USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1911 > Part 31
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Amount received from water service as-
sessments
$4,200 44
Amount received for labor and materials . 12,503 07
16,703 51
Total income of water works .
$243,257 75
This amount was used as follows :- For water works purposes :-
Water works maintenance $27,203 93
Water works extension .
10,739 45
Miscellaneous accounts
16,703 51
Interest on water loan bonds
1,980 00
Maturing water loan bonds
6,000 00
Metropolitan water works assessment .
115,094 29
$177,721 18
For other municipal purposes :-
Sewers, maintenance
$13,000 00
Fire department
50,000 00
Public Buildings department, maintenance of water buildings
806 33
Reduction of funded debt
1,730 24
.
65,536 57
$243,257 75
In addition to the appropriations from water income to other municipal purposes enumerated above, water has been furnished without charge to all the city departments that have
389
WATER DEPARTMENT.
required its use, and it is paid for out of the income from sale of water.
Department Receipts and Disbursements. WATER MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT.
DR.
CR.
Amount appropriated by board of aldermen from water income .
$25,000 00
Amount transferred from Water Works
6,000 00
Extension account Sundry accounts for labor and materials . Materials used in extension of the water works
12,472 62
Amount expended for labor and mate- rials for operation, maintenance, and renewal of the water works
$27,203 93
Amount expended for materials used in ex- tension of the water works
11,060 82
Miscellaneous accounts
12,472 62
Transferred to Water Works Extension account
3,239 45
Unexpended balance
·
556 62
$54,533 44
$54,533 44
WATER WORKS EXTENSION ACCOUNT.
DR.
CR.
Amount appropriated by board of aldermen from water income
$13,500 00
nance account
3,239 45
Receipts from water service assessments Receipts from waterpost services .
30 45
Amount expended for labor. and mate- rials used in extension of the water works
$10,739 45
Miscellaneous accounts
4,230 89
Amount transferred to Water Maintenance account
6,000 00
$20,970 34
$20,970 34
Cost of Water Works.
The total cost of the water works on December 31, 1910, as represented by the expenditures from appropria- tions for water works extension was
$933,818 89
Expended during the year 1911, on extension account 10,739 45
Total expenditures, December 31, 1911 $944,558 34
Water Debt.
Water loan bonds have been issued on funded debt account to the amount of $1,017,000 ; this has been reduced by $973,000, leaving the water debt on December 31, 1911, $44,000.
.
4,200 44
Amount transferred from Water Mainte-
11,000 82
390
ANNUAL REPORTS.
The outstanding bonds mature as follows :-
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
1912
$6,000
1917
$5,000
1913
6,000
1918
5,000
1914
6,000
1919
4,000
1915
5,000
1920
2,000
1916
5,000
Water Works Income from 1898 and its Distribution.
The water income and its distribution from 1898 to 1911, inclusive, is shown in the following table :-
Total water income, years 1898 to 1911, inclusive . $3,127,902 35 Distribution :-
Water Works Account.
Water Works Construction,
Renewal,
Maintenance and Operation
$754,511 09
Water Bonds
230,000 00
Interest
78,795 00
Metropolitan Water Assessments
.
1,087,625 26
$2,150,931 35
Other Municipal Accounts.
Construction
$117,035 65
Maintenance
147,450 00
Sewers
Bonds
72,000 00
Interest
.
58,792 00
( Assessments
31,000 00
$426,277 65
Fire Department, Maintenance
378,026 33
Health Department, Maintenance
7,500 00
Suppression of Moths
1,000 00
Reduction of Funded Debt
161,571 61
Public Buildings Department,
Maintenance Water
Buildings.
806 33
$3,127,902 35
Water Distribution. STREET MAINS.
As shown in the insert table accompanying this report, there has been laid during the year 6,409 feet of street mains. 179 feet of hydrant connections, 137 feet of blow-off pipes, and thirty-seven feet of waterpost services, a total of 6,762 feet. There has been removed or abandoned a total_of 2,924 feet, making a net increase of 3,838 feet in the pipe mileage of the city, which now reaches a total of approximately 95.83 miles.
The sizes and lengths of pipe laid and abandoned are as follows :--
1,789 08
Unappropriated Balances
391
WATER DEPARTMENT.
Size.
Feet Laid. Abandoned. Size.
Feet Laid. Abandoned.
2"
415
0
10
705
293
4"
90
219
12"
1,130
758
6"
2,153
405
16"
101
137
8"
1,248
230
20"
920
882
The heaviest pipe work of the season has been in connec- tion with the grade crossing elimination in Webster avenue. This work involved much study, and included the reconstruc- tion of the twenty-inch pipe line in Webster avenue and New- ton street east, and of smaller mains in Newton street west, Clark street, Concord avenue, Prospect street, Emerson street, Everett street, and Webster avenue. New mains were laid and portions of the old mains were raised to conform to the new grades established for these streets, and new service con- nections were laid to all the houses within the area affected by the changes of street grades.
The length of new main pipe laid in place of that which it was deemed inexpedient to raise on account of the cost and impairment of the service was as follows: Six-inch, 404 feet; ten-inch, 395 feet; twelve-inch, 1,130 feet; sixteen-inch, 101 feet ; twenty-inch, 920 feet; total, 2,950 feet. There were also laid sixty-six feet of hydrant branches and 137 feet of blow-off pipes.
The number of gates set in connection with this work was thirty-seven, and the number of hydrants nine; there were ten blow-offs installed. Eleven gates were removed or abandoned in their old locations, and seven hydrants were removed.
The number of house services laid on this work was forty- six, and contained 200 feet of five-eighths-inch, 1,494 feet of three-fourths-inch, 239 feet of one-inch, and sixty-three feet of two-inch pipe, a total of 1,996 feet. Five service pipes were per- manently discontinued on account of removal of the buildings.
All the pipes, gates, hydrants, and service stock were fur- nished by the water department, and were installed by our own employees without impairment of the fire or domestic service during the whole period covered by the extensive changes made in the streets.
The trench work and mason work were for the most part done by the general contractor for the grade-crossing changes. A bill has been rendered and paid covering the larger portion of the cost to the water department of this work, and the final settlement will be made when the work is fully completed.
Street mains have been laid in other parts of the city as needed to keep pace with land and building developments, principally in the following streets : Belmont square, Conwell avenue, Harold street, Hillsdale road, Kenneson road, Lowell circle, Line street, Waldo avenue, West Adams street, and Whitman street.
Mains have also been laid on account of needed service
392
ANNUAL REPORTS.
improvements in Kilby street, McGregor avenue, and Parker place. A connection was made with the Holland-street main for Buena Vista road, in anticipation of the permanent paving of Holland street.
Trench work, excavating, and backfilling for water pipes has been done by contract labor in the following streets :-
TRENCH WORK.
Street.
Feet of Trench.
Cu. Yards Rock.
Contractor.
Earth. Lin. Ft.
Rock. Cu. Yd.
Belmont Sq.
233
7
J. H. Fannon
.35
2.50
.425
Harold St. .
350
..
.25
..
99.05 87.50
.25
Line St.
426
..
.35
149.10
.35
W. Adams St.
735
41.8
66
.35
2.50
361.75
.492
Pipes and other stock required were furnished, and all the pipe laying was done by the water department.
Hydrants, Gates, etc.
Including the work in connection with the grade-crossing elimination at Webster avenue there have been thirty-six hy- drants set and nineteen removed, making a net increase of seventeen, and a total in the city service of 1,082.
One hydrant has been set in the yard of the water depart- ment; this, with the two in the highway department yard, adds three to the number classed as private hydrants, making the total number thus installed fifty-eight.
In all, there have been set during the year sixty-two gate valves and twelve have been removed, the net increase being fifty, and the number now in the distribution system 1,519.
A card system is being prepared, showing, in a form handy for reference and use, the locations of all the gates in the city.
Ten blow-offs have been installed and one waterpost set for street watering; the number of blow-offs in service is now 152, and the number of waterposts is eighty-three.
The drinking fountain has been removed from Lincoln park, as the construction of a recreation building there has made it no longer needed. On account of the removal of the reservation in Teele square and the large amount of railway traffic through the streets centring there, it was deemed ad- visable to remove the horse trough which has stood in that square for many years, and this was accomplished before the permanent paving was laid. The number of drinking foun- tains and troughs now in the city is six.
Water Services.
A considerable increase is shown in the number of new services installed, the number laid during the year being 235, a gain of sixty-three per cent. over the previous year. The com-
Total Cost of Average Cost per foot of Trench Work. Trench Work.
393
WATER DEPARTMENT.
bined length of the pipe laid in this service construction was 8,068 feet. The amount received in water service assessments during the year was $4,200.44.
The number of service connections permanently discon- tinued was twenty-seven, and the approximate length of ser- vice pipe abandoned was 600 feet.
The total length of service pipes in use in the city is ap- proximately 80.48 miles.
A two-inch fire pipe has been installed at the Central club building ; a four-inch fire and boiler service at the Clarendon- hill station of the Boston Elevated Railway Company, and an eight-inch fire and boiler service at the new power station of the North Packing and Provision Company, all at the expense of the applicants.
Water Meters.
The number of meters installed during the year on new services and on old services hitherto unmetered was 728, an increase of fifty-eight over the previous year; forty-two which had been removed for various causes were reset; fifty-four were removed on account of permanent or temporary discon- tinuance of use of water and for substitution of other meters. The net increase in number of operating meters was 716, making the total number of meters in service on December 31, 6,526, or about fifty-three per cent. of the number of service pipes in the city. The number of meters installed was 117 in excess of the actual requirements of the state law.
The kinds and sizes of all meters now installed are shown in the following table :-
OPERATING METERS DECEMBER 31, 1911.
KIND.
Total.
5/8"
1"
11%"
2"
3"
4"
6"
Nash
178
178
Empire
3
5
3
2
2
2
1
1
21
Gem
1
Hersey
3
1
1
2
7
Hersey Disc
257
23
3
1
4
1
1
Trident
·
398
44
19
6
5
1
473
Trident , Crest
2
3
1
6
Trident Comp.
Union .
16
13
8
1
5
43
Columbia .
·
581
581
Lambert
2,665
125
19
2,809
Worthington
1
1,940
Keystone .
2-
24
Totals .
6,192
227
58
13
21
7
6
2
, 6,526
Motor and ele- vator registers
7
6,533
-
2
2
4
Union Special
16
3
2
21
King
126
126
Disc .
1,939
3
Crown
5
1
288
Torrent
SIZE.
394
ANNUAL REPORTS.
The meters installed in 1911 were classed as follows :-
Applications of property owners .
265
New services
200
General installation
.
.
263
Reset
42
Total
770
Meters were removed for the following causes :-
Vacancies and temporary non-use of water 38
Services permanently discontinued 4
Replaced by other meters
12
Total 54
Under the provisions of the Metropolitan Water Act it is necessary that there be installed in this city at least 411 meters each year on services previously unmetered, and meters on all new services when they go into regular use. The number of meters set during the year in excess of the actual requirements of the state law was 117.
The following table gives a summary of the pipes and fix- tures of the water system December 31, 1911 :-
Summary of Pipes and Fixtures.
Feet of main pipe (approximately) . 505,989
Feet of service pipe (approximately)
. 424,954
Service connections (approximately) 12,357
Public fire hydrants
1,082
Private fire hydrants
58
Gates
1,519
Check valves
7
Meters
Motor registers
6,526 7
Waterposts
83
Blow-offs
152
Drinking fountains and troughs
6
.
MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION. Accounting.
The net receipts from water income for the last year were $226,554.24, the largest in the history of the department; of this amount $93,412.56 was derived from "annual" and "addi- tional" rates, and $133,141.68 from "metered" rates.
Bills on water service account to the amount of $4,200.44, and for pipe, materials, and labor furnished on the grade-cross- ing elimination work and for various and numerous other pur- poses to the amount of $12,503.07 have been rendered and been paid, in addition to the water income bills. It is esti- mated that 35,000 bills are now annually made and delivered by this department, and as each bill has to go through its indi- vidual and varied processes of record, the bookkeeping and
395
WATER DEPARTMENT.
accounting department has grown to be a very important branch of the water works.
The amount expended for labor and materials for opera- tion, maintenance, and renewal of the water works appears $2,801.77 greater than that of the previous year; this is ac- counted for by expenditures from the department appropria- tion for work done on the Webster-avenue crossing, which has not yet been paid for, but which amounts to a sufficient sum to eliminate this excess when the account is settled.
Street Mains.
The street mains have given us no trouble during the year, and the unusual statement may here be recorded that on our ninety-six miles of mains there have been no breaks or leaks discovered.
To show the varied work done by the department the following summary is given of the "maintenance" items turned in by the foremen :-
Main Gates.
One gate has been removed and replaced; ninety-four have been packed and oiled; three gate boxes have been re- placed; twelve have been reset; and twenty-two have been brought to the proper street grade.
Hydrants.
Ten hydrants have been replaced; twenty-two reset; twelve repaired ; 4,419 inspected; seventy-three hydrants · opened to blow off street mains.
Waterposts.
Turned on for use, eighty-two; turned off, eighty-two; repaired, sixty-seven.
Services.
Replaced services wholly or partly at owner's expense, sixty ; replaced at city's expense, forty-eight; repaired service leaks at owner's expense, twenty-six; repaired at city's ex- pense, 102; thawed services at owner's expense, eight; thawed at city's expense, two; cleaned services inside premises at owner's expense, 114; cleaned by wiring, thirty-two; cleaned at connection with main, 341; closed at main and abandoned, twenty-seven ; turned off for non-payment, seventy ; turned off for vacancy, seventy-five; turned on for occupancy, seventy- five; turned off and on for repairs, 209; new gates set on old services, seventeen ; cleaned out and reset service boxes, 159 ; raised service boxes to proper grade, 801; lowered boxes to proper grade, 5,048; located buried boxes, thirty-nine ; filled settled trenches, 460 ; unclassified, 641 ; total, 8.354 jobs.
396
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Meters
Meters replaced permanently, eleven; removed perma- nently, three; removed for non-payment, two; removed for testing at owner's expense, ten; removed for vacancy, twenty- six; removed for damages at owner's expense, twenty; re- moved for damages at city's expense, three; reset meters for occupancy, twenty-six; reset for convenience, fifteen; reset repaired meters, 235; repaired meters at owner's expense, thirty-one; repaired meters at city's expense, 204; minor re- pairs made to meters at premises, seventy-seven; set new tile boxes, twelve; changed from wooden to tile boxes, six; tile boxes removed, two; wooden boxes replaced, two; meters changed from inside to tile boxes, two; repaired meter box covers, twenty; set meter connections, twenty-nine; total, 781 jobs.
All meters found out of order during the year have been repaired in our department shop by our own workmen. The number covers about four per cent. of the entire meter installa- tion and the defects come under the following classifications: Broken disks, fifty; defective registers, sixteen; defective gear trains, thirty-five; freezing, forty-one; hot water, ten; dirt, sediment, and similar obstructions, thirty-seven; miscellane- ous defects in gears, spindles, screws, etc., inside the meters, seventy-three ; noisy meters, twelve; a total of 274.
Service Maintenance.
As the house service pipes increase in number and in age it is naturally to be expected that this branch of the distribu- tion system will demand a considerable share of our attention in the future for its proper maintenance and renewal. The requirements in this direction during the past year have, how- ever, greatly exceeded anything previously experienced ; the demands on our working force for the relief of services suffer- ing from "poor pressure" having at times been almost over- whelming. Practically all the cases have now been cared for, and it is hoped that our service maintenance division will be able to give prompt attention to all complaints that may here- after be entered.
It is a matter of much importance that the water services be thoroughly inspected, and renewed when desirable, in all streets that are to be permanently paved. The primary outlay for such work might be considerable, but ultimately it might prove an economic expenditure, as the cost of digging up and repairing such streets is considerable, and it would seem wise that an amount should be included in the department appro- priation to cover the cost of such work of that nature as may be anticipated at the beginning of the year. Should this not appear practicable at the time the yearly appropriations are
-
397
WATER DEPARTMENT.
fixed, then some arrangement for needed funds should be provided at the time the work is at hand.
Buildings and Grounds.
One of the crying needs of the department has been remedied during the year by the erection of a fence enclosing the yards of the water and highway departments, affording needed protection to the department property; another im- provement has been the relocation of the railroad siding, which now enters the yard enclosure, giving greater security to the consignments, better access to the freight cars, and increased facility for unloading. One-half the cost of the fence was paid from the water department appropriation, and the other half by the highway department.
A new fire hydrant has been installed in the water depart- ment yard for the better protection of the buildings.
It was found necessary to retube the boiler of the emergency pumping plant, which is used for heating the build- ings, and the expense of this work has been paid from the de- partment appropriation.
Minor repairs have been made to the buildings by the public buildings department, but there is need of a consider- able outlay to put and keep them in proper condition.
Department Efficiency.
While much credit is due to the department employees for their willingness to respond to calls for their services out of the regular working hours and for their constant devotion to. the interests of the city, there is little doubt but that the efh ciency of the department could be increased if one or two of the skilled men lived in proximity to the water works yard, so that their services with teams could be more quickly obtained in emergency cases. The difficulty of obtaining the men at long range in the night time has been manifest on several oc- casions, and some criticism has been made of a seeming delay in attending to night calls. With the skilled men, who are de- pended upon for emergency cases, living at a considerable dis- tance from headquarters, however, rapid service in the night cannot well be obtained.
To remedy this I recommend that a two-apartment dwell- ing house of pleasing architectural construction and with modern improvements be erected on the department grounds between the present buildings and Cedar street, to be occu- pied by suitable employees of the department who can be re- lied upon to respond quickly to calls made outside the regular hours of service, and who can also have oversight of the place during the period between working hours.
An extension of telephone service to the houses of several of our foremen would, no doubt, be helpful in obtaining
39S
ANNUAL REPORTS.
quicker service than at present, and I recommend that two such telephones be at once installed for use until other arrange- ments can be perfected.
Teaming Equipment.
Two of the horses employed in our teaming work have died during the year from old age and disease, and one has be- come a resident of Red Acre Farm in Stow, Mass., having become unfitted for further work on the city streets through a lameness. No new horses have been purchased, but the acquisition has been made of a gasoline motor truck, made by the International Harvester Company, which is doing effective work. We now have but four horses engaged in our depart- ment work, and it is hoped to gradually supplant these with motor equipment, as better results are obtained than with animal service.
Water Assessments and Consumption.
The annual assessments paid by this city as its propor- tionate part of the cost and operation of the metropolitan water works are given below :-
Year.
Sinking Fund.
Maintenance.
Interest.
Maturing Bonds.
Total.
1898
No division made
$14,250 19
1899
20,975 58
1900
66
66
28,689 24
1901
$12,491 73
$12,033 79
$32,291 24
56,816 76
1902
19,014 85
12,955 64
30,427 40
62,397 89
1903
15,748 56
12,763 10
48,776 77
77,288 43
1904
16,404 42
15,393 87
54,938 64
86,736 93
1905
21,358 11
13,666 71
55,535 91
90,560 73
1906
22,345 50
17,412 51
57,402 07
97,160 08
1907
25,365 30
18,880 01
62,089 30
106,334 61
1908
24,865 73
15,221 12
68,604 23
108,691 08
1909
24,812 23
21,220 56
66,540 41
112,573 20
1910
25,018 52
18,212 28
66,825 45
110,056 25
1911
25,424 55
19,573 82
69,849 26
$246 66
115,094 29
$1,087,625 26
There has been credited to the city by the commonwealth as its proportion of the amounts received from entrance fees, water supplied outside the district, and water furnished to water companies the sum of $9,056.10.
The daily consumption of water in Somerville, as recorded by the Venturi meters, operated by the metropolitan water works, is shown below by months for the year 1911 :-
Month.
Gallons.
Month.
Gallons.
January
6,220,900
July
6,176,900
February
6,391,200
August
5,870,300
March
6,080,300
September
5,608,000
April
5,920,400
October
5,510,100
May
6,165,800
November
5,317,800
June
6,858,400
December
5,428,400
399
WATER DEPARTMENT.
The total consumption for the year is 2,153,171,500 gallons, making an average daily consumption of 5,899,100 gallons.
The average daily quantity of water used in Somerville during 1911 was seventy-four gallons per inhabitant, a decrease of six gallons from the previous year's consumption; the aver- age for the entire district was 105 gallons daily per capita, a de- crease for the year of five gallons per capita.
The following table shows the daily per capita consump- tion of water in the cities and towns in the metropolitan water district for the year 1911, as registered by the metropolitan meters :-
City
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year
Boston
138 138 130 123 125 123 128 120 119 118 116 117 124
Somerville
79 81
77
75
78
77
78
74
70
69
67
68 74
Malden
40
40
39
41
46
43 49
83
81
79
76 73
67 64 66
84 45
43
50
Melrose
59
60
59
60
68
65
71
61
65
66 62
62
63
Revere
73
76
67
65
77
80
92
84
70
67
70
75
Watertown
72
63
64
66
73
68 82
127 44
94 36
36
39
38
45
45
56
Stoneham
103
100
94
71
77
85
70
69 64 81
60 75
60
56 62
71
Lexington
63
64
64
67
82
80 115
93
71
65
61
48 36
57 59
Metropolitan Dist .. 114 115 109 103 107 104 111 103 101 100
The district, in order of consumption, beginning with the lowest, stands as follows :-
Gallons.
Gallons.
City or Town.
Total per Day.
Per Capita
City or Town.
Total per Day.
Per Capita per Day.
1-Milton
317,700
39 10-Everett
2,557,800
73
2-Malden
1,971,300
43 11-Somerville
5,899,100
74
3-Medford
1,207,100
50 12-Revere
1,439,400
75
4-Winthrop
597,800
56 13-Lexington
352,900
77
5-Swampscott
427,700
59 14-Stoneham
573,300
78
6-Melrose
1,012,500
63 15-Chelsea
2,701,400
80
7-Nahant
152,000
65 16-Arlington
983,200
84
8-Watertown
889,200
67 17-Quincy
2,925,400
87
9-Belmont
415,500
71 18-Boston
85,571,500
124
82
77
74
81
74
69
92
86 45
76
87
Medford
52
51
50
51
57
54
60
51
45
77 62 85
63
61
59
67
Arlington
72
72
36
38
43
50
41
65
85
73
57
48
62
64
78
Belmont
54
58
61
89
86 128
85
Nahant
49
49
49
50
56
60
60
70
66
60
54
53 97 98 105
73
Quincy
79
79
78
77
92
94 107
95
44
44 43
43 43
Chelsea
87
90
85
79
73 80
Everett
81
83
74
71
74
70
69
84 39
Winthrop
49
49
46
50
58
61
67
84
Swampscott
55
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