2. That the purification plant appears to be of a satisfactory design and construction and that if properly operated it should satisfactorily remove the pollution from the water.

In view of the above I beg to offer the following recommendations to be acted upon by the village authorities:

1. That steps be taken to prevent, so far as possible, pollution of the supply from the premises of Clinton Phelps by diverting the course of the stream and by constructing a concrete wall to prevent direct drainage from the barnyard into the stream.

2. That should any trouble be experienced in maintaining proper sanitary conditions on the watershed, application be made to this Department for the enactment of rules and regulations for the protection of the sanitary quality of the supply.

In view of the prime importance of efficient operation of the purification plant it is suggested that the village follow out the plan which is now being quite generally adopted by the more progressive waterworks managements in the State of engaging the services of a consulting expert to make occasional visits to the plant during the year to study the local conditions and operation of the filters and to give detailed advice as to the best methods to employ to improve the operation of the plant and maintain it at its highest possible efficiency.

Finally, I would recommend that copies of this report be sent to the local authorities and to the sanitary supervisor of the district.

Respectfully submitted,

ALBANY, N. Y., December 21, 1917

THEODORE HORTON,

Chief Engineer

RESULTS OF WATER ANALYSES

New reservoir, upper part.

5 30 1 v. 1 v. 180)

35 145.120.148.010 1.60 6.00]

5.50 87,10 84.0

Tap in village.

* Iron=2.25

LITTLE FALLS

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

I beg to submit the following report upon an investigation of the sanitary conditions of the public water supply of Little Falls made by Mr. C. M. Baker, assistant engineer, on November 28, 1916.

General information

Location.—Herkimer county, on N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R., 74 miles west of

Albany.

Population.-13,002, all of which is served with the water.

Source of supply.-Regular, Beaver creek; auxiliary, Spruce creek.
Consumption.—3,500,000 or 4,000,000 gallons daily.

Distribution system.-Gravity. Twenty miles of mains 4 to 14 inches in diameter.

Service taps.-2,300 of which 1,475 are metered.
Pressure.-40 to 140 pounds per square inch.

Storage.—Beaver creek supply; impounding reservoir 1,000,000 gallons; Spruce creek supply; Klondike reservoir 700,000,000 gallons; Eaton reservoir 140,000,000 gallons. Distribution reservoir 25,000,000 gallons. Purification.-Liquid chlorine sterilization, also slow sand.

Reference to previous investigations — Spruce creek supply.—Report of the State Dept. of Health.— Vol. 33, page 924. Reinvestigation December 15, 1915.

In the preceding report on a reinspection of this supply it was recommended that the city authorities install apparatus for sterilizing the supply with liquid chlorine and that they give careful attention to the desirability of subjecting the supply to treatment by a modern filtration plant in order to improve the physical and aesthetic qualities of this supply as well as its sanitary quality.

Subsequent to these recommendations the city has installed and is now operating a plant for sterilizing the water with liquid chlorine. Although no active step has been taken to provide filtration for the whole supply the slow sand filter operated in connection with the Spruce creek supply has been thoroughly overhauled and put in a more satisfactory condition.

The liquid chlorine plant consists of a Wallace & Tiernan, type "B", manual control apparatus which is provided with an automatic shift for disconnecting one cylinder when it becomes empty and cutting in another. It was installed in September, 1916. Scales are provided for determining the amount of chlorine actually used and thus checking the operation of the apparatus. Careful and complete records are kept of the operation of the plant. Chlorine is applied at a rate of 8 to 10 pounds per day when the Beaver creek supply only is being used and 10 to 12 pounds per day when the Spruce creek supply is in use. This is equivalent to .25 to .35 part per million of chlorine. The plant is located just above the distribution reservoir and applies the gas to the water of the inlet to this reservoir.

The slow sand filter for the Spruce creek supply, as now constructed, is about three-fourths of an acre in area. The depth of the sand at the upper end is about 24 inches and at the lower end 32 inches, while the depth of the water over the filter sand is approximately 2 feet and 3 feet 4 inches respectively. Below the sand is gravel which covers the collecting tile. With the present consumption the rate of filtration does not exceed 2,000,000 gallons per acre per day. In view of the fact that water is used from this source only a short time during the summer it is necessary to clean the filter only once each year just before being put into operation.

The sanitary conditions on the watershed are substantially the same as at the time of previous investigations and as recorded in previous reports. The most serious source of pollution seems to be in connection with the Spruce creek supply due to summer cottages along the shore of Eaton

VOL. II 13

reservoir from which this supply is directly obtained. At this place there are about 25 cottages directly on the shores of the reservoir. No bathing is allowed in the lake, however, and the rules and regulations enacted by this Department for the sanitary protection of the supply are rigidly enforced by an inspector of the city who resides upon the watershed.

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 since the previous report are recorded in the appended table.

Analyses of the water prior to the installation of the apparatus for sterilizing the supply with liquid chlorine have frequently shown the presence of contamination as indicated by high bacterial counts and the presence of colon bacilli. The first series of analyses recorded in the appended table clearly show this condition, colon bacilli being present in dilutions as small as 1/10 c.c. At that time, although the chlorine plant was installed, it was out of operation for repairs. The results of the analyses of the samples collected at the time of this inspection, however, show a substantial reduction in the number of bacteria and also practically the elimination of colon bacilli. As a result of this investigation it may be concluded:

1. That the recommendations of this Department embodied in previous reports have been partially carried out in that apparatus has been installed for sterilizing the supply with liquid chlorine and, although no steps have yet been taken to provide filtration of the whole supply, the Spruce creek filter has been overhauled and put in better condition. 2. That the supply is still subject to some pollution from inhabitants on the watershed.

3. That the water from the Spruce creek supply is highly colored and at times the water drawn from the mains in the city is somewhat turbid. In view of the above I beg to recommend as in the previous report that the city authorities consider the desirability of providing filtration for the whole supply in order to improve its physical, aesthetic and sanitary qualities.

The installation and operation of a filter at the distribution reservoir would eliminate the necessity of maintaining the filter in connection with the Spruce creek supply. Furthermore, a mechanical filter with alum used as a coagulant would remove considerable of the color that is present in the water of this supply and it would also, if properly operated, remove all turbidity.

There has been some agitation in the city regarding the purchase of considerable land upon the watershed tributary to the Beaver creek supply. While this may be desirable it would seem that the installation and efficient operation of the filtration plant would secure a much greater improvement of the supply since, even with the purchase of a portion of the watershed, it would be impossible to eliminate all sources of pollution. Furthermore, filtration would have the additional advantage of improving the physical qualities of the water.

In conclusion I would recommend that copies of this report be sent to the village officials and to the sanitary supervisor of the district.

Respectfully submitted,

THEODORE HORTON,

Chief Engineer

ALRANY, N. Y., February 8, 1917

RESULTS OF WATER ANALYSES

BACTERIOLOGICAL

15

TREATED WATER

Chlorine plant installed, but not operating; out of order.