BEDFORD HILLS

HERMANN M. BIGGS, M.D., State Commissioner of Health:

I beg to submit the following report upon an investigation of the public water supply of Bedford Hills made on December 22, 1916, by Mr. M. F. Sanborn, assistant engineer in this Department, who was assisted by Mr. C. E. Burbank, superintendent of the water company.

Bedford Hills is an unincorporated village with a population of 1,200 located in the town of Bedford in the northcentral part of Westchester county on the Harlem Division of the New Cork Central railroad about 33 miles north of New York City. The village is not provided with a sewer system, the houses being served by cesspools, septic tanks and privies.

The water supply is obtained from several springs on a hillside in the southern part of the village and an auxiliary supply is obtained from a drilled well in the northern part of the village. The water supply is owned and operated by the Bedford Hills Water Company which constructed the waterworks in 1906.

About 420 or 35 per cent of the population are served by the supply with an average daily consumption of 42,000 gallons. The water mains consist of 2 miles of 2-inch pipe. Of the 60 service taps none are metered. From the springs the supply is distributed by gravity and from the well by pumping. The average pressure is approximately 80 pounds per square inch at the railroad station. In addition to a distributing reservoir there are two cisterns for fire protection which are connected with the distribution system. The reservoir, located near the springs, is 17 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep. It is constructed of stone masonry, with a concrete cover and has a capacity of 20,000 gallons. The auxiliary well in the northern part of the village is drilled to a depth of 300 feet, passing through 20 feet of earth, and the remainder of the distance through rock. The casing is 6 inches in diameter. The springs from which the supply is mainly obtained are protected by stone masonry basins and are reasonably well protected from surface wash. The auxiliary well is rather unsatisfactorily located with respect to possibilities of pollution of tributary ground water. The pumping station is located in the rear of the house of the pump operator. There is a cesspool for this house about 30 feet distant from the well. A privy is located within 100 feet of the well and three others are between 100 and 200 feet distant. The railroad passes between the cesspool serving the house at the pumping station and lower land on which a new cesspool might be located. By securing permission to cross the railroad tracks with a sewer line it would be possible to construct a cesspool remote from the auxiliary well.

Samples of water were collected at the time of the inspection and the results of the analyses of these samples will be found in the appended table. The results of the analyses of the regular supply show a water clear, colorless and moderately hard. With the exception of that for nitrates the figures for nitrogen in its various forms are low, indicating the presence of moderate amounts only of decomposing or decomposable organic matter. The figures for nitrates, however, are somewhat high, indicating the occurrence of organic pollution of tributary ground water, rendered inactive, however, by natural processes of purification. The total bacterial counts are low and organisms of the B. coli type were not isolated from inoculations tested. The single bacterial analysis of the auxiliary well supply indicated the absence of active contamination at the time of the collection of the samples. In the case of the well supply, however, it is impossible to predict the contamination of its freedom from active contamination at times of excessive draft or other unusual hydraulic conditions of the ground water. In view of the numerous opportunities for pollution located nearby it seems somewhat doubtful whether satisfactory results would at all times be obtained. In view of the above facts the following conclusions may be drawn:

1. That the springs serving as the principal source for the public water supply of Bedford Hills, if properly developed and maintained, should afford a reasonably satisfactory supply for the village.

2. That the auxiliary well, however, is unsatisfactorily located with respect to nearby sources of pollution.

I would, therefore, recommend:

1. That the Bedford Hills Water Company take steps to place the various springs tributary to their water supply in a satisfactory condition and to so maintain them that they will at all times be free from possibilities of pollution by surface wash.

2. That the cesspool in the vicinity of the auxiliary well be abandoned and another cesspool constructed on the opposite side of the railroad track at least 200 feet distant from the well and that all privies within a radius of 500 feet on the well be provided with watertight removable containers which shall be maintained in a satisfactory condition at all times, the contents of which being removed and disposed of at some satisfactory place as frequently as may be found necessary.

3. That whenever, the auxiliary supply is used analyses be made at regular intervals to determine whether it remains free from active contamination and should such contamination be at any time found present that steps be taken to discover and eliminate the source, or if such be found impossible or impracticable, steps be taken to sterilize the supply with liquid chlorine.

I would further recommend that copies of this report be transmitted to the Bedford Hills Water Company, to the local health officer, and to the sanitary supervisor of the district.

Respectfully submitted,

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.

BELFAST

HERMANN M. BIGGS, M.D., State Commissioner of Health:

I beg to submit the following report upon an investigation of the public water supply of Belfast made by Mr. C. M. Baker, assistant engineer, on July 13, 1917.

Belfast is an unincorporated village of between 500 and 600 inhabitants, located in the town of the same name, Allegany county. It is on the Rochester branch of the Pennsylvania railroad, 79 miles south of the city of Rochester. No sewerage system is provided in the village, the houses being served by privies, cesspools, etc.

The public water supply is derived from wells located on a hill about one mile west of the village and was first put into service about 1907 or 1908. The waterworks are owned by the village and are operated under the direction of the board of water commissioners. Since the original installation, 4 new wells have been added to the system. About one-half the population of the village is served with water, there being in all 160 service taps all of which are metered. The average daily consumption is about 18,000 gallons with a maximum of 25,000 and a minimum of 11,000. A milk station and canning factory in the village use considerable water during certain seasons of the year. There are in all about 3 miles of water mains ranging in size from 4 to 6 inches in diameter. The pressure is about 60 pounds per square inch in the central part of the village.

The water is raised by an air lift from the wells into a concrete reservoir located nearby from which it flows by gravity to the village and through the distribution system. The wells, nine in number, are 8 inches in diameter, and with the exception of one, which is 328 feet deep, are drilled to a depth of about 350 feet. The wells pass first through 6 to 12 feet of soil, including loam and gravel and then for the remainder of the distance through shale. Water rises in the wells to within about 30 feet of the top. Harris air lifts are used to force the water from the wells directly into the reservoir. The pumping station is constructed of brick and is equipped with two Blaisdale air compressors each of which is operated by a 33-horse power gas or gasoline engine. The reservoir is constructed of concrete and provided with a concrete cover. It is 30 by 60 feet in plan by 10% feet deep and has a capacity of 236,000 gallons. The air compressors are operated as necessary; usually three or three and one-half hours per day.

The wells are located in a hillside pasture and an area of approximately 11⁄2 acres about them is owned by the village and enclosed by a fence. The nearest buildings consist of farm buildings which are about 600 feet distant. No insanitary conditions were observed in the vicinity and it would seem that a satisfactory supply of water should be obtained from the wells.

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 those of previous analyses are recorded in the appended tables.

The results of these analyses show a water satisfactory in physical qualities with respect to color and turbidity but a water that is very hard. The figures for nitrogen in its various forms are low. Those for chlorine although high are probably due to mineral deposits. The bacterial counts are occasionally high but these may be due to delays in transit, two days frequently elapsing from the time of collection until the samples were received at the laboratory. Colon bacilli are usually absent, although on two occasions these organisms have been found present in 10 c.c. inoculations, thus indicating the presence of a small amount of active contamination. It is probable however, that this contamination was due to some local condition not generally affecting the supply.

As a result of this investigation it may be concluded that the public water supply of Belfast is derived from a source which should furnish a water of satisfactory sanitary quality, but one that is very hard.

In view of the above it seems necessary to recommend at this time only that the village authorities continue their careful supervision of the supply in order to properly protect it at all times from contamination.

I would further recommend that copies of this report be sent to the local officials and to the sanitary supervisor of the district. Yours very truly,

THEODORE HORTON,
Chief Engineer

ALBANY, N. Y., August 28, 1917

RESULTS OF WATER ANALYSES

PHYSICAL

CHEMICAL (PARTS PER MILLION)

BACTERIOLOGICAL