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RESULTS OF WATER ANALYSES

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

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CHERRY VALLEY

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 the village of Cherry Valley made by Mr. E. S. Chase, assistant engineer, on December 15, 1916.

Cherry Valley is an incorporated village of 762 inhabitants, located in the northeastern portion of Otsego county. This village is the terminus of the Sharon Springs and Cherry Valley branch of the Delaware and Hudson railroad and is surrounded by a prosperous farming section. The village is mainly residential and serves as a trading center for the surrounding country. There is no public system of sewers in the village, the houses being served by privies and cesspools.

The public water supply is derived from a small stream impounded in a storage and distributing reservoir about 1 mile east of the village center. The waterworks were installed in 1895 and constructed by contract under the direction of the engineer, Mr. J. W. Lamb of Cooperstown. Shortly after the construction of the main reservoir a smaller reservoir was constructed which serves to collect the water from a small surface watershed and from springs, this reservoir serving as an auxiliary supply at times when it is necessary to clean the main reservoir. About three years ago a 30-inch mud pipe was placed through the dam of the main reservoir in order to allow opportunity for thoroughly cleaning the reservoir when necessary, otherwise there has been no change in the system. The waterworks are owned and operated by the municipality under the direction of the board of water commissioners of which Mr. Seth Pearson is president and Mr. G. A. Walton is superintendent. Practically the entire population of the village is served by the supply, as well as the railroad. No information is available regarding water consumption as there are no meters or other methods for measuring the amount of water used, but assuming a rate of 100 gallons per capita the consumption may approximate 80,000 gallons per day. There are between 4 and 5 miles of water mains ranging in size from 2 to 10 inches in diameter and the pressure in the village is between 80 and 90 pounds per square inch. There are about 200 service taps.

The main reservoir is two or three acres in area and 16 feet deep and has a capacity of approximately 13,000,000 gallons. It is formed by an earthen dam with masonry core wall constructed across the bed of the brook. The intake consists of a 10-inch pipe connected to the main supply line to the village by a swivel joint, the end of the intake being maintained at a point about 3 feet below the surface of the reservoir by means of a float constructed of barrels.

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Since the installation of the mud pipe the reservoir has been cleaned about once a year. The water mains are flushed 5 or 6 times a year. The village owns about 10 acres of land in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir. small reservoir is about one-half acre in area and has a maximum depth of about 10 feet. Its capacity may be estimated at about 2,000,000 gallons. The watershed tributary to it is only a few acres in area and free from permanent sources of contamination.

The watershed above the reservoir is approximately 2 4 square miles in area. It consists mainly of the fairly steep side slopes of the hills forming the valley. The soil is loamy gravel overlying rock strata of limestone. The majority of the area is cleared land devoted to agriculture. There are 8 occupied dwellings upon the watershed and the population may be estimated at about 30, or 12 per square mile. In the majority of cases the houses and farm buildings are fairly remote from the stream or its tributaries. At the Yerdon place, however, about 11⁄2 miles above the reservoir, the house, barn and privy are within 100 feet of the stream. On the whole, however, the contamination which reaches the stream is probably of animal rather than human origin and is from surface wash from the barn yards, pastures and

cultivated fields. The watershed is protected by rules and regulations enacted by this Department in 1897. The village authorities have taken steps to enforce these rules and regulations and at the Yerdon place have succeeded in having the privy relocated and general conditions improved somewhat. Ice cutting upon the reservoir is carried on to some extent during the winter under the supervision of the water commissioners.

In 1908 an investigation was made by this division into the matter of tastes and odors which had developed in the supply. As a result of this investigation it was recommended that the mains be flushed to remove accumulated sediment and that the reservoir be thoroughly cleaned. These recommendations have been carried out by the village authorities.

At the time of the inspection samples of the water were collected, and the results of the analyses of these samples together with others made in the past by the Division of Laboratories and Research will be found in the appended table.

These analyses show a water at times colored and turbid. The figures for nitrogen in its various forms are moderately high showing the presence of decomposing and decomposable organic matter. The figures for chlorine are somewhat above normal for unpolluted waters in this region. The water is rather hard, due probably to the calcareous nature of the soil and underlying rock. The total bacterial counts are high and organisms of the B. coli type are comparatively prevalent, being found in inoculations as small as 1 c.c. The high bacterial count and the prevalence of B. coli indicate active contamination of human or animal origin.

In view of the above facts the following conclusions may be drawn:

1. That the public water supply of the village of Cherry Valley is derived from a source subject to considerable indirect contamination from highways, pasture lands, cultivated fields, barn-yards and houses located upon the watershed.

2. That there was no evidence at the time of the inspection of direct contamination of human origin, although it is evident that such contamination of an accidental, incidental or wilful nature may be brought about by the permanent residents upon the watershed or transient visitors thereto, or by men engaged in ice cutting operations during the winter.

3. That, while the storage afforded by the impounding reservoir brings about a certain degree of purification and while the rules and regulations if rigorously enforced will minimize the danger of contamination, it is evident that the supply can be made safe at all times and under all conditions only by means of adequate purification.

In view of the above the following recommendations may be made:

1. That the village authorities continue to enforce rules and regulations enacted by this Department in order to minimize the number of opportunities for contamination.

2. That ice cutting upon the reservoir be abandoned.

3. That the village authorities give immediate consideration to the installation of a modern purification plant after the design and under the supervision of a competent engineer.

Respectfully submitted,

THEODORE HORTON,
Chief Engineer

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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.

CHESTER

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

I beg to submit the following report upon an inspection of the public water supply of the village of Chester made on July 11, 1917, by Mr. E. S. Chase, assistant engineer in this Department.

Chester is an incorporated village with a population of about 1,280, located in the central part of Orange county on the main line of the Erie railroad about 60 miles northwest of the city of New York. There are practically no industries in the village, it being the trading center for an agricultural section. There is no public system of sewers in the village, the houses being served by privies and cesspools.

The public water supply is derived from Walton lake, located about 5 miles southeast of the village. The waterworks were installed in 1892 after the designs of Mr. J. B. Rider, civil engineer of New York city. The supply is delivered to the village by gravity and is unpurified. The waterworks are in charge of the board of trustees of which Mr. J. S. Murray is president.

Practically the entire population of the village is supplied from the public water supply and numerous individual farm houses outside of the village limits are also served. No data are available regarding the water consumption but based upon a per capita rate of 100 gallons daily, it is reasonable to assume that the consumption approaches 130,000 gallons daily. Considerable water is also used by the railroad. There are 8 miles of water mains ranging from 4 to 12 inches in diameter, 5 miles of main being the line leading from the lake to the village. The average pressure in the village ranges from 60 to 90 pounds per square inch. Practically none of the services are metered. The intake at Walton lake consists of a 12-inch pipe terminating at a point roughly estimated to be 500 feet from the northwestern shore of the lake and at a depth of 9 feet. The end of this pipe is said to be protected by a timber crib. From the intake the water flows through a gate chamber located on the shore of the lake.

The lake is 127 acres in area and has an estimated capacity of approximately 300,000,000 gallons. The elevation of the lake was raised about 3.5

feet by the construction of a small dam across the outlet. The present high water mark of the lake is practically 250 feet above the center of the village. Walton lake has a surface watershed, including the area of the lake, of approximately 1.12 square miles. Most of this area consists of moderately steep slopes leading directly to the shores of the lake. The area east of the lake is largely covered with timber while the western slopes are cleared land. Some 50 summer cottages and 4 or 5 permanent farm houses are located around the lake, most of them being at distances fairly remote from the lake. The total permanent population may be considered as about 25, or about 22 per square mile, while in summer this population probably reaches 250, or 220 per square mile. At the northern end of the lake is a summer hotel which has a capacity for 35 or 40 guests. No information could be obtained as to the exact location of the cesspool which is said to receive the sewage from the hotel. No evidence of sewage overflow, however, was noted at the time of the inspection. At this hotel a small frame building is constructed on the shore of the lake directly over the water. This building is used for sleeping quarters for three of the employees. No toilet facilities, however, are provided. At the southwest end of the lake there is a schoolhouse at which two privies are located with loosely stoned up vaults about 40 feet from a small watercourse leading into the lake and also about 90 feet from the lake itself. The lake is used to a considerable extent for boating and bathing purposes. Rules and regulations for the sanitary protection of this supply were enacted by this Department in 1906. The practice of bathing in the waters of the lake is forbidden by these rules but upon an attempt by the village authorities to stop this practice a court decision prevented the enforcement without_compensation by the village for the damages incurred. The privies at the school as located also constitute a violation of the rules.

Subsequent to the time of the inspection, samples of water were collected by Dr. W. W. Davis, health officer, and the results of the analyses of these samples together with others made in the past by the Division of Laboratories and Research will be found in the appended table.

The results of these analyses show a water slightly colored, usually clear and comparatively soft. The figures for nitrogen in its various forms are moderately low and are consistent with the character of the watershed. The total bacterial counts are usually somewhat high and the occurrence at times of organisms of the B. coli type indicates the presence of active contamination of animal or human origin.

In view of the above facts the following conclusions may be drawn:

1. That the public water supply of Chester is derived from a source which is comparatively free from permanent sources of contamination. 2. That the supply is, however, open to direct contamination during the summer time due to the use of the lake for boating, bathing and other pleasure purposes.

3. That the use of the lake and its shores as a summer resort renders very probable contamination and possible infection of the supply during the summer.

I would therefore recommend:

1. That the village authorities continue to maintain the sanitary surroundings of the lake in as satisfactory condition as possible in order to minimize the dangers of contamination from permanent sources.

2. That in order to prevent accidental, incidental or wilful contamination of the supply during the summer the village install and properly operate, at least during the summer, suitable apparatus for the sterilization of the supply with liquid chlorine.

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

Respectfully submitted,

THEODORE HORTON.
Chief Engineer

ALBANY, N. Y., August 20, 1917

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