USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Town of Newton annual report 1875-1877 > Part 23
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Included in the cost as above stated, is the cost of the 40-feet allowance upon service-pipes, under your orders of April 3, 1876, $11,731.20, and the cost of maintenance to March 1, 1877, $2,084.96; both of which, under your orders, were charged to the con- struction of the Works, but which were not contem- plated as items of cost at the time the estimates were made. Except for these two items the unexpended balance of the appropriation would have been $97,658.94.
No portion of the work has been reduced or shammed in order to diminish the total cost, but, on the contrary, the Works, as completed, have a pump- ing capacity one fifth greater, and a storage capacity one half greater, and as a whole are competent to supply 500,000 gallons per day more than those upon which the estimates were based.
Nor can the result be attributed in any considerable degree to a decline in the price of labor or materials, the greater part of the contracts having been made within three months of the date of the estimates; but the estimates were made with the determination that they should cover the cost, and the work has been done with the determination that the cost should not exceed the estimates.
We should have been glad to report to you that all matters connected with the construction of the Water Works had been settled and all claims adjusted; but with our best exertions we have been unable to accomplish this result completely.
The question of the value of certain lands in Need- ham, taken from Adams and others, which was re-
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ferred under your order of May 7, 1877, to the gen- tlemen composing the Board of County Commis- sioners of Norfolk County, was heard by them so long ago as June 1, 1877; but their award has not yet been made known to us. The settlement for land supposed to belong to the Heath heirs has been delayed, at first for want of information as to who were the parties interested, and later by the absence of one of the trustees for the heirs.
By the terms of our contract with Devlin, Long & Moore it was provided that in case of failure on their part to execute the contract according to its terms, the Water Commissioners should have power to complete the work described in the specifications, for the account of the contractors, and that in such case the contractors should make good to the city whatever deficit might result between the contract price and the actual cost to the city. Under this provision of the contract we claim that there is due to the City of Newton a balance amounting to $12,999.43, and under other clauses a consider- able additional amount as damages. We had hoped and expected that this claim would be adjusted by friendly negotiations; but in this we have been disappointed, and an action has been commenced for the recovery of the amount. We know of no defence which ought to prevent a collection of the full amount by process of law. One of the sureties to the bond of the contractors is a citizen of Massachusetts, and the cause will be tried in the courts of our own State.
The proprietors of the various water privileges between the pumping-station and tide water enter-
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tain the idea that they have a claim for damage caused by the diversion of water from their ponds by reason of the operation of these works. In common with the other municipalities similarly situated, upon whom a like claim is made, we deny its validity; and, in the case of our city, it will be found peculiarly difficult to establish any claim for such diversion, or to prove any diversion; but, in our desire to close all matters under our charge, we should have been glad to make some adjustment with the mill-owners in avoidance of a lawsuit, and in exchange for their acknowledgment of our right to take water from the river, if it should become desirable to do so. We have, however, done all that we felt justified in doing, to settle a questioned matter, without result.
The cost of maintaining and operating the Works as they now are, we estimate at from $10,000 to $12,000 per annum, including ordinary repairs; but not including any allowance for rents of buildings or lands. The great extent of territory covered by the Works will cause somewhat greater expense than would be expected in a compact town, but the expenses should not increase by any means in proportion to the increase of consumption or revenue.
The whole number of applications for water-
service to November 1, 1877, including 35
on streets where there was no main, was . 1,528
The whole number of service-pipes laid was 1,468
Of which water had been turned on to 1,212 The average yearly rate per service appears to be . $13 32 indicating a revenue equal to $16,139.40 per annum,
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exclusive of that from hydrant-service. Including the latter, the gross earnings of the Works upon this basis may be estimated in round numbers as at the rate of $21,000 per annum.
The actual receipts for the current year, the first of actual supply and revenue, already amount to $12,599.68, or, adding hydrant-service, $17,599.68. Estimating the cost of maintenance for the year ending March 1, 1878, at $10,000, the Works in the first year of their service will have returned a net income of more than $8,000.
The real profitableness of the Water Works does not and will never appear on the books of the department. If the citizens of Newton would be satisfied with protection against fire, more than equal to what was provided before the Works were built, an economy of at least $12,000 per an- num would be possible in the Fire Department; and the city will certainly be saved from the necessity of future expenditures for the increase of the plant, as also for increased annual expense under that depart- ment during many years of municipal growth. Advantages which will accrue to individuals from reduction in the cost of insurance, independence from drought, health improved, and life preserved, cannot be reduced to money values, nor can any accurate estimate be made of the value to the city, in its corporate capacity of an expenditure which in the matter of a water supply relieves it from the dis- advantages under which it has labored heretofore in comparison with other suburban towns.
Nor are we willing to admit, as any offset to these
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gains, that the introduction of water necessarily implies a yet more considerable expenditure for drain- age. We are of the opinion, on the contrary, that the need of immediately constructing an extensive and complete system of sewerage is less important than it would have been if no such water supply had been obtained. A very large part of the City of Newton is built upon a territory whose subsoil is open gravel or sand, which readily absorbs moisture, and which effects thorough filtration. Sewage discharged into such soils is soon purified, and the separated water passes harmlessly away in the streams. So long as the dependence for domestic water supply was only upon wells sunk in this very subsoil, such wells were apt to become catch-basins for much of the im- purities delivered into neighboring cesspools or upon the surface of the ground, and by the water of such wells there is no doubt that disease has been en- gendered and diffused; but now, with the source of our supply in great springs of a distant and uncon- taminated valley, this cause of danger need no longer be apprehended.
No doubt some districts of our city, where the sub- soil is retentive, or where rock abounds superficially, will require drainage, as no doubt the same districts have required it for many years already, and we appreciate the foresight which has determined you to devise a system of sewerage before money is wasted in the construction of sewers which must speedily be replaced; but it is a great relief to know that what- ever may be the disposition of the waste of our city,
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it cannot render impure the far-off source of our water supply.
Under the provisions of chapter 105 of the Laws of 1875, and your order of July 18, 1876, we were authorized to prescribe "rules and regulations for the inspection of materials, construction, alteration, or use of all water-pipes and of water-fixtures of every kind" through which water is supplied; also, " to prohibit the use of water by any person or corporation neglecting or refusing to comply " with such regulations.
By virtue of this authority the code of " Rules and Regulations," a copy of which is appended hereto, has been adopted and printed, and as cases have arisen requiring decision as to the construction of these rules, or of the schedule of rates, such decisions have been made and entered in our records.
In deciding as to the location of the reservoir, the site on Waban Hill was selected, because, in addition to other requisites, the height was believed to be suf- ficient to carry water through every street of the city for protection against fire. The district which is too high for a fair domestic supply from the present reser- voir is limited to the summit of Waban Hill and a somewhat narrow ridge extending from it southward, and including Chestnut, Institution; Bald Pate, and Oak Hills. The small number of buildings within this district did not, in our judgment, warrant the additional expense and inconvenience which would result to the city and to individuals from an increased pressure of 65 feet throughout the city. Hereafter provision may be desirable for the separate supply of this region.
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Several applications have been made to us for a supply of water in that portion of Watertown which lies between Newton and Charles river; to all of which we have replied that we had no authority to furnish a supply beyond the city limits, and that, to accomplish what the applicants desired, there must be an agreement between the authorities of the two towns.
Under chapter 93 of the Laws of 1870, and under the last clause of Section 9, of chapter 344 of the Laws of 1872, there is ample authority for a contract between Newton and Watertown for the supply of water to the latter, and in contemplation of such a possibility a 12-inch main has been carried to the dividing line on Centre street, and this could be reinforced by other mains which now approach the line.
By the courtesy of the Selectmen of Watertown the main in Boyd street is laid for a short distance within the limits of that town.
It seems to us a matter by no means foreign to this report to suggest to the City Council the expediency of negotiating with riparian owners for the purchase of the low lands bordering Charles river and lying between the new Needham bridge and Kenrick's bridge. If by concert with other towns on the river the low lands above Kenrick's bridge on both banks to or beyond Mother Brook could all be acquired for the public benefit the purity of the water would be more effectually maintained, and a noble public park might be acquired, embracing a river within its bounds.
Whether the management of these Works shall be
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entrusted to Commissioners, or whether it shall be assumed by the City Council, is a question which it is your province to determine; but we may be permitted to state the reasons which have induced us to advise the employment of the former.
The Water Department differs from other municipal bureaus in several points, which affect the question of its management. It produces an income above its current expenses, the amount of which income must depend upon the careful adjustment of many small details each to the other, and the exercise of that foresight which is taught by experience. If the guiding power is in a Board, the constitution of which provides against abrupt changes of membership, their experience will accumulate into wise traditions and a stable system, and the department will work with the least possible friction, and yield the best attainable results. The continuity of this experience will not be broken by the death, resignation, or removal of any one person; nor can the defects or eccentricities of any one person much affect the efficiency of the service.
If the Water Works were managed by a com- mittee of the City Council, such a committee would be liable to be entirely changed each year, while its members might or might not be qualified to give wise direction to the affairs of the department, on account of an intimate knowledge of its workings and its needs. On the other hand, a commission would be composed of men selected solely on ac- count of their special fitness for the work, and would be subject only to gradual change.
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The Water Department will be a vital one to the citizens. If the service is interrupted, if the quantity supplied is insufficient, or if the water becomes im- pure, the results may be most serious, and the liability to these is far from being inconsiderable.
If a highway is washed out, other streets may be used, or a way extemporized, by the least skilful hands; if the gas-lights fail, it is a simple matter to provide illumination; if the Fire Department is disor- ganized, those of neighboring towns can be made available; but in case of any serious hindrance to the operations of the Water Works, there will be no avail- able substitute for the service upon which the comfort of thousands of households depends, and upon which the efficiency of the Fire Department must mainly rest.
It is not safe to assume that the cost of mainten- ance will be reduced by the substitution of an unpaid committee for even a paid commission, for, under the former, greater responsibilities will devolve upon the chief officers of the department, who should, in such case, be of a higher grade, implying higher pay ; so that there would result rather a change in the distribution of the cost than an economy in its total amount.
The experience of other towns confirms our own opinion. We do not know of any city or town where the Water Works are not placed under the con- trol of Commissioners, although in several cases other experiments have been tried; and it is worthy of note that even the mixed commission, which was for a time the policy of the City of Boston, has been replaced by one composed of three salaried members only.
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Whatever may be your decision in the premises, the authorities may rely upon receiving from us any information that they may require beyond what is contained in the papers or records of this Board.
In our judgment the rates by meter are too low in proportion to the schedule charges, in view of the fact that meters are allowed in all cases. We recom- mend an amendment of the schedule, by which the charge shall hereafter be three and a half cents per hundred gallons; and that ten dollars be fixed as the minimum charge to all takers by meter.
We would also recommend the substitution of the following for that part of the schedule of water-rates entitled "Hose ": -
HAND HOSE.
No hose over three-eighths inch orifice allowed.
Hand Hose for washing carriages . . $11 00
Add 50 cents for each horse.
Hand Hose for washing carriages when used
in connection with stable or other uses . 3 00 . Add 50 cents for each horse. Hand Hose for watering streets and gardens, not exceeding one hour per day 11 00
Hand Hose for watering streets and gardens, not exceeding one hour per day, when used in connection with dwelling-house or other rated uses 5 00
Add $5.00 for each additional attachment made with hose to fixtures in or upon the premises.
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Before closing this report we desire to place upon record our appreciation of the skill and fidelity which have been exhibited by Mr. Edward Sawyer, who, as the Engineer, has had immediate charge of the vari- ous Works.
It remains for us only to acknowledge the great courtesy which has been extended to us by your- selves, and by every department of the city admin- istration, and to say that whenever you shall have arranged for the charge of the Works we are prepared to resign our positions.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
ROYAL M. PULSIFER, FRANCIS J. PARKER, ROBERT R. BISHOP.
APPENDIX A.
REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE WATER COMMISSIONERS.
APPLICATIONS.
Applications for water-service must be in writing, and signed by the owner of the premises to be supplied, or by his agent, duly authorized, and must state the uses for which the service is de- sired.
SERVICE-PIPES.
The Commissioners will furnish and lay a service-pipe from the street main into each building to be supplied, and the proportion of the cost chargeable to the applicant will be assessed by the Commissioners, and will be payable on demand. The maintenance and repair of the service-pipes will be at the charge of the owners of the land in which they are laid.
INSPECTION, ETC.
The Commissioners, and their agents properly authorized, must have access to and be permitted, at all times, to inspect the pipes, fixtures, and apparatus which are used in connection with the water supplied, and to control the sidewalk stop, and that stop must not be turned by any person not so authorized.
All such pipes, fixtures, and apparatus must be such as the Com- missioners approve, and they reserve the right to refuse to connect with pipe or plumbing which has not been examined, or which is unsatisfactory.
Every addition to the fixtures, and any considerable change in the plumbing, must be notified to the Commissioners.
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WASTE OF WATER.
There must be no concealment of the purpose for which water is used. No person supplied shall allow the water to run to waste to prevent freezing, or for any other reason; but when water passes through a meter, it may be used for any purpose except as a motive-power.
SHUTTING OFF.
The Commissioners reserve the right to shut off water for the purpose of making alterations and repairs, or in case of violation of these regulations, or neglect to pay the water-rates when due.
When water has been shut off because of violation of the regu- lations, or non-payment of the rates, it will not be again turned on until the Commissioners are satisfied that there will be no further cause for complaint, and two dollars will be charged for letting it on.
DATE OF PAYMENT.
Schedule water-rates will be payable annually in advance, on the first day of March in each year. Fractional parts of a year will be calculated to the first day of March next ensuing, and will be payable on demand.
Bills for measured water will be payable quarterly, and those for building purposes, or for other occasional uses, on demand.
An advance payment, in the nature of a deposit, will be required in all cases where the rates cannot be determined beforehand.
OWNERS' RESPONSIBILITY.
Owners shall be so far responsible for the water-rates of tenants as that new tenants will not be entitled to a supply until all ar- rearages for the premises are paid.
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
To the Newton Water Commissioners : -
GENTLEMEN,- Agreeably to your instructions I present a general report on the Newton Water Works. I understand that the main purpose of such a report is to furnish, in a compact and perma- nent form, a full description of the Works, - much the larger part being out of sight,- with the reasons for the arrangements adopted, so far as they can readily be understood, for the information of members of the City Government and those under them who shall have the care and control of the Works hereafter, together with others who may be interested. It is hoped that with such a state- ment none of the arrangements may fail of being fully utilized from not being known or understood.
Such a report will, of course, contain little or nothing new to you, or which has not been thoroughly considered at our meetings. Many matters of great interest and importance to engineers are passed over with little notice, because they are too intricate, and would require too much space. Many other matters are necessa- rily treated in a more elementary way than would be desirable in a paper addressed to experts only.
Respectfully, EDWARD SAWYER, Engineer.
REPORT.
THE SOURCE OF SUPPLY.
Previous investigations of this subject had led to the conclusion that Charles river was the only source clearly ample as to quantity and acceptable as to quality, within a reasonable distance. This stream flows rather sluggishly through a flat country, with numerous meadows, so that it is not very turbid during freshets ; but its
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water generally has a little taste and more or less of the brownish tint common to the streams in this vicinity, and produced mainly by extract of peat from the meadows.
The general result of many chemical examinations made within the last few years is that this water is slightly preferable to that furnished by the Cochituate and Sudbury Works, and decidedly better than that supplied to Cambridge, Charlestown, etc. Com- parisons as to population and amount of manufacturing, relative to drainage area, corroborate these conclusions. The rate of in- crease of these sources of pollution is also less in the Charles river valley than in the areas furnishing the other supplies mentioned.
Still the taste, color, and occasional turbidity of this water are all objectionable, and it was believed that the citizens of Newton would prefer to make a large outlay to be rid of them ; and I am decidedly of the opinion that this preference is a wise one.
Under the circumstances, it was thought best to take water from a
FILTERING BASIN,
or artificial pond, to be made near the bank of the river. To avoid possibilities of pollution so far as practicable, it seemed desirable to locate the basin above the village of Newton Upper Falls, and the large brook which enters the river near Pettee's machine shops. As a matter of expense it was desirable not to go further up stream than might be needful for finding suitable filtering material.
About 75 borings were made for ascertaining the character of the material below the soil, for about half a mile along each bank of the river above the brook. On the Newton side it is fine sand, almost water-tight, up to the ledge at the "Picnic Grove ; " above this it is hard, compact gravel up to the deep meadow on the Goddard and Ranney farms. This precluded any reasonable ex- pectation of getting a sufficient supply from excavations .in this part of the Newton shore.
On the Needham side the material is fine sand from the arch bridge at Needham street to a point about 850 feet above. At this place a ridge of ledge runs down to the river, rising nearly to the surface of the ground about 60 feet back from the bank. On the up-stream side of this ledge the material below the surface soil and muck is fine free gravel. Further up stream fine sand again occurs for a distance of about 500 feet.
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N E
W T
N
GODDARD FARM
A -- R -- IT-E -- - S
R-IV -- E-R
F
TERING
BASIN
LINE
RANNEY FARM
NEE D H A M
PLAN OF PUMPING STATION AND VICINITY. SCALE 200 FEET TO AN INCH
OAK ST.
NEEDHAM
ST.
.HIGHLAND
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These conditions seemed to justify the effort to obtain water from a filtering basin on the Needham side of the river.
The lower end of the basin and the pipe leading from it to the engine-house were located so as just to clear the high point of ledge.
From this point the basin extends up stream about 1,575 feet, curving so as to conform closely to the windings of the river. Its transverse dimensions are shown by the accompanying diagrams.
It will be seen that the basin resembles a piece of canal with closed ends along the river bank, having its bottom generally 10 feet below the ordinary level of the stream.
The site of the basin was covered with soil and meadow muck from one to four feet deep. A border of this muck was left in place and now forms part of the bank between the river and the basin. This prevents the water from flowing in too directly and freely from the river.
When the basin is drawn down to low-water mark, water is seen to come in for two or three feet up on both of the exposed slopes. Above this there is little or no inflow. Nearly all the water comes in through the bottom and sides below low-water mark.
As was anticipated, the fine sand yields but little water, but the gravel is exactly suitable for the purpose, allowing water to pass through it as freely as is compatible with a high degree of puri- fication.
The shortest distance by which water can pass through the bank from the river side to the basin is 50 feet ; but very little water comes through so directly as this.
When water is drawn from the basin only during ordinary work- ing hours, according to our usual practice, the quickest passage of river water through the bank is probably not less than 24 hours, and the average is much greater.
It was expected that this long-continued and intimate mixture of the water with sand and gravel of this character would render it almost absolutely pure; and this expectation is justified by the result. The water is entirely free from color and taste. The fol- lowing table shows the results of recent analyses of different water supplies, some of which are among the best within my knowledge ; but it will be seen that the Newton water is far superior to all of them in every important particular stated.
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