USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lincoln > Town Report on Lincoln 1951-1955 > Part 17
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The Board intends to follow the same procedure this year.
Regulations Pertaining to the Installation of Sub-Division Water Supply Mains
Regulations and requirements for the guidance of Real Estate developers applying for water connections and for those seeking extension of water mains are on file in the Town Hall and may be examined by request.
The following applications were received and acted upon :
Permain Application
An application for approval of pipe layout on proposed Medina Road in development by Robert Permain off Trapelo Road was granted after due examination and discussion.
Moscza Application
Mrs. Anna Moscza desired Town water for a distance of about 1,400 feet along the cutoff from the corner of Route 2-A and Brooks Road. The State Highway Com- mission will not issue permits to individuals for such work on State property, so the Town, through the Water Commissioners, with protection by contract, surety and indemnity bonds, acted as intermediary and granted the permit. This extension was completed last November and practically became the property of the Water Works. It may be accepted by the Town upon approval and recom- mendation of the Water Commissioners, after the two year maintenance by the contractor has expired.
James C. Carrig Application
An application from James C. Carrig (for approval) of a pipe layout to bring water to subdivisions on Shea
105
WATER COMMISSIONERS
and Taylor Farms, was approved after Mr Carrig agreed to abide by the Water Works Regulations which included the requirements that he connect the proposed main in. the Taylor subdivision with that at corner Route 2-A and Old Bedford Road.
Burkett Application
Mr. D. M. Burkett of Cambridge applied for water for a house to be built on Page Road approximately 704 feet beyond the terminus of the Town main. He was advised that according to the regulations of the Water Works, the main might be extended at his expense under Water Works supervision.
Water Waste or Leak Survey
There are extremely emphatic indications that much more water is pumped than is accounted for by consump- tion. The reservoir was tested for leaks and appears tight. In order to locate leaks in the pipe system the Com- missioners recommend accepting the current proposal from the Pitometer Company to make a "Water Waste Survey," which includes the following :
Details of Work to Be Done
The term "Pitometer Water Waste Survey" will in- clude the following :
FIRST: A test of the high lift pumps for slip or effi- ciency, if practicable, and a measurement of the total consumption.
SECOND: A division of the distribution system into each districts, and a measurement of the flow into each district throughout the twenty-four hours.
THIRD: Further investigation in all districts where excessive waste is indicated, for the purpose of locating all underground leaks of the mains and services large enough to be measured with the Pitometer. These tests will also result in determining those sections where waste
.
106
PUBLIC WORKS
is occurring, due to leaking plumbing fixtures, so that house-to-house inspections may be made by the Town under the supervision of our engineer, if desired.
FOURTH: A check on all large industrial consumers for the purpose of detecting the unauthorized use of un- metered water, through fire lines or otherwise, and a test of all commercial and industrial meters larger than three inches in diameter in place, wherever feasible, either by direct or indirect measurements with the Pitometer.
FIFTH: At the completion of the survey a report of the work in detail will be submitted, accompanied by a map showing the boundaries of each district, the location of all gauging points, and charts showing the variation of flow into each district.
COST OF ENGINEERING SERVICES: We will undertake such a survey for the sum of Fifteen Hundred ($1,500.00) Dollars, this sum to include the services of our engineers, their living and traveling expenses, and the use of the necessary Pitometers.
COOPERATION BY THE TOWN: The Town will furnish and set corporation cocks at the points designated by our engineers, supply competent labor for operating valves and repairing leaks, construct and furnish shelter boxes for the protection of our instruments, and furnish trans- portation necessary for properly conducting the Survey.
TERMS OF PAYMENT: Payments will be made in the following manner :
One-third when the Town has been divided into dis- tricts and the flow into each district measured with the Pitometer.
One-third when the field work has been completed.
The remaining one-third when the report has been submitted and accepted.
Respectfully submitted,
THE PITOMETER COMPANY, INC. By : E. D. CASE, President
107
WATER COMMISSIONERS
ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPLY
The Commissioners, through the efficient efforts of Representative Russell, were successful in having the following House Bill No. 1151 passed.
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
In the year One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty-two.
An act relating to the disposition of certain property now used for water supply purposes in or adjacent to the Town of Lincoln.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Section 1. In the event that the City of Cambridge or any officer or board acting under its authority, shall determine to sell, lease, abandon or otherwise dispose of its property or rights or any portion thereof lying in or adjacent to the town of Lincoln, and included in the water basin commonly called the Hobbs Brook reservoir, or in any stream or tributary connected with said reservoir, and lying in or adjacent to said town or shall be authorized or directed by the Commonwealth so to do, no such sale, lease, abandonment, or other disposition shall become effective until said Town of Lincoln, through its Board of Selectmen and its Board of Water Commissioners shall have been notified by registered mail of such intended disposition, and until said property lying in or adjacent to said Town of Lincoln shall have been offered to said town for purchase, lease or acquisition otherwise for water supply or other municipal purposes. Such notice of intention and offer shall be made by the City of Cam- bridge as above provided not less than one year previous to the date when such intended sale, lease, abandonment or other disposition is planned to become effective. In case any such transaction is proposed to be carried out by authority of or by direction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or of any board or commissioner acting under it, notice of intention as above provided shall be issued in the same manner by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
108
PUBLIC WORKS
ESTIMATES, 1953
The following budget is estimated and recommended for passing:
Salaries
$4,725.00
Labor
6,000.00
Meters, Equipment Supplies and Maintenance
10,000.00
Services and Equipment Rental.
1,350.00
Power
3,000.00
Miscellaneous
400.00
Legal and Engineering.
3,000.00
$28,475.00
STATISTICS - January 1, 1953
Pipe in use 29.254 in
Number of hydrants in use 213
Number stop-gates in use. 271
Number blow-offs in use.
27
Range of pressure on mains.
40 - 100 1bs.
Total gallons pumped. 150,000,000
Number of services added.
37
Number services renewed.
18
Number services in use
696
Number meters in use.
11
Respectfully submitted,
HENRY S. WARNER, Secty. ROBERT W. SCOTT SUMNER SMITH, Chairman
109
WATER SUPPLY
Report to the League of Women Voters on the Town Water Supply
By
DR. CHARLES H BLAKE
The Water Commissioners consider the following re- port, prepared for the League of Women Voters, so valuable that it is being printed herewith for future reference and for the information of the Town. It is the result of very thorough work performed by Dr. Blake and his collaborators. It contains expert opinion and its conclusions are a guide to the plans of the Commissioners.
Stimulated by a general public lack of comprehension of the Town water system, the Lincoln League of Women Voters in the early fall of 1951 set up a project to remedy the situation.
A number of citizens have contributed to the technical side of this study, notably C. P. Kindleberger, E. P. Neu- mann, E. S. Taylor, Harland Newton, and F. S. Taylor. Under the chairmanship of Mrs. Charles Kubik, a num- ber of members of the League have been most helpful. Finally and very importantly, the Board of Water Com- missioners have been ever ready to provide us with data and to discuss the problems which arose. Prof. Rolf E iassen discussed some points at length with E. S. Tay- . lor and C. H. Blake. All these persons deserve the warm thanks of the League and the Town.
The study fell rather naturally into two major divisions, the physical and the financial.
PHYSICAL
Typical questions which arise under this head are: What does the physical plant in Lincoln consist of? How much water do we use? How long will the present sources of suppy be adquate ?
110
PUBLIC WORKS
General Description - At present, Lincoln gets its en- tire water supply from Sandy Pond. When Sandy Pond is full the surface area is 156 acres. The water shed from which the water flows into Sandy Pond has about three times this area. The capacity of Sandy Pond when it is full is 729,000,000 gallons. If all of this water could be used and no rain fell, it would be approximately suffi- cient to supply the Town for four years at the present rate of consumption. However, the intake to the pump is located eight feet below the high water level and only 329,000,000 gallons or about two years of storage is avail- able. This is assuming that none of the water in Sandy Pond is being used by Concord. Up to 1948 Concord used less than 20% of the amount of water that Lincoln took out of Sandy Pond. However, in 1949, Concord used nearly as much water from Sandy Pond as did I in- coln. This was presumably due to some changes being made in the Concord water system, and in 1950 Concord's draw from Sandy Pond was about one-third of Lincoln's.
In a normal year approximately 41 inches of rain falls in this area. This means that 512 million gallons of water fall on the water shed which supplies Sandy Pond. About 45% of this is pumped out of Sandy Pond by the com- bined Lincoln and Concord pumping systems. (45% would be about 230 million gallons.) The rest is lost, presumably by evaporation, transpiration from the trees, and leakage through the ground. Since the pond has not overflowed in recent years, it seems reasonable to believe that this is the maximum amount of water which can be pumped out of the pond without reducing its level. If the level is reduced, somewhat less water is lost by evaporation.
Lincoln has two pumps which take water from Sandy Pond and put it into the main supplying the Town. Only one of these pumps is run at any one time. The other pump is held in reserve in case of mechanical failure. In case of electric failure, one pump is arranged so that it can be driven by a gasoline engine. When the pumps are operating, any excess of water pumped, over the amount immediately used by the Town, goes to a storage
111
WATER SUPPLY
basin (the reservoir) located on Bedford Road. When the pumps are not operating, the Town is supplied from this storage basin. The capacity of this storage basin is about three days supply at the normal rate of use in the Town. This basin (or reservoir) also has the important function of "storing" pressure. A 12-inch pipe leads from the pump on Sandy Pond Road to the basin on Bedford Road. If this pipe were clean, it would have adequate ca- pacity to handle the flow from both pumps. However, the pipe has been in use for some time and is partially filled with deposits. Its present capacity is about equiv- alent to a 10-inch pipe and is just about adequate to take care of the discharge from one pump. This pipe thus forms one of the bottlenecks in the Lincoln water supply. At present it limits the rate at which water can be pumped out of Sandy Pond.
The accompanying map gives a rather complete picture of the water mains now in service in Lincoln. As a gen- erality, we may say that the smaller the main, the longer it has been in use. The policy of the Water Board is to make replacements with 8-inch pipe or larger. The quan- tity of pipe replaced varies somewhat from year to year. In an average year rather more than one third of the Water Department's income goes into replacements and additions. The partition between these two categories of new pipe would hardly be expected to be fixed, i.e., the proportion of new pipe laid which is additional to the system varies from year to year.
Water Consumption - Owing to the fact that there are only 12 meters on the individual services in the Town of Lincoln (December 1951), one can give figures only on how much water has been pumped. At the present time there are approximately 640 services in the Town. A service is defined as an individual connection to a water main. The figures that follow, then, will be based upon the amount of water pumped per service. A large water meter at the pumping station records the rate at which water is pumped and gives a total of the amount pumped. This meter has been checked against the specifications on
112
PUBLIC WORKS
BEDFORD
4
LEXINGTON
-
8'
8
12"
4
CONCORD
4" 8"
8
Cambridgez
Lincoln Reservoir 380'
4
6
12 2
4"
8"
Sandy Pond
12"
6"
231
4
12"
6
4ª
10"
6
4
6'
6"
6
to"
8"
6'
4"
8
O 1800'
6
4'
SCALE
4
Farrar Pond 118
6
4"
6'
6
WAYLAND
WATER MAINS MAP OF TOWN OF LINCOLN MASSACHUSETTS JANUARY, 1953 2 g
the pump and found to be adequate for our present pur- poses of estimation. A figure for the average amount of water pumped per service over the past 17 years is 230,- 000 gallons per service per year. It is interesting to note that this figure of.230,000 gallons per service per year compares with a figure of 100,000 gallons per service per
WALTHAM
Lake ¿Walden 158
10
Reservoir
10'
10"
8"
8"
WESTON
113
WATER SUPPLY
year for Concord, and approximately the same for the town of Wellesley. The towns of Wellesley and Concord have had individual water meters in operation for a num- ber of years. In order to achieve some idea of the influ- ence of water meters on consumption, data was acquired for 17 years in Concord when the Town had meters on all services and these figures were compared with the previous 15 years when Concord had no meters. This evidence, as indicated by the accompanying graph, shows that during the period after Concord installed water meters, the water consumption in the Town was reduced by approximately 28% of its previous value.
Regarding the data on the amount of water pumped in Lincoln over the 17 year period of study, the deviation from the average was about plus or minus 10%. This deviation from the average is largely caused by irrigation and depends primarily on the rainfall during the months of June, July and August. For example, during a very wet summer such as 1938, there would be virtually no irrigation of lawns or gardens. At that time the water consumption was approximately 200,000 gallons per serv- ice per year in Lincoln. However, during drier years like 1941, 1940 or 1950, the consumption went up to 240,000 gallons. It is also interesting to note that during 1949, one of the driest years during this 17-year period, the water consumption was only slightly in excess of that for 1938, the wettest year during this period. This indicates that the restriction on irrigation required by the Lincoln Water Department had a very considerable effect. It should also be noted that the inordinately high water con- sumption for the Town of Lincoln as compared with Con- cord is not due to irrigation. Information on the Town of Wellesley, which has many lawns, indicates that the monthly rate of water consumption during a dry sum- mer is twice as great during these summer months as during the winter months.
In an attempt to estimate the future demands for water in the Town of Lincoln, the accompanying graphs may be of interest. Note that the growth of Lincoln has been
GALLONS
300,000
1
AVERAGE = 9.45 INCHES
40
47
250,000-
44
O
41 50 00
36
o-
-O
35
GALLONS/YEAR
49
37
45
43
046
200,000 -
NO IRRIGATION IN LINCOLN
5|0|
42
38
48
1
29
49
27
34
26
33
35
30
500
32
47
$48
36
CONCORD METERS
100,000
390
45
41
040
44
37
46
38
43
42
50,000
-
-
-
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
INCHES OF RAINFALL DURING MONTHS OF JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST
WATER PUMPED PER SERVICE PER YEAR
25
28
31
150,000
CONCORD NO METERS
O
---
O
AVERAGE = 234,000
O
115
WATER SUPPLY
virtually constant since 1934 with the exception of the war period when in the years 1941 to 1947 there were vir- tually no new services added. However, during the period after 1947 and up to the present time, the number of services added has brought us approximately up to the point we would have been had the prewar building rate continued. If one then assumes approximately a constant rate of growth of Lincoln, these figures indicate that the number of services increases approximately 21/2% per year. Or putting these same figures in other words, it will be approximately 28 years before the number of services in Lincoln has doubled, if one is willing to as- sume that the rate of growth is constant.
How long will Sandy Pond be adequate? - No cate- gorical answers can be given to this question. It could be answered with some precision if we knew just how many services would be supplied by the Town on Decem- ber 31 of each future year. Less precise answers can be given on certain reasonable assumptions :
1. The number of services will not increase at a rate much greater than has been true in the immediate past. This rate can be reevaluated each year.
2. The average annual rainfall will not change in the foreseeable future.
3. The average service will not use much more water relative to the actual summer rainfall than has been true in the past.
4. Concord's draught on Sandy Pond will not change; for purposes of computation, it is taken as one sixth of Lincoln's.
On the above basis it is estimated that we will be just in balance at the beginning of 1959. However, if meter- ing reduces water consumption by 28% as it has in Con- cord, the balance date will be at the beginning of 1971. Any further reduction, by repairing leaks in the system, should still further postpone the balance date. It is rec- ommended that a check of the balance date be made each
116
PUBLIC WORKS
year. This means also a check of the correctness of the above four assumptions.
Barring a drastic sudden change in conditions, at least two years warning should always be available before the water supply position becomes critical.
Water Meters. - Since the Town is not generally me- tered, the problem of meters is a rather special one. There are three significant arguments in favor of meters.
1000
900
SERVICES AT YEAR END
800
700
600
500
400
35
'40
45
'50
'55
-
60
'65 .
YEARS-
1. They appear to be the most equitable way of levy- ing the water rates. This does not mean that the present method is grossly inequitable but it could hardly avoid being in some cases, mildly so, because it allows no scope for inevitable changes in water use by consumers. Such changes certainly occur.
2. In spite of some statements to the contrary, we con- clude that meters do result in a somewhat lower use of water. Concord has held its lowered use for 17 years.
3. Meters furnish a continuing check on the integrity of the physical plant. Ideally the total of water through
117
WATER SUPPLY
all the meters should be but little less than the total pumped. Any gross difference would be a symptom of trouble.
A possibly less significant reason for meters is that the General Court is unlikely to reduce the draught from Sandy Pond by Concord until Lincoln is metered.
The cost of buying and installing meters has been con- servatively estimated at $50.00 per house, or $35,000 for 700 houses. There were 623 un-metered and 12 metered users at the end of 1950. Some allowance for new serv- ices makes 700 houses an appropriate figure for estima- tion.
If meters were bought and installed serially over a ten year period, the annual cost amounting to $3,500 (on the assumption of unchanged costs) could be met out of current receipts and still leave a safe margin for operat- ing expenses and normal replacement and additions. Any substantial acceleration of this program would seem to require some slowing down of normal replacement or higher rates for water, or moderate borrowing. The Water Department's action in procuring over 100 meters in 1952 as a start on conversion to metered rates has been undertaken without borrowing or much increased rates as part of normal expansion.
FINANCIAL
This section is designed to answer two major questions : Where does the Water Department's income come from ? What is this income spent for? The following statement also answers certain other questions.
The accompanying table sets out the record of receipts and expenditures of the Lincoln Water Department for the last 15 years. This record is based on the Depart- ment's books which are kept on a cash basis, with no accounting for outstanding receivables or commitments at the end of each year.
Receipts are mainly received from charges for water. The bulk of these is earned on rates based on number
Accounts of Lincoln Water Department -- 1936 - 1950 RECEIPTS
(in thousands of dollars)
DISBURSEMENTS
Water
Rent
Year
Charges
Connections
Hydrants
Misc.
Total
Power
Operating Expense Salaries*
Debt Additions Replace- ments* ' Service
Legal and Engi- neering
Total
Net Receipts + or Dis- bursements-
1951
21.1
1.9
3.1
0.6
26.8
2.5
1.1
16.3
.....
...
10.6
30.1
3.8
1950
19.9
2.1
3.0
*
25.0
2.7
2.5
9.6
.........
3.9
18.6
+ 6.3
1949
17.2
1.7
3.0
21:9
2.6
2.0
16.6
.........
.........
21.2
+0.7
1948
15.7
.........
.........
18.7
2.5
2.4
15.8
5.1
....
...
*
16.0
2.3
1.5
23.3
5.1
32.2
+6.2
1946
15.5
.........
.........
.........
15.5
2.1
2.3
4.0
5.2
13.7
+1.8
1945
15.8
.........
.3
16.0
2.0
1.4
1.4
5.3
.........
10.1
+6.0
1944
15.6
.........
.........
.5
16.2
1.9
1.9
0.4
5.4
9.5
+ 6.6
1942
14.4
.........
.........
.2
14.6
1.0
2.9
2.5
5.4
11.8
+2.8
1941
15.1
.1
.........
.6
14.6
2.0
1.9
1.8
5.6
11.2
+3.4
1939+
7.8
.........
.........
1.1
8.9
1.8
1.6
3.81
5.2
.....
...
12.4
-3.5
1938+
12.7
.........
.........
.1
12.8
1.7
2.2
11.5
.........
.........
15.4
2.6
1937
15.4
.........
.........
15.4
1.9
1.5
6.1
........
.........
9.6
+5.8
1936
15.9
.........
.........
15.9
2.4
1.4
5.8
........
.........
9.6
+ 6.3
AVERAGES
'46-'50
16.9
.8
1.8
.........
19.4
2.4
2.1
13.7
3.1
.8
22.3
-2.9
'41-'45
15.3
.........
.........
.3
15.6
1.7
2.0
2.3
5.4
.........
11.3
+4.2
'36-'40
13.1
.02
.........
.4
13.5
2.0
1.7
5.8
2.2
.........
11.6
+ 1.9
.1
15.7
1.4
2.2
0.9
5.3
.........
9.8
+ 5.8
1943
15.7
.........
...
...
* Allocations between categories partly estimated. Less than $50.00.
foot Excluding approximately $135,000 financed by P.W. A., loan, and Water Department surplus.
NOTE: Owing to rounding, figures will not prove to last decimal.
PUBLIC WORKS
...
.........
.4
15.5
2.2
1.4
6.3
5.5
.....
...
15.4
1940+
13.9
......
...
25.7
-7.0
1947
16.00
.........
.........
3.0
......
....
......
...
...
118
*
119
WATER SUPPLY
and type of outlets. In the last five years less than $1,000 each year has been received from some 12 metered serv- ices.
A charge for water connections was levied in 1949 and increased in 1950. The number of new connections has increased from 19 in 1947 to 32 in 1948, 44 in 1949 and 29 in 1950.
Hydrant rental, paid to the Water Department by the Town, was reinstituted in 1948, after lapsing in 1934 when the Water Department joined in the attempt to reduce the Town's tax burden in depression. A flat rate of $3,000 was charged in 1948, 1949 and 1950 when the Town had in use 173, 207 and 209 hydrants respectively. The Town's appropriation for 1951 however, was in- creased to $3,135 or $15 per hydrant per year, based on 209 hydrants, which is similar to the charges levied by a number of other towns. The justification for any charge is that the hydrants and water provided by the Water Department to the Town for fire protection should prop- erly be paid for in taxes rather than by charges against private users. The level of the charge at $15 assumes an initial cost of the order of $300 per hydrant and some- thing like 25 year replacement.
Operating expenditures, including power and salaries, are only a small portion of total revenues, somewhere between a fourth and a third. Power costs have grown in recent years with the increase in gallons pumped, but variation occurs normally as dry and wet years alternate and with them, consumption.
The major expenses in the period covered by the table have been those for additions and replacements. These capital expenditures have been made partly for pumping facilities, but primarily for water mains. Expenditure was held to low levels during the war by unavailability of supplies. In consequence, the Water Commission's balance reached $26,000 on January 1, 1947. Subsequent expenditure in excess of receipts in 1947-1949 completed
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