USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1907 > Part 6
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For the provision of adequate storage a reinforced con- crete standpipe was constructed in the summer of 1905 on Ide's Hill, the structure being fifty (50) feet in dia- meter and one hundred and six (106) feet high and hold- ing. when full, one million, five hundred thousand (1.500,000) gallons. When full the surface of the water is at elevation 352.0, or two hundred and twenty-seven (227) feet above the ground at the corner of County and Park streets. In connection with the building of this structure some 149 acres of adjacent land were purchased and a road was constructed from Thacher street to the site of the work.
Considering more particularly the work done at the source of supply, in 1904 the consumption of water had
153
ANNUAL REPORT.
increased to such an extent that the Barr pump, even when running at only two-thirds (2-3) of its normal capacity, would draw down the water in the old well to such a depth that there was danger of uncovering the end of the suction pipe. The reduced efficiency of the engine so operated made it evident that some steps should be taken which would make possible the opera- tion of the pump at more nearly its nominal rate. The solution adopted was the construction of a second well, forty (40) feet in diameter, on the opposite side of the river, connected with the old well by a conduit of spe- cial tiling, which might also serve to intercept the under- ground flow. This well was begun in 1904 and completed in the spring of 1905. The result was that during the seasons of 1905 and 1906 the Barr pump was run at its nominal capacity of two million, five hundred thousand (2,500,000) gallons per day without drawing down the wells but a limited amount.
The results were so satisfactory that the Commission- ers were led to believe that the second well had made possible not only the drafting of water at higher rates, but had increased the capacity of the supply to a point sufficient to meet the demands of the town for some years to come.
That this anticipation will not prove true under all seasonal conditions has been demonstrated in the month of August of the past year, a result which will be con. sidered in greater detail later in this report.
The opportunity of operating the engine at its nominal capacity at once drew attention to the fact that in order to obtain the best economy a steam pressure of one hun- dred and fifty (150) pounds was necessary. For such pressure the old boilers were not fitted. In connection with the question of efficiency and increased steam pres sure it also became apparent that better results could be obtained by enlarging the diameter of the low pressure cylinder of the Barr pump. It was accordingly decided
154
ANNUAL REPORT.
to install two new boilers, to carry one hundred and fifty (150) pounds pressure, to replace the old steam piping which had not been installed for heavy pressure work, and at the same time to make the change in the cylinder of the Barr pump. The additional equipment necessitated an enlargement of the boiler house. That these improvements were justified was evidenced by the increased economy resulting from the ability to operate the pump at its nominal capacity and under the most effi- cient conditions. While in 1904 two hundred and sixty- eight (268) gallons of water were pumped per pound of coal, in 1905 the corresponding figures are three hundred and eighteen (318) gallons, in 1906 three hundred and sixty-seven (367) gallons and in 1907 three hundred and thirty-eight (338) gallons, the falling off in the latter year being due to the operation of the less economical Deane pump for a considerable length of time. Express- ing these figures in another way it appears that in 1904 sixty-four million (64,000,000) foot pounds of work were developed for one hundred (100) pounds of coal used during the actual time of running, while in 1905 the cor- responding duty was eighty-eight millions (88,000,000) and in 1906 one hundred and ten millions (110,000,000).
For some years the sewage from the engineer's house has been discharged into a series of cesspools, periodi- cally cleaned out at a considerbale yearly cost, and con- stituting a more or less indirect menace to the quality of the supply. The Commissioners had for some time con- templated the desirability of providing adequate means of purifying this sewage and in doing this of locating the filter at a point reasonably distant from the wells. Ac- cordingly, in connection with the improvement of the pumping station this work was carried out, the plant including a small collecting basin, a centrifugal pump di- rectly connected to a water wheel driven by the town pressure and a force main leading to a small filter on the
155
ANNUAL REPORT.
shore of Orr's Pond, where the sewage is being purified in accordance with the best sanitary practice.
During the month of August, 1907, with the Barr pump operating at its nominal capacity, the water in the wells began to drop gradually from day to day until, in the latter part of the month, it had fallen to such a depth as to give cause for considerable worriment in the minds of the Commissioners of a possible shortage of supply should the dry period continue. The stream bed for a considerable distance above the road was absolutely dry and the conditions as developed demonstrated the fact that the present source is one, depending in great part, on the run-off from day to day without any large amount of storage in the ground immediately surrounding the wells from which the supply may be drawn during the periods when the draft exceeds the run-off. For such a demonstration it was necessary that extreme condi- tions should develop and these were furnished by the month of August, which, according to the Sudbury rain- fall and run-off records, was the dryest single month in the past thirty-two years. In this month by these rec- ords less than twenty (20) per cent. of the amount flow- ing from the watershed in the dryest month of an average year was recorded. The reasonable conclusion from this experience is that while such conditions occur but at long intervals, a possible repetition makes it necessary to provide means for meeting such an emergency even with the present consumption and increasingly so as the demand for water grows from year to year. What the permanent method of meeting such emergencies might reasonably be was indicated by the scheme adopted dur- ing the last few days of the dry period already described.
Our first consideration was the danger in pumping sur- face water from Orr's Pond directly into the mains. The problem was to increase the supply of subsoil water. Ex perience has shown that whenever there was water in the stream above the wells no serious shortage of ground
156
ANNUAL REPORT.
water occurred. The apparent remedy was, therefore, to pump the water from Orr's Pond into the stream above the wells, constructing a temporary dam in the bed of the stream to hold this water until it had slowly sunk into the ground. Such a scheme was carried out, the water being lifted by a centrifugal pump from the screen well near the station and sluiced into the bed of the stream and the desired supply was obtained for about a week, when a rain occurred and ample water was available.
As to a permanent method of meeting such an en.er- gency, thus demonstrated to be possible under extreme seasonal conditions, reference may be made to the report of our engineer, hereto appended. In this report it is recommended that the area surrounding the wells be stripped of the loam, a concrete dam be constructed in the stream near Orr's Pond and a small centrifugal pump- ing outfit be installed in the station by which water can be drawn from Orr's Pond and lifted on the gravel area surrounding the wells. That this plan is designed to meet emergency conditions and is to be operated only in- termittently and in such a way as to guarantee adequate purification of the water, is made evident in the engin- eer's report just referred to. The matter of principal in- terest to the Commissioners in this report was the ob- taining, by a more detailed investigation than had pre- viously been made, a knowledge of the capacity of the presént source under different seasonal conditions as now developed and such as might be met by further work in the future. If such shortages as were indicated pos- sible by the exeperience of the month of August occur only at long intervals and can be met by a reasonable expenditure of money and if, further, by the construction of additional storage basins on the watershed of the Seven Mile River the capacity of the supply to meet periods of drought can be increased, then it is apparent that all reasonable improvements in the conservation of
157
ANNUAL REPORT.
the quantity and the preservation of the purity of the water of the present source are justified. That such is the case is proved by this report, to which your atten- tion is called.
The Commissioners, believing that similar conditions might repeat themselves next season, considered it ad- visable to immediately undertake the work so recom- mended and in October, 1907, let a contract for the con- struction of the proposed filter and dam. Had this work been put off until the spring of 1908 conditions for con- struction would have been more difficult because of in- creased water to be handled, and it might not have been completed in time for its necessary use. So far as our knowledge of the supply goes at the present time it would appear that under ordinary conditions, it is ample to meet the growing requirements of the town for many years to come, but that for short periods conditions may arise during which the run-off from the watershed and storage immediately available at the wells will not be sufficient to meet the demand and will require an addi- tional supply to be obtained in some such way as already described.
The work at the source of supply has, therefore, contrib- uted to additional assurance of an adequate quantity of water of suitable quality and to the operation of the pumping plant with increased efficiency.
The duplication of the mains between the pumping station and the standpipe provides a guarantee against accident by which the entire supply might be cut off and also contributes to the possibility of operating the pump at its nominal capacity by reducing the friction to such an extent that while the water is actually raised one hun- dred (100) feet higher than formerly was the case with the old standpipe, the head against which the pumps work is no greater than was the case before these im- provements were undertaken. In other words, the re- duction in friction is practically equal to the difference
158
ANNUAL REPORT.
in height between the old and new standpipes and the town has been able to obtain the increased insurance re- sulting from the improved fire pressure without actual cost in fuel consumption. In connection with the dupli- cation of the mains reference may be made to the acci- dent in the fourteen (14) inch main which occurred in 1904 and which made it necessary to take water from Farmer's Pond at the risk of some epidemic due to the unsafe quality of this supply. With two mains in service it is hardly possible that both will be put out of commis- sion at the same time and a repetition of this necessity of using unsafe water is not likely to occur.
The duplicate mains from the standpipe to the town lessen the danger of accident which might cut off the en- tire supply and reduce the drop in pressure by friction during the fire draft. The latter fact was well proved by the fire test held in 1906, when, with sixteen streams throwing thirty-eight hundred (3,800) gallons per min- ute, a pressure of seventy-five (75) pounds was main- tained at the hydrants and this without the pumps run- ning during the test. Previous to 1904 not more than eight (8) streams, discharging fifteen hundred (1.500) gallons per minute with sixty-five (65) pounds pressure at the hydrants could be maintained with the Barr pump running in excess of its nominal capacity. The duplica- tion of the mains has, therefore, resulted in insuring against accident, in economy in operation and in better fire service.
A consideration of the work carried out by the Com- missioners during the past four years at once makes evident the fact that much the larger part of the money expended has been for the betterment of the fire service in point of reliability and economy, by duplication of the different parts of the plant, and in point of better pressure and larger capacity of the distribution system. Consi- dering the entire plant with the boilers, pumps and con- necting mains all in duplicate and a standpipe with its
159
ANNUAL REPORT.
base one hundred and forty (140) feet above the level of the center of the town, holding one million, five hun- dred thousand (1,500,000) gallons of water, with all mains of relatively recent installation and not liable to accident, the Attleboro plant, aside from the recognition it has already received from the fire underwriters, con- stitutes a guarantee of protection against fire to the un- insured property difficult to estimate in its acutal value to the town as a whole.
Recently, in recognition of the work which has been carried out in the improvement of the system, the insur- ance rate in the commercial and business district of the town has been reduced at least ten per cent. by the un- derwriters after a visit and careful examination of the plant. Such reduction, however, in the minds of the Commissioners, but poorly represents the return to the town in the shape of increased protection of property made possible by the betterment in the fire serivce de- scribed in more or less detail in this report.
Therefore, it is believed that while the records of opera- tion show that increased efficiency has resulted from the changes undertaken to a point well justifying the expen- ditures which have been made, the department should be credited with an increased return which, on due con- sideration of the subject, every business man and every citizen holding property must appreciate.
Today the citizens of Attleboro are in a position equi- valent to the owner of a manufacturing plant who has equipped his works with automatic sprinklers. As a re- sult he gets a reduced insurance rate which is equivalent to a statement that his fire risk has been materially lessened and in the same way the people of Attleboro should feel that not only are they entitled to a reduced rate of insurance, but the actual risk of fire loss has been greatly lessened.
These facts just pointed out, namely that the larger part of the money recently expended has been for the
160
ANNUAL REPORT.
betterment of the fire service, emphasizes the position which has been taken by the Commissioners that the town should recognize the work of the department in this direction by crediting it with a certain annual amount for hydrant rental. It may be remarked that such a readjustment is practically one of bookkeeping and that it makes little difference since the money, in one way or another necessary for maintenance, is derived from the citizens. While it is true that the money is so ob- tained, the question at issue goes further and involves the consideration of whether citizens receive value from the water plant in proportion to their individual use of water or in proportion to the value of their property as determined by the capacity of the water plant to prevent fire losses to such property. The first cost of any muni- cipal system is largely dependent on the requirements of fire service and not on the domestic wants of the com- munity. Citizens should contribute in, the ratio of the benefits individually received and the assessment should be levied in the way which will most fairly express these benefits. A payment by meter measurement is undoubt- dly an equitable measure of the benefit in many cases, but in others, where little or no water is consumed, valuable property is protected and lower rates of insurance ob- tained without adequate return being made to the town. If a hydrant rental were credited to the department by the town the amount so raised would be obtained by gen- eral tax based on the valuation of property, and thus properties from which little return is now made the de- partment, but which enjoy fire protection, would be more equitably assessed. If this recommendation should be adopted the result would be that a part of the income re- quired by the department would be raised through gen- eral taxation and a part from the consumers. It would not mean that the income of the department would be in- creased, but merely that the assessment would be redis .. tributed in such a way that consumers would not have
161
ANNUAL REPORT.
to carry the entire burden independent of property values as is now the case. To whatever extent the department were credited with hydrant rental the charges made con- sumers would be correspondingly reduced.
At the present time there are three hundred and eighty-four (384) hydrants in use. If the works were owned and operated by a private company, and fire ser- vice equivalent to that now existing in Attleboro had been developed, the rate per hydrant would not be less than sixty dollars ($60) per year. Assuming that the town should recognize the department at the rate of thirty dollars ($30) per year per hydrant, together with the cost of water for street sprinkling, public buildings, street department work and drinking fountains and the amount to be levied through the general tax rate about fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00), a portion of this would be used as an additional contribution toward the Sinking Fund necessary for the retirement of the bonds and the remainder credited to the operation of the de- partment, with the result that the rates charged the con- sumers might be reduced to whatever extent would be made possible by the increased revenue from this con- tribution of the town or, perhaps, twelve thousand dol- lars.
Approximately this would enable the present water rates to be reduced twenty-five to thirty per cent. The Commissioners do not intend to make definite recommen- dation of the exact amount that the town should credit the department for hydrant service and public water used, and the reference to actual figures is merely to il- lustrate more clearly the outcome of adopting the sug- gested recommendation.
As to the present condiuon of the works, attention should be called to the fact that the method of construc- tion adopted has been such as to reduce the element of depreciation in recent work to a minimum. The con- crete standpipe is now in a most satisfactory condition ;
162
ANNUAL REPORT.
the pipe system is entirely of cast iron pipe of recent in- stallation.
In thus reviewing the work done during the past few years it has been our object to present this matter to the. citizens of Attleboro in such concise form that they may have knowledge of the underlying idea on which the Commissioners have worked, namely that it is the part of ultimate economy to expend such money as will place the system in a condition which will render the service most reliable and economical in maintenance and such as will enable it to keep step with the growing needs of the town.
All work which has been done has been undertaken with this idea in mind, each phase of the work leads to the same end and is in agreement with the general scheme which, from time to time, has been outlined to and ap- proved by the town.
To show the growth of the Water Department during the last ten years we give the following table for com- parison showing the increase in the extension of main pipe, the increase in income, the decrease in cost to the town, the addition to the Sinking Fund and a comparison of the interest and bond account.
Recommendations.
We recommend the consideration by the town of the suggested hydrant rental basis of making the Water De- partment an allowance for fire service and public water.
If the recommendation does not meet with approval. we recommend that the sum of $1,000.00 be appropriated by the town, together with the receipts from the Depart- ment, for maintenance and contribution to the Sinking Fund. We recommend the contribution of $8.000.00 to the Sinking Fund.
1.63
ANNUAL REPORT.
Comparative Table.
Year.
Miles of Pipe in Use.
Main Pipe Extended.
Income.
Appropriation.
Amount Put in
Sinking Fund.
Interest Account.
Bonded Debt.
1898 30.28 mi.
2,466 ft. $16,394.18|$7,100.00 $4,650.00 $12,060.00 $278,000.00
1899 30.63 mi.
1,845 ft. 19,968.89
7,100.00
4,650.00
12,582.50
293,000.00
1900 31.63 mi.
5,287 ft.
21,424.41
6.100.00
5,000.00
13,183.44
305,000.00
1901 33.18 mi. 8,229 ft.
27,325.34
5,000.00
5,000.00
13,192.50
217,000.00
1902 39.00 mi. 30,729 ft. 27,539.14
5 000.00
5,200.00
14,120.00
327,000.00
1903 42.60 mi. 24,299 ft.| 29.876.22|
4,000.00
5,200 00
13,845.00
357,000.00
1904 44.80 mi. 6,428 ft.
31,524.30
3,000.00
5,500.00
13,645.00
337,000.00
1905 49.30 mi. 24,002 ft.
33,342.34
2,000.00
6,000.00
15,036.61
487,000.00
1906 51.20 mi. 10,199 ft.
42,668.71:
1,000.00
6,500.00
18,295.00 487,000.00
1907 52.10 mi. 5,209 ft.
39,360.68
1,000.00
7,000.00
18,695.78 :
487,000.00
Estimated Receipts.
From water rates, etc.
$41,000.00
Appropriation by town 1,000.00
$42,000.00
Estimated Expenses.
Pumping expenses $4,300.00
Repairs, incidentals, salaries, etc .. . 10,205.00
Interest account
19,495.00
Sinking Fund
8,000.00
$42,000.00
Respectfully submitted.
WM. M. STONE, GEO. H. SNELL, DAVID E. MAKEPEACE, Water Commissioners.
164
ANNUAL REPORT.
REPORT OF F. A. BARBOUR
Boston, Mass., Sept. 15, 1927.
To the Water Commissioners of the Town of Attle- borough, Mass .:
Gentlemen :- In accordance with your instructions to make an investigation of the capacity of the source of sup- ply and the best means of conserving the available water so as to provide for the growing demands of the town, I beg to submit the following report :
Water is obtained from two wells on opposite sides of the Seven Mile River at a point where the watershed of the stream has an area of five and five-tenths (5-5) square miles. The site of the wells is adjacent to Orr's Pond, the total watershed of which has an area of eight and five-hundredths (8.05) square miles. A plan showing these watersheds is herewith submitted.
Until 1904 one well had supplied the town, but in order to enable the Barr pump to run more economically at its nominal rating a second well, on the opposite side of the stream, was constructed and brought into use in the summer of 1905.
In 1906 the consumption had increased to six hundred and fifty thousand (650,000) gallons per day in the criti- cal month of September, which, though extremely dry. did not evidence that this consumption was a severe test on the supply as then developed. The month of August. 1907. was slightly dryer than the preceding September and the consumption had in the meantime increased to an average of eight hundred and twenty thousand (820,- 000) gallons daily for this month. As a result the water was gradually lowered in the wells until it had fallen August twentieth, to a point suggesting the necessity of obtaining water elsewhere should the drought continue. It is probable that the supply might have lasted until the rain of August thirty-first, but in anticipation of a pos-
ATTLEBOROUGH WATER WORKS PLAN SHOWING ORR'S POND WATERSHED AND POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPEMENT AS SOURCE OF SUPPLY. SEPT. 1907
WRENTHAM
Ellis
Water Commissioners William M. Stone David E. Makepeace George H. Snell
Frank A. Barbour Engineer.
Scale
Note :- Plan compiled from State Top, Map.
Street
WHYYTHEPOND
Stree
High
River
300
1
Not
Otro, Pondi!
NORT
ATTLEB OURG H
River
Road
Hopin Hil
Roadim Orr'S
Reservoir
200
Seven
Street
Street
Road
Street
Post
lifton
Water!
Brook
Four Mis
Street
mile
West
Possible Impounding Reservoir 75,000,000 gal. availabit sionigo
West
I.Pumping Station
Orr's Pond 40,000,000 gat.available
ORA'S PORK
Area-Orr's Pond Watershed 8.05 sq. miles . Seven Mile River # 5.75 ₺ m
ATTLE
Street
Four Mile Brook " 1.75 # #
Country_
Water &hsam's
Watershed
RHODE ISLAND STATE LINE
ATTLEBOROUGH FALLS
mlle
POND
Washington
165
ANNUAL REPORT.
sible failure it was considered necessary to make provi- sion for additional water of suitable quality. The danger of using Orr's Pond was recognized and provision made for passing this water through the ground to the wells by building a temporary wooden dam on the stream and pumping the water into the stream bed above the wells. The results were entirely satisfactory and a sufficient supply obtained for the few days remaining until a rain occurred.
Accepting the Sudbury records of dry weather stream flow as a criterion of the ground water obtainable in such a case as Attleboro, where the collecting galleries inter- sect the stream bed and no water ever flows on the sur- face in periods of drought. it appears that August, 1907. was the dryest month in thirty-two years, and may, from present knowledge, be taken as an expression of the most extreme conditions to be met. On this basis it follows, since about eight hundred thousand (800,000) gallons were used daily in this month, that the capacity of the source as now developed is somewhat less than eight hundred thousand (800,000) gallons and may reasonably be estimated at seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,- 000) gallons per day. Of this amount fifty thousand (50,000) gallons per square mile, or a total of two hun- dred and seventy-five thousand (275.000) gallons per day for the five and five-tenths (5.5) square miles of watershed may be estimated as contributed by the gathering ground. From an examination by test wells driven at varying distances from the point of draft and the depth to which the water was drawn down in these wells during the dry period. it is estimated that the ground storage surrounding the present supply may be assumed to be equal to six million (6,000,000) gallons or sufficient to furnish two hundred thousand (200,000) gal- lons daily for thirty days. The remainder of the seven hundred and fifty thousand (750.000) gallons estimated daily capacity of source. or two hundred and seventy-
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