USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1911 > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
197
198
Meters in Use December 31, 1911.
Kind and size.
5/8"
3/4"
1"
11/2"
2"
3"
4"
6"
Crown,
41
1
6
2
2
1
1
54
Empire,
1,455
12
4
1,471
Gem,
5
5
Worthington,
4
1
1
6
Hersey, Lambert,
1
1
Total,
1,460
54
6
6
8
2
1
1
1,538
Respectfully submitted,
W. E. MAYBURY, Superintendent.
1
1
199
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON WATER SUPPLY FOR THE TOWN OF BRAINTREE.
January 30, 1912.
The Committee on water supply appointed at the last annual town meeting make the following recommendations and report :
1. That the Town as soon as practical join with and use the water of the Metropolitan Water District, at the same time keeping the Great Pond plant for emergency service only, and abandoning the Little Pond plant.
2. That until such time as this connection is made with the Metropolitan service, the Town use as far as possible its recently improved plant at Great Pond, and keep Little Pond station merely for reserve purposes.
In connection with these recommendations the Committee desire here to summarize what is later stated in detail. The town at the present time has a sufficient supply of water. The State Board of Health state that if the use of the present sup- plies is to be continued some provision for purification must be made in the near future. To secure water from the Metropoli- tan Water District will require two to three years' time.
The detail report of the Committee follows :
The Town voted at an adjourned Town meeting held May 1, 1911, as follows :
"Voted that a committee of nine to consist of the Water Board and two persons from each precinct be appointed by the Moderator to thoroughly investigate the Metropolitan District or any other supplies, the probable annual expense of each system, and report at some adjournment of this meeting, or a special meeting; that said committee apply at once to the State Board of Health for its advice concerning the present and future needs of our water supply, and the best methods of handling same."
200
Under this vote the Moderator appointed the following com- mittee-the Board of Water Commissioners, comprising :-
James T. Stevens, Chairman, John Kelley, *Will W. Mayhew, and
Otis B. Oakman,
Edward Shay,
Horace R. Drinkwater,
Merton L. Emerson.
Charles O. Miller,
Charles T. Nickson.
Mr. Oakman declined his appointment, and in his stead the Moderator appointed Daniel E. Kane.
The Committee organized with Merton L. Emerson as chair- man, and Charles O. Miller as secretary.
The Committee subsequently formed sub-committees to con- sider the following questions :
1. The existing supplies of water, i. e., Little Pond and Great Pond water sheds with their pumping plants.
2. The Metropolitan Water Supply.
3. Driven wells and other supplies.
On June 5, 1911, the Committee made a preliminary report to the Town as follows :
The Committee on Water Supply respectfully submit a pre- liminary report as follows :
We are agreed with the previous Committee and with the statements of the Water Commission as made in several annual reports, that immediate steps should be taken to repair the pres- ent plants. This is absolutely necessary to safeguard and to pro- tect the Town.
The Committee expects to report within a few weeks what, in their opinion, these repairs should be, and to recommend what sums of money should be appropriated for this purpose.
We are, however, advised by the Chairman of. the Water Board, that before the Town can appropriate any money for this purpose, permission must first be obtained from the State Legis- lature.
*Will W. Mayhew died on January 12, 1912.
201
The Legislature is now in session, but will shortly adjourn. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Town apply to the Legislature for permission to borrow and appropriate, if later found necessary, the sum of $10,000.00 to renovate the machin- ery of the water plant.
If the Legislature grants this permission, the Town then can, if it so desires, appropriate, at a future Town meeting, this sum of money or any part of it for the use of the Water Depart- ment.
Respectfully submitted,
M. L. EMERSON, Chairman. Attest :
CHAS. O. MILLER, Secretary.
The Town accepted this report, but in carrying out the rec- ommendations therein increased the amount of money, "for which the Legislature was to be asked permission to borrow and appropriate if later it was found necessary," from $10,000 to $15,000.
At a later Town meeting held in August, 1911, the Town appropriated $15,000 to be expended for renovating the machin- ery of the water plants under the direction of the Water Com- missioners. This appropriation was made without further report from the Committee regarding the situation. The money is be- ing expended at the Great Pond station, and the improvements are now nearing completion. By carrying out this vote, it is evident that the Town has taken care of the immediate future in so far as the quantity of the water is concerned.
The Committee has had the following correspondence with the State Board of Health, and with the Metropolitan Water & Sewerage Board. This correspondence, because of its importance is given below in full :
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. Office of the State Board of Health, State House, Boston.
July 19, 1911.
To the Committee on Water Supply of the Town of Braintree. Gentlemen :-
The State Board of Health received from you on June 19, 1911, a communication stating that your committee is consider-
202
ing certain plans relative to the water supply of the Town of Braintree, concerning which you request the advice of the Board. The plans are the following :
"No. 1. The continued use of the present systems; i. e., filter gallery and tubular wells at Little Pond and the waters of Great Pond.
"No. 2. A system of tubular or of artesian wells to help out the above systems.
"No. 3. Raising the water level of Great Pond and using that supply alone, or in connection with the existing systems.
"No. 4. Carrying the waters of Great Pond to Little Pond by a gravity conduit, and using the waters of the two ponds and possibly that of Farm River,-the entire pumping being done at Little Pond.
"No. 5. Joining the Metropolitan Water System."
You also refer to the advice of the Board relative to the water supply of the town, dated May 7, 1903, and the report of the town's engineer at that time, filed in this office, as the data on which your committee has begun its investigations. You have also obtained from the Metropolitan Water Board an estimate of the cost of entering the Metropolitan Water District and the cost of obtaining a supply from that source.
The Board has caused your present sources of supply to be examined by one of its engineers and has considered the informa- tion available and the results of chemical analyses of the water of your present sources of supply since the previous examination in 1903.
It appears that at the present time your water supply is taken from the filter gallery and wells near Little Pond, sup- plemented with water drawn from Great Pond. Calculations of the probable yield of Little Pond, including the filter gallery and wells in its neighborhood, indicate that it is probably capable of yielding about 400,000 gallons per day in a series of very dry years, but its yield would be reduced if sewers should be built to serve the populated portions of this watershed.
Great Pond is used jointly by Randolph, Holbrook and Braintree, and the three towns apparently have rights to equal shares of its waters. Its yield in a series of very dry years prob-
203
ably does not much exceed 2,100,000 gallons per day, and the quantity available for Braintree, when Randolph and Holbrook are using the amounts, to which they are entitled, would be about 700,000 gallons per day. In this case also the yield would prob- ably be reduced if sewers should be constructed to remove sewer- age from the populated portions of the watershed.
Used together, the capacity of your present sources is prob- ably about 1,100,000 gallons per day, though a greater quantity will be available until Randolph and Holbrook use their full rights to the waters of Great Pond.
The quantity of water used by the town in the year 1910, according to the pumping records, amounted to an average of 653,000 gallons per day or 81 gallons per inhabitant. There have been some very remarkable fluctuations in the quantity of water used in Braintree within the past few years, the quantity used in 1908, for example, apparently amounting to only 424,000 gallons per day and the quantity used in 1909 to 493,000 per day. The cause of the marked increase in the use of water in 1910 has not been investigated, though evidently a very large quantity of water is used from the public supply for mechanical and manu- facturing purposes. The town is growing rapidly and on account of its nearness to Boston is likely to continue to increase rapidly in population in the future; and in view of the fact that the town as yet has no sewers, it is likely that when a system of sew- erage is provided, the quantity of water used will exceed the amount now required. Nevertheless it is likely that the present sources of supply will be adequate for the requirements of the town for the next ten years at least and possibly for a consider- ably longer time.
The population on the watershed of Little Pond has in- creased considerably in recent years and now amounts to about 650 persons or over 1,200 per square mile, and as no sewers have been constructed, all of the sewage and drainage from this pop- ulation is disposed of within the watershed. Analyses of the water of Little Pond show a considerable deterioration in its quality since the examinations in the years 1902 and 1903 on which the previous advice of the Board was based. There is no reason to expect improvements in future, but on the contrary continued deterioration until sewers have been provided for the
204
removal of sewage from the watershed, especially from the neigh- borhood of the filter gallery and wells.
The watershed of Great Pond contained when examined in 1902 a population of about 580 or about 170 persons per square mile. A recent examination indicates that this population has now increased to as much as 1,500 or over 430 to the square mile. In this case also no sewers have been provided for removing the pollution from the tributaries of this water supply, and all sew- age is disposed of within the watershed. The analyses of the water give marked evidence of the increase in population on the Great Pond watershed.
It appears to the Board essential that, if the use of the pres- ent sources of supply of the Town of Braintree is to be continued, some provision be made in the near future either for the removal of sewage from the watersheds of the sources of supply or for. the purification of the water efficiently by filtration, so as to prevent danger of injury to health from its continued use.
As to other possible methods of obtaining a water supply you mention the use of Farm River,-known, also, as Blue Hill River,-taking the water at the point at which the stream would be crossed by the proposed conduit between Great and Little ponds, the possibility of securing water from the ground by means of tubular wells, and the taking of a supply of water from the Metropolitan Water District.
The watershed of Farm River includes a very large part of the Blue Hill Reservation of the Metropolitan Parks District, which is set apart to be kept for the free use of the public. This reservation is already a resort of great numbers of people during a large part of the year, and these areas are likely to be visited by increasing numbers in the future. Under the circumstances it is not advisable, in the opinion of the Board, for the Town of Braintree to use Farm River as a source of public water supply unless the whole supply be filtered. If the plan of filtering the entire supply should be adopted the use of Farm River would increase very materially the quantity of water available for the supply of the town.
Regarding the possibility of obtaining a ground-water sup- ply, it appears that practically all of the yield of the Little Pond watershed is now obtained from the ground through the filter
205
gallery and the tubular wells in its neighborhood, and no materi- al increase in the yield of the Little Pond watershed could be ef- fected by additional wells within its limits. In some places in the neighborhood of Great Pond the conditions appear to be favorable, so far as can be judged from surface indications, for obtaining water freely from the ground, and it is possible that the town could take the water to which it is entitled from Great Pond by means of wells, filter galleries or other suitable works rather than direct from the pond. While no enlargement of the quantity of water available for the town could be obtained in that way, a water of much more satisfactory quality would be se- cured if the water should be taken from the ground instead of directly from the pond. Further tests would be necessary, how- ever, to determine the practicability of securing an adequate water supply by such a plan.
Very little information is available as to the practicability of obtaining a ground-water supply adequate for the requirements of Braintree at other points within the limits of the town. There are areas in the south-easterly part of the town which appear to be composed of porous soil, but owing to the presence of popula- tion or for other reasons it does not seem desirable to attempt to take water from the ground in that region. In the southerly part of the town and in adjacent parts of Randolph there is a large area in the valley of the Monatiquot River, in which a sup- ply of ground water might be obtained, though the conditions do not appear to be as favorable, so far as can be judged from sur- face indications, as they are in the district farther to the east.
The only way in which the practicability of obtaining a ground-water supply can be definitely determined will be by mak- ing tests by means of tubular wells in the more favorable locali- ties and obtaining the necessary information as to the character of the soil and quality of the water obtainable in these districts.
There is no doubt that an adequate supply of excellent water can be obtained by the town from the Metropolitan Water Dis- trict. The cost of such a supply can be determined very closely, and your committee is already informed as to the probable cost of a supply from that source.
From the information at hand it appears to the Board that it is practicable to obtain an adequate quantity of water from
206
your present sources of supply to last the town for several years in the future,-probably at least ten years and perhaps for a con- siderably longer time. It is possible to protect the supply from Great Pond adequately for some time in the future at least by providing sewers to remove the sewage from the more thickly settled areas and maintaining thorough inspection. It is not probable, however, that the use of the present filter gallery and wells near Little Pond can be continued with safety in the pres- ent location. Possibly by putting in sewers to remove the sewage from the populated areas in this watershed, moving the filter gallery and wells to the opposite side of the pond away from dwellings and their sewers and keeping the pond nearly full at all times, a good water could be obtained and the quality of the water of the sources restored to the best conditions that have ob- tained in the past. Information is lacking to show whether the conditions are such that it would be practicable to locate the filter gallery at the opposite side of the pond in soil favorable to its successful operation.
Water of very good quality could be obtained by filtering efficiently the water of the present sources, supplemented if de- sired with water taken from Farm River, or by joining the Met- ropolitan Water District, and a good ground-water supply would be better than any of the others, especially on account of its low temperature in summer, if such a supply could be obtained.
Conclusions as to the more desirable course for the Town of Braintree to follow under the circumstances will depend very largely upon the cost of the various plans. The estimates should include a careful examination of the condition of your present works, especially the pumping machinery, buildings and appur- tenances, and the cost of enlarging and maintaining them to meet the needs of the town until the use of water shall equal the ca- pacity of the present works. If it is decided to investigate the feasibility of obtaining a ground-water supply, tests should be made in the more favorable localities sufficient to determine the practicability and probable cost of supplying the town by this method, and the Board would add that the present is an excep- tionally favorable time for such work.
Considering the circumstances, the Board recommends that you have estimates of the cost of the various plans which were
207
made several years ago revised and brought up to date by your engineer, so that a direct comparison may be made with the pres- ent estimated cost of obtaining a supply from the Metropolitan system. If your committee desires to determine the question of the advisability of obtaining a ground-water supply for the use of the town, the necessary tests should be begun as soon as prac- ticable in order to take advantage of the present favorable condi- tions. When the results of these estimates and investigations are available, it will be practicable to determine more definitely whether it will be for the best interests of the town to continue to use the present sources of supply, or to secure a supply wholly or in part from the ground, or to discontinue the use of the present sources and take water from the Metropolitan Water District ; and if you will submit the results of the estimates and investigations the Board will advise you as to the most appropri- ate plan for the town to adopt.
By order of the Board,
MARK W. RICHARDSON, Secretary ..
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
Office of Chief Engineer.
Room 141, State House, Boston, July 25, 1911.
Mr. M. L. Emerson,
135 West Street, Braintree, Mass.
Dear Sir :-
I have your letter of July 24 acknowledging the receipt of the communication of the Board of July 19 and inquiring con- cerning the drilling of deep tubular wells. I would suggest that in regard to this question you consult with your engineer, and, if after consultation with him, you decide upon any plan for drilling deep wells, the Board will doubtless, upon request, advise you concerning it.
You state that you are informed that by drilling several hundred feet into the ground a sure source of water supply can be obtained which will not in any way be dependent on the dif- ferent watersheds available in Braintree and which will be abso-
208
lutely free from any danger of pollution. Such result has not been the rule with deep tubular wells in Massachusetts with which I am acquainted. The most recent attempts by Boards of Water Commissioners to obtain waters in this way have been made at Pittsfield and Athol, and probably you can obtain infor- mation concerning the results of these attempts by addressing the Board of Public Works in the former city or the Board of Water Commissioners in the town of Athol. If, however, your com- mittee determines upon a plan for obtaining a water supply for Braintree in that way, the Board will, upon receipt of the plan, examine the locality and advise you concerning it.
Yours truly, . X. H. GOODNOUGH, Chief Engineer.
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
METROPOLITAN WATER AND SEWERAGE BOARD.
Boston, June 3, 1911.
Horace R. Drinkwater, Esq.,
Chairman of Braintree Water Committee.
Dear Sir :-
Our Board has received your letter making various inquiries relative to the admission of Braintree into the Metropolitan Water District.
1. You ask what would be the initial cost to enter.
The Metropolitan Water Act provides that our Board shall, on application, admit any other city or town any part of which is within ten miles of the State House into the Metropolitan Water District on such payment of money as the Board may determine. Under this provision the Board would admit the town of Braintree into the District for the sum of $120,000.
2. You ask what would be the cost to connect up ready for the water; and, 3, Would Braintree be able to dispense with pumping machines, standpipes reservoirs, etc.
If Braintree were admitted into the Metropolitan Water District it is proposed to deliver the water at a pressure to sup- ply all parts of the town, into the force main of the town leading
209
from the Braintree pumping station at Great Pond, that is, water would be delivered without expense to the town into its main. It would seem, therefore, that Braintree could dispense with all pumping machinery, but it would seem desirable that it should continue a standpipe or a reservoir so that the water could be supplied from it from the Metropolitan Works and supply assured in case of a break in the Metropolitan main, by which for a short time the water might be cut off from the town. This precaution is usually adopted by towns to which a single main extends.
4. You ask what would be the cost to Braintree per mil- lion gallons.
If Braintree should be admitted into the Metropolitan Dis- trict it would thereafter pay an annual assessment one-third of which is based upon the proportion which the valuation of the town would bear to the valuation of the entire district, and two-thirds would be determined upon the proportion of the consumption of the town to the consumption of the entire Dis- trict. Assuming that the average daily consumption of the town of Braintree was 652,783 gallons as stated to us by your people, we have estimated that had Braintree been in the District the past year its assessment would have been about $11,850.
5. You ask whether or not you would be able to supple- ment the Metropolitan supply with your own supply, or would be obliged to discontinue your own supply and use all Metropoli- tan water. ,
The town could supplement the Metropolitan supply with its own water, but in such cases the town would have to bear its full assessment based upon the entire consumption and would be allowed and credited in its apportionment with a sum equal to $12 for each million gallons of water furnished from its own works.
If the above answers do not furnish the information you desire we will endeavor to supply any deficiency.
Yours very truly, HENRY H. SPRAGUE, Chairman.
Members of the Committee have also interviewed and dis- cussed the different problems with members of these Boards.
-
210
In reaching its conclusions, the Committee has made full use of, and is in general accordance with the exhaustive reports made by previous committees, and particularly with the report made by Engineer Wheeler to the 1903 Committee. Since Mr. Wheeler's report, however, ten years have elapsed, and also in the meantime conditions covering the entrance of the Town into the Metropolitan Water District have materially changed.
In 1902 in order to secure Metropolitan water Braintree was required to pay the State $73,000 in cash, and in addition had to maintain and operate a pumping plant at the Braintree- Quincy line. To do the latter, Engineer Wheeler then estimated, would cost pumping day time only $4,185.00 a year. Capital- izing this amount at 4% interest is equivalent to $104,625. For. comparison purposes, therefore, it can be stated that at that time it would have cost the Town $177,625 to enter the Metropolitan Water District.
At the present time the Town can enter the Metropolitan Water District by a cash payment of $120,000. For this amount the water will be delivered at the Great Pond pumping station at a sufficient pressure to supply the entire Town, and therefore no pumping of any kind will be required by the town. In addi- tion it is planned to build a large reserve reservoir on top of one of the Blue Hills. From the above it would seem that the Town with this service could dispense with all pumping machinery, and thus save the operating, interest and depreciation charges thereon.
In reaching its conclusions, the Committee has also been largely influenced by the statement of the State Board of Health, to the effect that even if Little Pond water is filtered, the loca- tion of the filter gallery, etc., should, perhaps, be changed, and the pond should be further protected by sewers. In connection with the latter, the Board say that sewers will undoubtedly re- duce the yield of both Little and Great Pond water sheds.
In investigating the general subject, four main questions are immediately apparent as follows :
1st. The Quantity of the Water.
2nd. The Quality of the Water. 1
3rd. Means for delivering the Water.
4th. Provisions for the Future.
211
Engineer Wheeler stated in 1903 that Little Pond could be relied upon to furnish a minimum daily supply of 435,000 gallons, and that the 1/3 of Great Pond apportioned to Brain- tree would furnish a minimum daily supply of 720,000 gallons. The Great Pond figures have since been reduced to 666,000 gallons per day.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.