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, aro.natie; d. disagreeable; e, earthy; f, fishy; g, grassy; m, musty; v, vegetable.

LYONS FALLS

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

I beg to submit the following report on an investigation of the municipal water supply of Lyons Falls, made by Mr. C. M. Baker, assistant engineer, on October 25, 1916.

Lyons Falls is an incorporated village of 863 inhabitants, according to the 1915 census, located in Lewis county, on the Utica and Ogdensburg branch of the New York Central railroad, 45 miles north of Utica. The village is at the junction of the Moose river with the Black river. No public sewer system is provided in the village, although there are some private sewers, which discharge without treatment into the river, with one of which there are about 30 house connections.

There are two public water supplies in the village, one owned by the Beauty Spring Water Company, the other being the municipal supply, and the one under consideration in this report. The supply is derived from a small spring brook called Beauty creek, at a point 2 or 21⁄2 miles southwest of the village, and was first put into operation in 1909. Seventy-five or eighty per cent of the population is served with the water, there being in all about 100 service taps, none of which are metered. Due to the lack of meters or other method of measuring the water used no definite information could be obtained regarding the consumption, but based upon a per capita rate of 100 gallons daily the total consumption would be about 63,000 gallons per day. There are 3 or 31 miles of water mains, ranging in size from 4 inches to 10 inches in diameter. The pressure in the main part of the village is approximately 80 pounds per square inch.

An earthen dam with a concrete core wall has been constructed across the

stream forming an impounding reservoir, having a capacity of about 1,000,000 gallons, an equivalent of about 16 days' consumption. The upper side of the dam is rip-rapped with flag stones. From this reservoir the water flows by gravity to the village.

The watershed tributary to the supply is approximately .4 square mile in area. Most of this area has fairly steep slopes. About 25 per cent of it is wooded, the remaining area being used largely for pasture land. The village owns some 30 acres in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir, which is fenced. Above the land owned by the village, however, the watershed is used for pasturing, live stock having free access to the streams. There has been some agitation in the village to purchase this area in order to eliminate this source of pollution. One family lives on the watershed, but the buildings are well back from the stream, and there appears to be little opportunity for direct pollution from this source. No application has been made to this Department for the enactment of rules and regulations for the sanitary protection of the supply.

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 table. The results of these analyses show a water at times rather highly colored but satisfactory in respect to turbidity and low in hardness. The figures for nitrogen in the form of free and albuminoid ammonia and nitrites are low, those for nitrates and chlorine, however, are at times rather high, thus indicating the presence of pollution. The bacterial counts are at times very high and colon bacilli are prevalent in the 10 c.c. inoculations, frequently present in the 1 c.c, and occasionally present in 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 that the municipal water supply of Lyons Falls is subject to pollution from the following sources: (a) Indirectly from trespassers on the watershed and also from the one family living thereon.

(b) Directly from surface drainage from pasture land.

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

1. That the village give careful consideration to the purchasing of the land on the watershed in the immediate vicinity of the streams tributary to the supply; or

2. That, should it seem impracticable to purchase this land, apparatus be provided and the supply treated with liquid chlorine or otherwise satisfactorily purified.

Respectfully submitted,

THEODORE HORTON,
Chief Engineer

ALBANY, N. Y., January 18, 1917

RESULTS OF WATER ANALYSES

LYONS FALLS

LINSLY R. WILLIAMS, M. D., Acting State Commissioner of Health:

I beg to submit the following report on an investigation of the public water supply of the Beauty Spring Water Company, furnished to a portion of the village of Lyons Falls. This investigation was made by Mr. C. M. Baker, assistant engineer, on October 25, 1916.

Lyons Falls is an incorporated village of S63 inhabitants, located on the Utica and Ogdensburg branch of the New York Central railroad, about 45 miles north of Utica. Water is also supplied to the inhabitants by a municipal supply. Sewerage is provided by two or three private sewers that discharge without treatment into the Black river.

This supply is derived from a spring located about 2 miles southeast of the village. From this spring the water flows by gravity through the natural course of a small brook for a distance of about 1,000 feet to a small dam which diverts the water into an intake basin from which it flows by gravity to the village. Twenty-five or thirty per cent of the population are served with the water, there being in all 96 service taps, none of which are metered. The mains consist of 21⁄2 miles of pipe ranging in size from 2 to 4 inches in diameter. The pressure in the village ranges from 25 to 45 pounds per square inch. This supply, however, is not depended upon for fire protection. definite information could be obtained regarding the consumption, but based upon a per capita rate of 100 gallons daily, the total consumption would be approximately 2,200 gallons per day.

No

The intake consists of the small diverting dam mentioned above, and a covered intake basin which is constructed of wood. It is protected by a halfinch mesh screen provided at the inlet of the basin. The supply is subject to surface wash from a tributary watershed of possibly 25 or 30 acres. This area is practically all wooded and there are no permanent sources of pollution. The spring is not protected by a fence or other structure and is about 200 feet from a road. A path leading from the road to the spring indicates that the spring is frequented by hunters and trespassers in the vicinity.

Although, due to the lack of containers, samples of water were not collected at the time of the inspection, they were later collected by Dr. Daniel D. Parrish, health officer, 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 table.

The results of these analyses show a water that is satisfactory with respect to color and turbidity, and one that is only moderately hard. The figures for nitrogen in the form of free ammonia, albuminoid ammonia and nitrites are low, those for nitrates and chlorine, however, appear to be slightly above normal. The bacterial counts are at times high, and colon bacilli are frequently present in 10 c.c. inoculations, and occasionally in 1 c.c. inoculations, thus indicating the presence of active contamination either of animal or human origin.

As a result of this investigation it may be concluded that the water supply of the Beauty Spring Water Company is subject to pollution from the following sources:

(a) To some extent from trespassers on the watershed.

(b) From surface wash which finds its way into the supply.

In view of the above, I beg to offer the following recommendations to be acted upon by the water company:

1. That a sufficient area be enclosed by a substantially constructed fence about the springs, and that drainage ditches be constructed within this area to divert all surface wash.

2. That the intake be extended to the spring or to within the enclosed arca, in order to prevent surface wash from entering the supply.

I would recommend further that copies of this report he transmitted to the local authorities and to the sanitary supervisor of the district. Respectfully submitted,

ALBANY, N. Y., March 17, 1917

THEODORE HORTON,
Chief Engineer

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