USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Town of Newton annual report 1875 Vol. 1 > Part 12
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FURTHER ACTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
Committee on Library.
The PRESIDENT, ex officio, and MESSRS. FARLOW, PIERCE, and CLARKE. Committee on Building. The PRESIDENT, ex officio, and MESSRS. HYDE, KEITH, and GOODRICH.
The Board also elected FREDERICK JACKSON, Super- intendent; HANNAH JAMES, Librarian; and CAROLINE B. JACKSON, Assistant Librarian.
8353
REPORT
-OF -
WATER COMMISSIONERS,
-TO -
CITY COUNCIL OF NEWTON, MASS.
MAY 1875.
BOSTON: GEORGE L. KEYES, PRINTER, 4 WILLIAMS COURT. 1875.
REPO R&T
- OF -
WATER COMMISSIONERS,
-TO -
CITY COUNCIL OF NEWTON, MASS.
MAY 1875.
FREE
NOIM
LI
NEWTON,
LASS.
BOSTON : GEORGE L. KEYES, PRINTER, 4 WILLIAMS COURT. 1875.
REPORT.
TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF NEWTON :
The Water Commissioners appointed under authority of the following Order have given careful attention to the duty with which by the terms of that Order they were charged, and have now the honor to submit their report.
COPY OF ORDER. '
Ordered, That his Honor, the Mayor, nominate for confirmation by the City Council three suitable persons, citizens of Newton, who shall be called Water Commissioners. They shall be charged with the duty of examining the various sources from which Newton may be supplied with water for fire and domestic purposes, and of report- ing to the City Council, with as little delay as possible, the best method of obtaining such supply and the cost of the same. They shall be authorized to employ such professional services as may be necessary ; and they shall receive such compensation for their ex- penses and for their services as the City Council may determine. Adopted in Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Dec. 7, 1874. In Com- mon Council, Dec. 9, 1874.
The duty imposed upon us as Commissioners appears to have been three-fold -
1st. To examine the sources from which Newton can be supplied with water for fire and domestic purposes.
2d. To report the best method of obtaining such supply.
3d. To report the cost of the same.
4
SOURCE OF SUPPLY.
Three sources of supply present themselves for con- sideration :- 1. The waters of the various ponds in the city with the streams running into them, brought to- gether by a system which should combine the whole for use. 2. A supply from the works of some other municipality, either Boston, Brookline or Waltham. 3. An independent supply from Charles River.
There is not a supply of water to be derived from the first source sufficient for the prospective wants of the city, and it would be unwise to build a system of works founded upon so limited a supply. In this con- nection, however, it may be observed that we view with apprehension any attempt to obtain the right to use the waters of Newton by persons outside of its limits for the purposes of private gain and profit; and while we do not consider them sufficient as a water supply for our city, they are of great benefit to the city, and we deprecate encroachment upon them. Hammond's pond in particular, from its elevation, may be made use of at some future time for the purpose of flushing sewers or other purposes connected with the water works. An attempt made in 1874 by a private cor- poration outside of our limits to obtain the right to take the waters of this pond resulted in the passage of Chap- ter 125 of the Acts of that year, giving the city the prior right to take these waters. This Act has been accepted by the City Council, and the right should be maintained.
With reference to obtaining water from the works of another city or town, in coming as we have to the very clear conclusion that it is not advisable, we have not,
5
we trust, overlooked the arguments in its favor. It is true that Boston now has one conduit, and expects in about three years from the present time to have another, running the entire length of our city, conveying water to its inhabitants. It is true that both Waltham and Brookline have obtained a supply of water from galleries constructed on the banks of Charles River, unsurpassed in purity and abundant for our present- supply at least in addition to their own. From the existing works at Waltham a supply could be obtained only for that section of the city which is situated on the level of the Boston and Albany Railroad, and in order to utilize for the whole city a supply from either Waltham or Brook- line it would be necessary for Newton to establish an independent reservoir and pumping station, to lay the · same system of piping that would be required were an independent source of supply used, and finally to pay regularly and continually for the water used. Similar conditions would exist in the case of taking water from the Boston conduits, with the additional disadvantage of being obliged to wait three or four years for the com- pletion of the new conduit. It may be doubted whether in either case, even if such an arrangement were in other respects a practicable one, the actual expense of the water delivered to consumers would be less than by a wholly independent system of works. We already have full authority to take our water by independent works from Charles River; it cannot be supposed that if we abandon this power and seek for authority to participate in the water supply of other places, we shall be left upon as independent and favorable a footing. In regard to contracts for supply with other municipal authorities, we have only to refer to the length of time spent by the
6
city council of Boston, and its nearly irreconcilable dis- agreement upon the subject of its own water supply for the last two years, to ask whether there would be any prospect of an harmonious agreement by Boston with Newton that the latter should take water belonging primarily to the former ? If Boston had abandoned the taking of water from Sudbury River and had sought to take its supply from Charles River, as at one time there was some prospect of her doing, then Newton and other towns on its banks, having by statute as well as by situation the prior right to its waters, the case would have been reversed, and Boston would have been obliged to regard the claims of Newton.
Whether, therefore, we regard cost of water deliv- ered, difficulty of a practicable union, delay which must ensue, or the other strong conditions for taking a supply within our own borders to be spoken of here- after, we do not recommend an attempt to obtain a supply from the works of any other city or town.
By the Statute of 1972, chapter 344, the City of Newton has authority to take water from Charles River at any point upon the same, within its territory, for fire, domestic and other purposes, not exceeding one and one-half million gallons daily.
Charles River is the natural source of supply for Newton ; the supply is abundant, the proximity imme- diate, the quality of the water such that it received the recommendation of the Medical Commission appointed by the City of Boston in 1874, in preference to the source taken by that city, and to all others except the Shawshine River. We conclude that the best source for a supply for the City of Newton is from Charles River, pursuant to the Act of 1872, by constructing a
7
filtering gallery and works above the village of Upper Falls.
As bearing directly upon the question of the purity of Charles River, the following figures are taken from the Report of the Medical Commission, City of Boston, 1874 :
PARTS IN 100,000.
Chlorine.
Free
Ammonia.
Albuminoid
Ammonia.
Inorganic.
Organic and
Volatile.
Total
Residue.
Average of 19 best waters in Europe, 0.20 to 1.39
.88
. .
. .
. .
. .
Average of 10 good town waters in England, 0.000 to 0.010.
. .
0.001
0.005
. .
. .
..
Shawshine River (average).
.53
0.002
0.013
4.8
2.4
7.2
Sudbury River.
.80
0.001 6-10
0.029
3.6
3.8
7.4
Charles River, at Upper Falls, not filtered
.70
0.002 6-10
0.018 1-2
3.0
3.4
6.4
" when a water contains a considerable quantity of it (albuminoid ammonia), without at the same time containing an excess of free ammonia and chlorine, it is presumptive evidence that vegetable organic matter only is present."- Page 28 of the Report.
By this test the water of the Charles at Upper Falls will be seen to be satisfactory even without filtration, having a greater quantity of alb. ammonia than the average ten good English waters, with no excess of free ammonia, and at the same time less of chlorine than the average of nineteen best European waters, and less than Sudbury River. But, judging by the expe- rience of the towns of Brookline and Waltham, we may reasonably expect to find that a considerable pro-
8
portion of our wants will be supplied from springs issuing from the land side of the filtering gallery.
THE METHOD OF SUPPLY.
In deciding as to the best method of obtaining and distributing the supply obtained from Charles River, we have examined not only theories but facts. Most of the problems which enter into the question of water supply have been solved by long experience, and to that experience we have appealed. By the courtesy of the authorities in charge of water works in thirty-three towns and cities, we have replies to a series of printed questions concerning the cost of construction and main- tenance, and other statistics relating to the various systems employed for supply and distribution, embody- ing for our benefit a mass of experience more valuable as a basis of opinion than any theory.
We have conferred personally with many gentlemen having business interests connected with hydraulic works, and with engineers and members of boards in charge of aqueducts, and have read reports of com- missioners charged with such constructions. Verbally and by correspondence we have examined into cases of reported defect in machinery and materials employed, and we have visited such works as would, we thought, afford us any instruction. Finally, we have called to our assistance Moses Lane, Esquire, an hydraulic en- gineer of high repute, and a gentleman of unquestioned integrity, by whose valuable advice, both in verbal and written reports, we are enabled to arrive at the conclu- sions we now present with a degree of confidence we should not otherwise possess. Such of this information
9
as was susceptible of collation we have caused to be transcribed into our book of records, that it may be use- ful to those whom you may appoint to build your works.
As the result of this investigation, we are of opinion that the best method of obtaining a water supply for our city, is to establish at some point on Charles River, above Pettee's works, a pumping station and well, pre- pared, if need be, to draw water, filtered or directly, from the stream - that the water thus provided be pumped by steam up to a reservoir capable of contain- ing at least 10,000,000 gallons, from whence it may be distributed to the various groups of population. We advise that the pipes be so arranged, by connections and by gates, as that for any temporary advantage, (as, for instance, to afford a supply before the reservoir is completed, or in case of accident, or to repair or exam- ine the reservoir,) a supply of water may be delivered by pumping directly into the pipes for distribution.
To determine the proper location for a reservoir, we have examined and caused to be surveyed six hills within our borders, on any one of which a reservoir could be constructed from which nearly the entire city could draw its supply. Some time in the future it may be considered wise to establish two distinct reservoirs - one to supply the elevated portions of the city, and the other to supply the now thickly settled sections having less elevation. We consider Newton fortunate in its abundance of desirable reservoir sites.
The recent active agitation in various places of pro- jects for what are known as " Holly Works," has led us to give particular attention to the merits of that sys- tem. We have advised that provision be made for pumping directly to the pipes in cases of emergency ;
10
but we are clearly of the opinion that for a regular supply the reservoir system is to be preferred. The direct, or Holly plan, economizes in original construc- tion by omitting a reservoir, but it increases the cost of the engine, the size and cost of a filtering gallery-if one is used-it is more liable to serious disaster, and where coal is costly, as it is with us, the expense of maintenance is far greater. This system is open to peculiar objections in supplying a city of such varied elevations as exist in Newton.
THE COST.
As to the cost of construction, it must be premised that every thing depends, of course, upon the character and capacity of the works to be constructed, and that whatever may be the first cost, it is to be assumed that so long as the city thrives the cost must be continually augmented-that increase of population will require increase in every item of the cost.
It would be absurd with a population of less than 20,000 to incur the expense of making full provision for the wants of 200,000, and yet it is a false economy that forbids us to consider the nearer future of our wants.
For the purpose of our estimate we assume 2,000,000 gallons as the extreme of the daily supply, about fifty- one miles as the quantity of piping required, and have calculated for much larger pipe than, until within the past few years, has been considered ample for such needs as ours. The length of pipe for our estimate has been determined upon, after examination, street by street, as one that will convey the water to almost every place
11
where it is probable that the service will be wanted. The material for which we reckon cost is cast iron, most of it the heaviest used by Boston, to be coated to protect it from the rust. The following is a statement of the quantities and sizes of the pipes proposed.
2,800 feet of 24 inch pipe.
18,935 66
20
22,110
66
16
66
21,520
66 12
58,580
66
8
114,100
66
6
66
31,300
66
4
Total, 269,345=51.01 miles.
Upon this basis we estimate that the total cost will be $850,000, a sum which we are entirely satisfied need not be exceeded if contracts can be made and the work done under the present favorable condition of the markets for money, labor and material.
By using pipes of wrought iron and cement such as are used in Waltham, Salem and elsewhere, a reduction of the original outlay may be reckoned equal to $75,000, and if it were expedient to limit a provision to the more populous neighborhoods and to our immediate wants the first cost might yet further be reduced. If it is desired to reduce the expense of the works we earnestly recom- mend a less number of miles of pipe, rather than any diminution in the sizes of the pipes, or in the quality or character of the works in any respect. Provided such decisive action is taken as will permit the making of contracts and the commencement of work during the present season, we have every reason to believe that for the sum which we have estimated as the cost of water works the city may secure a system which shall embrace the following features: Ist. A pumping
12
station complete, which shall contain a pumping engine with a capacity of delivering 5,000,000 gallons in each twenty-four hours, and sufficient room to permit the erection of duplicate machinery whenever it shall become necessary. 2d. A reservoir with a capacity of 10,000,000 gallons. 3d. About fifty-one miles of piping of ample size and strength. This year we have cheap iron cheap labor, cheap money, and the estimates which we have given you are made on the assumption that the work will be contracted for during the present season.
It will be remembered that the report of a former Water Committee, which was submitted to the town in 1872, estimated that works of a satisfactory character could be constructed at a cost of not exceeding $600,000, and it may pertinently be asked why in this report the estimated cost is so largely increased. We reply that the former estimate was made for about forty- two miles of pipe, one-third of which was four-inch, and one-third less than that in diameter ; a pumping engine with a capacity of 2,000,000 gallons, and a reser- voir with a capacity of about 4,000,000 gallons, the whole combined to furnish the service for a population which was, at the time of that report, less than 13,000.
The present report varies from the above in pro- viding for a population which has increased since the former report was made nearly forty per cent; in pro- viding nine miles more pipe, none of which shall be less than four inches in diameter-less than one-eighth, even so small as that-and none less than six inches in diameter in streets where hydrants would be placed ; in providing for a force main at least twenty inches in diameter (instead of sixteen inches), and generally for larger and heavier pipe than was previously contem-
13
plated; and in providing pumping works and a reser- voir commensurate in capacity with the increased length and increased sizes of pipes which the growth of the city has rendered necessary.
Before closing the report we desire to acknowledge the valuable assistance rendered to us by Mr. Frederic Schoff, City Engineer. All the surveys which we have considered necessary have been made under his per- sonal supervision and direction ; besides which we have had occasion to call largely upon him for varied inform- tion about the topography of the city. His responses to our requests have been uniformly satisfactory; and his assistance has saved for you both time and money in the course of our investigations.
Obeying your suggestion to avoid delay we have thus briefly presented the results of our examination. It is only since the first of April that the weather and the condition of the ground has been such as to permit of field work, but from the date of our appointment until that day we were earnestly engaged in such inquiries as were independent of the severity of the season. To decide upon exact locations for pumping station, reser- voir and mains must be the province of those who may be designated for the construction of the works; and in the office of the City Engineer and in our own papers will be found many data for their guidance. Should other details be required by your Boards, we shall be pleased to attend personally to give such information.
ROYAL M. PULSIFER, FRANCIS J. PARKER, ROBERT R. BISHOP.
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MAY 2 1975
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