT.
town that may be unable to obtain a supplementary source as this town would only pay to the others what it would save in the cost of constructing and maintaining a pumping plant."
By order of the board, SAM'L W. ABBOTT, Secretary.
We append the contract made with Mr. Sibley:
WATER CONTRACT.
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN A. C. SIBLEY, OF BEL- FAST, MAINE, AND THE TOWN OF MELROSE, MASS.
Whereas, The said A. C. Sibley is supposed to have under his land, called Martin meadows, near Wyoming avenue, in said Melrose, a large quantity of subterranean water, and whereas the said town of Melrose needs said water to sup- plement their supply, and whereas said town, at a legally held meeting, have instructed their committee on "additional water supply" to investigate said water source, and have appropriated money to pay the expenses of the same, now it is understood and agreed between said A. C. Sibley and said town, by its committee, as follows: Said Sibley is to allow said town free access to his land for purposes of in- stalling and running a pumping plant as hereinafter describ- ed; he is to allow them to connect their pump with as many driven wells as they please; he is, if the interests of both parties require, to drive and pipe to the top of the ground at his own expense additional wells, not exceeding twenty-five; and is to allow them to pump from said wells sixty or ninety days, as they may desire, providing they commence pump- ing by August 20th, next, and allow them to pump until November 20th, 1893, and is to make no charge for water or rental during that time.
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