Town Report on Lincoln 1898-1902, Part 33

Author: Lincoln (Mass.)
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Lincoln (Mass.)
Number of Pages: 714


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lincoln > Town Report on Lincoln 1898-1902 > Part 33


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the pumping station and the pipe connection with the pond are located.


The new pumping station was built in 1900, and is a sub- stantial stone building with slated roof, containing a boiler room with the usual appurtenances and conveniences, and is heated by steam. The size of the main building is 64 ft. x 29 ft. Attached to this building is a coal pocket about 25 ft. square with brick walls and gravel roof, also a brick chimney 67 ft. in height.


In connection with the pumping station there is a screen well at the edge of the pond built of stone 10 ft. x 12 ft. containing a double set of copper screens. A suction or intake pipe enters the pumping station well and terminates in a foot valve. The pipe is laid at a depth of seven feet below high water in the pond.


There are two boilers, well set, in the boiler room, each being about thirteen feet in length and fifty-four inches in diameter, and each containing seventy-two, three inch tubes. One boiler was built in 1899 and was first placed in the old pumping station, but the second one was new when the present pumping station was built.


There is one compound, condensing, duplex pumping engine with a warranted capacity for pumping 750,000 gal- lons of water per twenty-four hours into the reservoir, also a small brass fitted feed pump and receiver, and a vacuum pump and condenser, and a heater. The pumping appara- tus was made by the Deane Steam Pump Company, and was first operated December 14, 1900.


The pumping station seems to be well equipped with appliances and tools for ordinary repair work. We are told that the whole pumping station plant works to the entire satisfaction of the engineer.


The pumping station is designed throughout for duplicate machinery.


(Force Main and Reservoir). The mode of supply is by pumping through about a mile and one-sixth of twelve inch cast iron pipe laid in 1897, to an open distributing reservoir


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which serves for storage and regulates the pressure on the distributing pipes.


The method of distribution previous to 1897 was a com- bination of a direct pumping system (sometimes called the " Holly System ") and a reservoir supply system. Since the new force main was laid in 1897 we understand the water is all pumped directly into the reservoir, and from there delivered through the distributing mains, but several connections were made with the old cement lined pipes so that by closing certain gates the reservoir may be emptied and cleaned, or vice versa, all the water may be shut back from the pump (the reservoir being full) and thus permit of any ordinary repairs to the pumping machinery, and in either case the domestic supply and the fire protection still be preserved for a limited time.


The reservoir is an open air distributing reservoir meas- uring about 220 ft. x 140 ft. along the embankments, said to contain 12 million gallons, situated in a place apparently made by nature for just such a purpose, the bottom of the reservoir being according to a former survey, about 154 ft. above the surface of the water in Sandy Pond. The reser- voir seems to have been substantially built and is still in good condition, unless there may be leakage of which we have no knowledge. The walls are of earth embankment about twenty feet wide on top and ten to twenty feet high above natural ground. The bottom is puddled with clay and the inside slopes are loosely paved with stone. The reservoir is large enough, according to any ordinary rules, both for domestic supply and protection from fire.


(Distribution System). We have traversed the entire piping system and caused the pipes to be measured up on the ground, and the hydrants, gates, service boxes, etc., noted, and we find there are 15.133 miles of pipe commonly called mains, besides service pipes which the Town owns from the main to the shut-off box. Of this length of main, 2.882 miles is cement lined pipe. The remainder is cast iron except a short section of two inch wrought iron. The


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piping system is in general of fair, although not of large, size. Outside of the two parallel pipes leading from the pond to the reservoir, the largest pipe is six inch, with a large quantity of four inch. The piping system as may be seen from inspection of the map, has the general aspect of radiating from a common centre, which is the Five Corners at the Library, making many dead ends which are not desir- able as a matter of safety of operation or of circulation of water (which tends to preserve its good quality) or avoid- ance of " hammer."


A trifle over thirty per cent in length of the streets of the Town are piped for water. and about sixty-five per cent of the inhabitants of the Town are supplied with water.


The reservoir is situated, geographically speaking, in about the centre of the Town, and its location will serve for the whole Town although the piping system at the present time is almost entirely southerly of the reservoir. The res- ervoir is at such an elevation that we are told all sections of the Town can be supplied. The elevation causes a static pressure at the pumping station of about sixty-five pounds to the square inch; at the Five Corners about sixty pounds to the square inch; at the R. R. station about seventy-seven pounds to the square inch, and we are told somewhat more in general at So. Lincoln, and a considerable less in places in East Lincoln. While the pressure is hardly as high as might be desired considering the long length of small pipe, yet it is not particularly small.


The cement-lined pipe above mentioned is the original pipe laid in 1874 or thereabouts, the pipe laid in later years being cast iron. The cement-lined pipe seems to have worked well, having stood twenty-five years with less breaks than is usual, but it must, according to all experience, have reached the major portion of its life. The cement-lined pipe, so called, consists of a thin sheet of wrought iron cov- ered on the inside with a coating of cement mortar, and when laid, it is laid in, and covered with, another coating of cement mortar on the outside. Unless the workmanship of


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the manufacture is of the best and the laying and covering with cement in the trenches is very carefully done, the thin sheet of wrought iron is very liable to be rusted through within a lesser period than this pipe has been in the ground, and must be regarded as a certain expectation in any case. This pipe is also liable to ruination by lightning.


We will call attention to the fact that the whole southerly section of the town depends for its water supply upon one 6'' pipe of this character.


For these reasons we have made a material reduction from its full value to ascertain its present value in estimating the worth of the plant as given below.


The lengths of pipe of the different sizes laid are as fol- lows, including lengths of hydrant and blow-off connections, viz. :


About 1. 182 miles of 12" pipe, About .459 miles of 8" pipe,


About 6.962 miles of 6" pipe, About 6.265 miles of 4" pipe,


About .265 miles of 2" pipe.


Of the 8" pipe all is cement lined ; of the 6" pipe 2.328 miles is cement lined ; of the 4" pipe 0.095 miles is cement lined ; the 2" pipe is of galvanized wrought iron, and the re- mainder is cast iron of medium weight.


The "services" consist of about 2310 feet of pipe of ?" to 2" diameter, of which amount about 944 feet is cement lined, and the remainder is galvanized. 'At the end of each ser- vice pipe there is a shut-off gate and a gate box extending to the surface of the ground.


There are seventy-three hydrants set on the piping system, and they "cover" nearly all the buildings on the existing pipe lines, or probably a little upwards of two-thirds of the dwelling houses in town. The hydrants are of good make, and of the number eighteen are "two way" and the remain- der are "double hose and steamer." The hydrants have 4"" posts and are connected to the mains by 4" pipes.


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There are frequent stop gates (fifty-one in number ) in the piping system with the usual gate boxes, allowing limited sections to be shut off without discommoding larger sections. - This is very desirable, few systems having gates enough.


There are some twenty-one openings to serse for "blow off" of air, "dead" water or sediment.


PRESENT VALUE OF WORKS.


We have made an estimate of the present value of the physical plant. This is made on the same basis of an esti- mate made for the purpose of fixing a price between a town or city and a water company, when a water company's plant is taken by the town or city. There are usually considered to be several elements in the valuation of a water plant, prin- cipal among which are the value of the physical plant ; the value of the source of supply in which the water company has exclusive or special privileges, being usually a natural pond or stream, an artificial reservoir or an underground supply, and the value of the special or exclusive privilege of doing business in a certain community, the latter being denominated the "value of the franchise."


While the value of a physical plant, and perhaps the value of a water supply may be determined with reasonable closeness by different parties, the value of the special privi- lege of doing business is always a source of contention ; but it would seem to us unnecessary to enter into the value of the franchise in this case.


In the taking of the works of a water company in this manner, we understand the price determined is the value of the works at the time of taking-not the cost, interest, etc. -- this latter being admissible only as evidence of the value of the works.


In estimating the value of the physical plant we have taken the value of the cast iron pipe at the market price at the present time, deducting nothing on account of deteriora- tion (most of it has been laid within a few years) ; we have


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valued the cement-lined pipe at the rate of two-thirds the value of cast iron pipe today laid ; we have valued the res- ervoir at its fair cost of reproduction ; we have valued the pumping station, intake chamber, connections, etc., including the boilers, pumps, small tools, etc., at their cost, they all be- ing practically new ; we have valued the hydrants at the price for furnishing them today, less ten per cent. for deteriora- tion ; we have valued the house service pipes, with their gates, gate boxes, etc., as of their full value as laid today, less fifteen per cent ; we have estimated the main gates, blow offs, air valves, etc., as of their full value as laid today, less ten per cent. ; and have included the value of the land taken around Sandy Pond, also the land at the pumping sta- tion, and on which the reservoir stands, and have not over- looked the special castings, etc. We have taken into con- sideration the small "underwriter" fire pump not now in use, but still owned by the works, and have valued it at $200, but have not included the value of the coal on hand.


We estimate the present value of the physical plant of the Water Works to be $91,000.


INCOME AND OUTGO.


(Annual income or revenue). The average annual rev- enue from sale of water, plus the amount received from the town for hydrant service, for the last five years has been $4976 per year; each year showing, as a rule, an increase over the year preceding-the revenue for the year 1900 be- ing $6046.


The railroad company have used a little over one-fourth of all the water pumped and have paid a little over one-fourth of the total revenue, viz., an average of $1359 per year for the five years.


The town paid in total last year for water for hydrants, drinking fountains and public buildings, $1320.


The total amount received per year, viz., $4976, divided by 48,000,000 gallons (about the average amount pumped


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per year for the past five years) gives 10.3 cents per 1000 gallons, or $103 per million gallons as the gross amount re- ceived for the water.


This annual revenue is about $4.52 per inhabitant of the town, or about $7. 11 per consumer. Eliminate the amount paid by the railroad company (as is perhaps fair for pur- pose of comparison, as few Water Works receive anything like one-fourth of their revenue from such a source as this), and these amounts are reduced to about $3.29 per inhabi- tant and $5.17 per consumer.


It has been ascertained that of thirty-nine cities and towns of 1450 to 85,000 inhabitants (all having pumping systems ) the average annual revenue from sale of water, plus town appropriation, is $132 per million gallons, $2. 13 per inhabi- tant, and $2.59 per consumer.


This would indicate that the rates charged for water in Lincoln are not high per gallon-in fact, they are low- but per taker or per person they are high. In other words, the taker in Lincoln pays more than the average, but uses more water.


Below, under head of "Water Rates" and also "Future Pros- pects-Financial Problem" reference will be made to further comparison of rates and to what may affect the annual reve- nue in future.


(Annual Outgo-Maintenance-Operation) Maintenance account should include all annual expenses except new con- struction. Operating expenses are usually understood to include all expense of maintenance except payments for in- terest, and on principal for construction.


In Lincoln the average annual operating expense of the pumping station, i e. the expense of pumping the water, including only the expense for salary of engineer, fuel, oil, waste and other supplies and repairs on machin- ery and boilers, has for the past five years been about $1730. This amount applied to the 48,000,000 gallons · per year pumped, gives a cost of 3.6 cents per 1000 gal- lons.


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The whole annual operating expenses of the Water Works have averaged for the last five years $2920. This amount applied to the 48,000,000 gallons per year pumped gives a a cost of 6.1 cents per 1000 gallons.


If to the annual operating expense of $2920, we add the interest due each year on the outstanding debt and $1000.00 as an annual contribution to the construction debt or a sink- ing fund, we have an annual average of about $5200.00 or a cost per thousand gallons, based on total maintenance, of ten and eight-tenths cents. These amounts of cost for pumping, operation and maintenance are not wide of the average of many towns and cities of which figures have been obtained.


It will be observed that the average annual expense of maintenance as given above, viz :- $5200.00 exceeds by $224.00 the average annual amount of revenue, viz :- $4976.00, while for the last two years the revenue has ex- ceeded the maintenance including all interest payments and $1000.00 per year towards debt. It will thus appear that at the present time the Lincoln Water Works are paying nearly all they should be required to pay if we take the in- terest account and the Water Works debt as they now stand.


If the interest were paid when due and the average sum of $1000.00 paid each year on account of the indebtedness the debt would be extinguished in a reasonable number of years. This will readily be seen when we find that two per cent. of a total debt set aside each year as a sinking fund, with accrued interest at three and one ·half per cent., will ex- tinguish the debt in a little less than thirty years.


(Water Rates) The water rates in Lincoln are princi- pally determined upon the plan known as "fixed" rates, i. e. at a fixed or arbitrary charge per faucet, per bath tub, per horse, etc., although in seven cases-one, the Boston & Maine R. R., and the remaining six for greenhouse and ir- rigation purposes-meters are installed for the measurement of water, the charge being entirely according to the meter record.


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The average rate paid in Lincoln last year per taker after eliminating the Town and the Railroad Co., was about $28.40.


A comparison of the rate which would be paid by a house having a stated 'set of plumbing with hose, amounting in Lincoln, to $29. with the average rate of thirteen towns in Massachusetts, generally within twenty-five miles of Bos- ton, gives an average for the thirteen towns of about $23.00. A house in Lincoln having plumbing and hose for which it would pay $40.50 would pay in the average of said thirteen towns about $28.00. These figures as well as those above under "Annual Income or Revenue," indicate that in Lin- coln, the water rates per house or person are high.


Probably in a large majority of the towns and cities of this Commonwealth the charges for the use of water are collected by the "fixed" rate method, using meters for man- ufactories and large consumers often with a sliding scale as to price of metered water, the price per gallon being some- what reduced as the quantity consumed is increased by the the taker. There are a considerable number of towns in this state where all the water is sold by meter measurement, and we think this method is growing in favor except where water is furnished by water companies. We do not see how it can be denied that meter measurement is the only absolutely fair and theoretically correct method of selling water. The "fixed" rate method can only claim to be fair and correct in proportion as it approaches both in theory and practice the theory and results of the meter measurements. The objec- tion often offered is the expense of installing meters, and also that the quantity of water sold is reduced through their use. In any new system of water works the expense of in- stalling meters is but a proper small part of the construc- tion, and in any old system where it is conceded that the meter system is the best, the cost should not inveigh against it. In Lincoln, the use of meters would have a good effect so far as it would operate (within reasonable limits) to re- reduce the amount of water consumed, or more properly


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the amount of Water wasted, although that would not be a large percentage.


We think the meter system in Lincoln would be more pre-eminently the fair method for all parties concerned than in the average town or city, as the uses to which water is put is more probably more diversified than in the average town or city, and the quantities consumed by individual takers vary from a high maxinium to a low minimum.


We are not seeking by the above to especially belittle the present system which, as we have said, is the usual one, nor to strenuously recommend a change in the method of charges ; but think that if at any time it is seen fit to revise or change the rates from those at present in vogue, the in- stallation of meters should carefully be considered.


WATER RATES OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN. Meter Rates.


$2.25 for 1,000 cu. ft. for Ist 2,000 ft.


$1.50 for 1,000 cu. ft. for 2nd 2,000 cu. ft.


·75 for 1,000 for all in excess of 4,000 cu. ft. per month.


Ordinary Charges


Ist faucet


$10 00


Add. faucet


4 00


Bath Tubs (each )


.


.


5 00


Ist W. C. .


5 00


2nd W. C. .


2 50


Set Bowls (each )


3 00


Set Tubs (each)


2 00


Hose .


5 00


Sprinkler


8 00


Cows .


1 00 each


Horses


2 00 each


.


.


.


.


There are seven meters in use. One of these is at the Railroad and all others for irrigation purposes.


As indicated above, the water rates of Lincoln are some- what high per consumer, but not at all high per gallon of


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water used ; so that if a meter rate were adopted it would not appear to be a high rate per 1000 gallons to yield the present income. To determine the rate to charge for metered water to obtain the required revenue, would be very easy. Simply to divide the total revenue required to be obtained annually from the sale of water to make the water works self-supporting, by the number of gallons which will presumably be used after the meter rates should have been adopted.


Probably what gives the impression that the water rates of Lincoln are particularly high is the high charge per first faucet of $10.00, which is unequalled by any other town or city in the state, so far as we are aware. with one exception. The charges for horses, cows, and lawn sprinklers are low. We should say that the other rates, while not quite equita- ble, were not extraordinary.


While water rates, as to amount charged or method of collection, should not be frequently or carelessly changed, it should be remembered that any method, and especially the amount, is but tentative and should be changed when the circumstances governing maintenance and revenue change radically.


The rate of ten cents per 1000 gallons charged the Rail- road Co. is low enough, but gives the Town considerable profit. The town of Concord sells a very large amount of water to the Reformatory Institution located there, at the same rate.


(Town Appropriation) The Town of Lincoln pays the water works annually $15.00 per hydrant, amounting last year to $1050.00, and the sum of $270.00 for the use of water in public buildings and drinking fountains. We think the amount paid per hydrant is low, it being considerably lower than the average town with which we are familiar. It should be borne in mind that the payment for hydrant ser- vice is of necessity an arbitrary one, and that the charge is not essentially for the amount of water consumed, but for the protection afforded, which may imply a great deal, and


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which has of necessity materially increased the cost of the pumping plant, and the piping system by adding to its capacity.


THEORIES OF PAYMENT FOR WATER WORKS.


(Construction and Maintenance) It is absolutely neces- sary to the promulgation of any plan or theory for the ulti- mate payment for a water works plant to realize that all amounts paid out are either on account of construction or maintenance. All charges of whatever nature either at time of original construction, or later for repairs, renewals, extensions, operation or administration, belong to one of these two classes, and to which, becomes of prime importance.


It will be plain that all charges for maintenance must be met annually by some means, while for all expense for con- struction a debt may, consistently with good business prac- tise, be incurred-it being understood of course that the property must always be kept up to its full value as a part of maintenance so that the plant on hand will be an asset equal or more than equal, to the liabilities represented by outstanding debts.


While there has been much discussion and difference of opinion among competent and careful people familiar with water works-and a still greater diversity of practice among water companies and water works officials who have never had any consistent theory on the matter-we present the following plan, which is partially a concensus of other's opin- ions and practice, which will plainly prevent any water works from arriving at that disastrous place where they have a wornout plant and also the original debt, and on the other hand will not allow a plant to make an undue profit out of the takers.


This is practically the plan on which Section 21 of Chap- ter 488 of the Acts of 1895 (Metropolitan Water Act) is based.


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First, maintenance account should include all expense for administration, operation of the whole water works system, care and repairs of whole system, also the interest on all indebtedness and a payment to a sinking fund which, with accumulated interest will pay the debt in a reasonable num- ber of years, or what is theoretically the same, renew the plant when it is worn out.


Second, construction account should include all expense not covered by maintenance and comprise not only the primary construction of the plant, but material extensions of mains and services, new works, or additions to works, sources of supply, and renewals that will not come under the head of repairs.


All amounts expended for construction may be bor- rowed on bonds or notes at one time, or from time to time, but all amounts required for maintenance should be met from annual revenue.


The Public Statutes provide that all water works debts are to be paid in, or within, thirty years, it of course being obvious that the reason for saying that a plant must be paid for in not over thirty years is, that the life of a plant, i. e. 4 piping, buildings, machinery, relation to source of supply, etc., is roughly estimated at say thirty years. Although the life of the modern cast iron pipe is supposed to be much more than this ; it is probably safe to say that hardly a city or town in the Metropolitan District is using the majority of the piping, buildings, reservoirs, machinery, sources of supply, etc., which it was using thirty years ago.


All annual revenue must legitimately come from two sources, first, -- from moneys received for water including that sold to the different departments of the Town, and sec- ond,-from Town appropriations for hydrant service.


It will be seen that the required annual amount for main- tenance will determine what the sum of the water rates plus the town's appropriation must be. In the case of a munici- pal plant we do not believe the rates should be such that the revenue would largely exceed the maintenance. Of course


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in the case of a water company the difference between the annual revenue and maintenance will give the amount which may properly be paid in dividends-assuming the revenue exceeds the maintenance.




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