5 Results are expressed in parts per million. + Present. - Absent. Abbreviations used to describe odors of water: 0, none; 1, very faint; 2, faint; 3, distinct; 4, decided; 5, strong; 6, very strong; a, aromatic; d, disagreeable; e, earthy; f, fishy; g, grassy; m, musty; v, vegetable. * Samples 3 days in transit. ARKVILLE HERMANN M. BIGGS, M.D., State Commissioner of Health: I beg to submit the following report upon a reinspection of the public water supply of the village of Arkville, Delaware county, made on August 6, 1917, by Mr. M. F. Sanborn, assistant engineer, who was assisted at the time of the inspection by Mr. H. E. Ganung, superintendent, and Dr. Charles S. Allaben, health officer. General information Location.— In the eastern part of Delaware county on the east branch of the Delaware river and on the Ulster and Delaware railroad and the Delaware and Northern railroad. Population.- Population is estimated to be about 350 of which about 300 are served by the public water supply. The waterworks owned by.—The Arkville Water Company, Mr. Henry M. Cowan, president. Consumption. Estimated at 30,000 gallons per day. Source of supply. Small mountain brook, intake being about 1 mile southeast of the village. Distribution system.— Gravity supply. About 2 miles of water mains from 4 inches to 6 inches in diameter. Service taps.- 37, none of which are metered; 10 hydrants. A previous inspection of this supply was made in 1908, a copy of the report being found on page 320, volume 2 of the 1908 Annual Report of the New York State Department of Health. In general the supply is practically the same as described in the former report. The reservoir is cleaned out twice a year and after each rainstorm the street mains are flushed to remove the turbid water. The watershed above the intake is about .55 of a square mile. There are no houses upon the watershed and the only pollution ordinarily received would be from persons or animals passing over the watershed. At the time of the inspection a sample of the water supply was collected from a tap in the village and the analyses of this sample will be found in the appended table. From the analyses of this sample it will be seen that at the time of the inspection the water was clear, free from color and quite soft. The figures for nitrogen in its various forms are comparatively low and chlorine is about normal for this part of the State. The bacterial count was fairly high for a mountain stream and organisms of the B. coli group were found in one of the 10 c.c. samples inoculated. This shows the presence of a small amount of pollution, due probably to animals upon the watershed. From the results of this investigation and of the analyses it may be concluded that at the time of the inspection the public water supply of the village of Arkville was apparently of a reasonably satisfactory sanitary quality. In view of this conclusion I would make no recommendation other than that every effort be made by the water company to maintain the supply, the intake and the watershed in a satisfactory sanitary condition in order that the supply may at all times be free from contamination. I would also recommend that copies of this report be sent to the Arkville Water Company and to the local authorities. ALBANY, N. Y., September 27, 1917 Source.... Respectfully submitted, THEODORE HORTON, REPORT OF Water AnalYSIS FOR ÅRKVILLE + Present. Absent. Results are expressed in parts per million. Abbreviations used to describe odors of water: 0, none; 1, very faint; 2, faint; 3, distinct; 4, decided; 5, strong; 6, very strong; a, aromatic; d, disagreeable; e, earthy; f, fishy; g, grassy; m, musty; v, vegetable. BALLSTON SPA HERMANN M. BIGGS, M.D., State Commissioner of Health: I beg to submit the following report on an investigation of the public water supply of Ballston Spa, made by Mr. C. M. Baker. assistant engineer, on July 16, 1917. Ballston Spa is an incorporated village of 4,344 inhabitants located in Saratoga county on the D. & H. railroad, 32 miles northwest of Albany, and on Kayaderosseras creek. The village is provided with a sewer system and a disposal plant consisting of septic tanks and contact beds, the effluent from which discharges into the creek. The public water supply is derived from 3 impounding reservoirs fed by springs located 14, 12 and 3 miles respectively north of the village. The first, known as the Parmeton reservoir, was put into service in 1867 or 1868, the Round Hollow reservoir in 1871 and the Burdette reservoir in 1900. The waterworks are owned and operated by the village under the direction of the board of trustees. Practically all of the village is served with the water, there being in all between 900 and 1,000 service taps, only a few of which are metered. The total consumption averages about 550,000 gallons per day, which is equivalent to 127 gallons per capita. The pressure in the village ranges from 45 to 85 pounds per square inch depending upon the topography. The pumping equipment is housed in a brick building located in the northern edge of the village and consists of a General Electric induction motor which operates a Rumsey 10-inch by 12-inch pump having a capacity of 500 gallons per minute, also a 22 horsepower Fairbanks-Morse gasoline engine that operates an S-inch by 10-inch Rumsey triplex double-acting pump. The reservoirs are all at about the same elevation and are directly connected with the suction lines of the pumps which forces the water, either directly into the reservoir, or through the distribution system, the excess flowing into the reservoir. The capacity of the Parmeton reservoir is 3,000,000 gallons, of the Burdette reservoir, 6,000,000 and of the Round Hollow reservoir 5,000,000 gallons. The Parmeton spring and reservoir as stated above are located about onefourth of a mile north of the village. The spring is at the foot of a steep slope and flows into the reservoir located just below, this reservoir being formed by an earthen dam across a ravine. Two and a half or three acres of land about the spring and reservoir are owned by the village and enclosed by a fence. No signs regarding trespassing were posted, however, and boys were fishing in the reservoir at the time of the inspection. A road passes near the upper edge of the ravine in which the spring is located and just beyond the road, about 200 feet from the spring, is a farm house provided with a privy of the ordinary rural type. It seems possible that under certain conditions the ground water tributary to the spring might become polluted from this source. Furthermore, a path leads down to the spring from the house and it is said that the occupants of the house obtain water directly from the spring. The Burdette reservoir and springs are located about 12 miles north of the village. In this district the village owns about 300 acres of land. Although there are two farms located on the watershed, these probably do not affect the sanitary quality of the supply as they are located well back from the streams and the land is practically level. In the reservoir there was considerable growth of chara although it was apparent that the growth was comparatively young and had been only recently formed. At certain times during the summer considerable trouble has been experienced due to tastes and odors in the water and it is possible that this plant is the cause of the trouble although it may be that other algae growths not present at this time occasionally affect the supply. No attempt has been made to eliminate the trouble. Round Hollow reservoir and springs are located about 31⁄2 miles north of the village. The springs are in a ravine the reservoir being about one-quarter of a mile below and formed by the construction of a dam across the ravine, Although the village owns 6 or 7 acres of land in this section the area is not fenced. There are, however, no inhabitants in the vicinity. The various springs which constitute the source of the supply are located at the eastern edge of a large level sandy plot which undoubtedly constitutes the collecting area tributary to the supply. This territory is only sparsely settled and there appears to be little possibility of direct contamination of these sources except that from the Parmeton reservoir which, due to its proximity to the village, and to the farm located nearby, may at times receive pollution from the farm privy and also from trespassers in the vicinity of the reservoir. While it is possible that by posting notices and enforcing rigid regulations, also by proper sanitary regulations on the premises located nearby, this supply may be protected from pollution, it seems that it would be more satisfactory to abandon this source of supply providing the other two sources furnish sufficient water. Samples of the water were collected at the time of the inspection and sent to the Division of Laboratories and Research for analyses, the results of which together with these of previous analyses are recorded in the appended table. The results of these analyses show a water satisfactory in physical qualities with respect to color and turbidity, also a water low in hardness. The figures for nitrogen in its various forms are low and the figures for chlorine are moderate. The bacterial counts are at times high, however, and colon bacilli are prevalent in 10 c.c. inoculations and occasionally present in 1 and 1/10 c.c. inoculations, thus indicating the presence of active and potentially dangerous contamination. As a result of this investigation it may be concluded: 1. That the public water supply of Ballston Spa is subject to pollution: (a) By trespassers in the vicinity of the Parmeton reservoir and also by a privy located near this reservoir. (b) By trespassers in the vicinity of the other two reservoirs. 2. That some trouble has been experienced in the past due to tastes and odors in the water due to algae growth. In view of the above I beg to offer the following recommendations to be acted upon by the village authorities: 1. That if sufficient water can be obtained without the use of the Parmeton reservoir this source of supply be abandoned. If, however, it is necessary to continue the use of this supply it is recommended that: (a) Watertight containers be provided for the privy on the premises located nearby and that these containers be emptied and contents properly disposed of at regular intervals. (b) Suitable notices be posted and rigid regulations enacted to prevent trespassing about the reservoir. (c) Suitable drainage ditches be constructed to divert all surface wash. 2. That with respect to the Burdette reservoir and the Round Hollow reservoir the areas owned by the village be fenced and proper notices posted to prevent trespassing. 3. That regular and frequent inspections be made of the watersheds tributary to the supplies in order to locate and eliminate any insanitary conditions which may be found to exist. 4. That should any trouble be experienced in properly regulating the sanitary conditions on the watersheds tributary to the Ballston Spa water supply, application be made to this Department for the enactment of rules and regulations protecting the sanitary quality of the supply. I would further recommend that copies of this report be transmitted to the local authorities and to the sanitary supervisor of the district. Respectfully submitted, THEODORE HORTON, ALBANY, N. Y., August 27, 1917 |
