2. That, however, if it seems impracticable to purify the present supply, another supply be developed from a source or sources free from pollution. Finally I would recommend that copies of this report be sent to the water company, the local health officer and to the sanitary supervisor of the district. Respectfully submitted, Results are expressed in parts per million. 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. + Present. * Liquefied. STAMFORD 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 Stamford, made on July 30, 1917 by Mr. M. F. Sanborn, assistant engineer, who was assisted at the time of the inspection by Dr. H. P. Hubbell, health officer, and Mr. J. H. Gilmore, superintendent of the water company. General information Location. Incorporated village in the northeastern part of Delaware county, on the Ulster and Delaware railroad and at the head waters of the west branch of the Delaware river. Population. Population ranges from about 1,000 during the winter to about 2,500 during the summer. Water Supply. Owned by Stamford Water Co., Mr. J. C. Van Dyke, president and Mr. J. H. Gilmore, superintendent. Consumption. Estimated from 95,000 to 250,000 gallons per day. Source of supply. Headwaters Delaware river, intake at reservoir about three miles north of the village. Also two drilled wells near filter plant about 11⁄2 miles north of the village. Filter Plant.- Three pressure mechanical filters 8 feet in diameter and 8 feet high. Distribution System.- Gravity supply from reservoir and pumping from wells. Six miles of water mains from 4 inches to 8 inches in diameter. Service Taps.-232 services only 6 of which are metered. Pressure.- 92 to 110 pounds in the village. A previous inspection of this supply was made in 1907 the report of which will be found on page 384, Vol. 2, 1908 Annual Report of the New York State Department of Health. The water system remains practically as described in previous report except that the drilled wells have been added. Furthermore, no connection now exists whereby the water may be pumped from a lower reservoir formerly in use. The reservoir now in use is said to have a capacity of from 15,000,000 to 18,000,000 gallons. The watershed above the reservoir has an area of about 11⁄2 square miles upon which are about seven houses representing a resident population of about 30, or about 24 per square mile. No direct pollution from human sources was noticed during the inspection and practically all of the houses are well removed from the river and its tributaries. Much of the watershed is, however, subject to pollution from the pasturing of cattle. The two drilled wells are 4 inches in diameter, one being 225 feet deep and the other 250 feet. The wells are sunk through about 16 feet of earth and the remaining distance through rock. Four inch casings were driven through the soil to the rock. The pumping plant, located in a frame building 15 by 20 feet adjacent to the filter house, consists of a 13-horsepower Advance gasoline engine, and a Rumsey 6-inch by 8-inch triplex plunger single action belt driven pump. The filter plant for the surface supply is in a frame structure about 15 by 40 feet in size. The filter medium in the pressure filters consists of about 6 inches of graded gravel under two feet of sand having an effective size of 0.8 mm. and a uniformity coefficient of 1.9. The filters are used only during the summer months of the year, and no alum has been used since the first year in operation of the filter plant. The filters are said to be washed once a day by passing the raw water through them in a reverse direction. In connection with the use of alum it should be pointed out that sulphate of aluminum when applied to a natural water containing alkalinity or carbonate of lime will react with this alkalinity forming a precipitate of aluminum hydrate. This precipitate occurs in the form of flakes which entangle particles of dirt and bacteria present in the raw water. Without the aid of the coagulant these dirt particles and bacteria would pass through the filters to a considerable extent but when the precipitate is produced entangling the foreign matters the whole is strained out by the filters. As long as alkalinity is present no free alum will pass through the filter. At the time of the inspection samples of the raw water and of the filtered water were collected and the results of the analyses will be found in the appended table. From the analyses of these samples it will be seen that the raw water was somewhat colored, had a slight turbidity and was moderately soft. The high figures for albuminoid ammonia, free ammonia and oxygen consumed are apparently due largely to organic matter derived from vegetation and from the cattle pasturing on the watershed. The bacterial counts are moderately high and organisms of the B. coli group were found in 10 c.c. and 1 c.c. inoculations. The filtered water contained somewhat smaller amounts of color, turbidity, ammonia and oxygen consumed, these results indicating that some degree of purification was being obtained. The bacterial results, however, are far from satisfactory, there being an increase in the total count and organisms of the B. coli group were found in 10 c.c. inoculations. As a result of this investigation and of the analyses the following conclusions may be drawn: 1. That the public water supply of the village of Stamford is obtained from a source which is subject to considerable pollution derived from cattle pastured upon the watershed and from the houses and roads thereon. 2. That the size of the sand in the filter plant was too large and not in accordance with good practice. 3. That the failure to use alum in connection with the filtration process renders the filters practically useless for effecting bacterial purification. In view of the above conclusions I would make the following recommendations to be acted upon by the Stamford Water Company: 1. That the filters be placed in a satisfactory condition by providing them with sand having an effective size of from .3 to .5 millimeters. 2. That alum should be applied constantly and in amounts sufficient to secure bacterial removal. 3. That the water company consider the advisability of installing a liquid chlorine apparatus to sterilize all water either before or after filtration. That the company maintain as far as possible sanitary conditions upon the watershed and in case any difficulty is experienced along this line application should be made to this Department for the enactment of rules and regulations for the protection of the watershed. I would, therefore, recommend that copies of this report be sent to the Stamford Water Company and to the local authorities. Respectfully submitted, Absent. Results are expressed in parts per million. + Present. Abbreviations used to describe odors of water: 0, none; 1, very faint; 2, faint; 3, distinct; 4, deciled; 5, strong; 6, very strong; a, aromatic; d, disagrecable; e, carthy; f, fishy; g, grassy; m musiy; v, vegetable. STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (Laboratory Farm) Additional plans for water supply for the Laboratory Farm of the State Department of Health in the town of Guilderland were approved on July 23, 1917. TULLY LINSLY R. WILLIAMS, M.D., Acting State Commissioner of Health: I beg to submit the following report upon an inspection of the public water supply of the village of Tully made by Mr. E. S. Chase on December 22, 1916, in company with and assisted by Dr. W. H. Dwinelle, health officer. Tully is an incorporated village with a population of 559, located in the southern part of Onondaga county on the Syracuse division of the D., L. & W. railroad, 42 miles south of Syracuse. The village is largely a residential community and trade center for the surrounding agricultural district. There is no sewer system in the village, the houses being served by privies and cesspools. The public water supply is derived from a shallow dug well located in the northeastern part of the village. The waterworks were constructed in 1896 and no changes or additions have been made to the system since that date. The system is owned and operated by the village under the direction of the Water and Light Board of which Mr. H. D. Bailey is president and superintendent. Nearly the entire population is served by the supply and the daily water consumption may be estimated at 48,000 gallons or 85 gallons per capita. The water mains consist of about 3 miles of pipe ranging in size from 4 to 10 inches in diameter and from the distribution system there are about 175 services of which % are metered. The water is pumped from the well through the distribution system against a pressure of about 75 pounds per square inch maintained by an open reservoir on the hill west of the village. The well was developed by sinking a steel caisson 12 feet in diameter to a depth of 16 feet. The well passes through gravel for its entire depth. A concrete curb constructed around the top prevents the admission of surface water and the whole is covered by a wooden shed. The water stands in the well to a depth of about 6 feet and even under excessive pumping is not lowered more than 3 feet. The pumping equipment is located in a wooden building, immediately adjacent to the well, which contains the municipal lighting plant of the village. The pumping equipment consists of a Worthington cross compound duplex double acting plunger pump operated normally at the rate of 50 revolutions per minute. A Dean duplex plunger pump of the same dimensions is kept in reserve for emergency use. The steam for the operation of the pump is derived from two 100 horse power boilers which are also used in connection with operating the lighting equipment. The reservoir was constructed by excavating into the side of the hill and lining the inside slopes of the excavation with masonry. The top of the reservoir is approximately 85 by 100 feet and the bottom 50 by 70 feet while the depth is about 15 feet. The total capacity, therefore, may be estimated at approximately 700,000 gallons. The reservoir is open but is protected from surface wash and surrounded by a wire fence. The location of the well practically within the village is not particularly satisfactory. It is stated, however, that the direction of the ground water flow is from the well toward the village, but in view of the apparently porous nature of the water-bearing stratum it seems very probable that at times of heavy pumping the flow of ground water may be from the thickly settled portion of the village toward the well. There are approximately 10 houses beyond 100 feet and within 500 feet of the well and 22 houses beyond 500 feet and within 1,000 feet radius of the well. The nearest privy is about 100 feet distant. The land east of the well is devoted to agriculture. The land within the immediate vicinity of the well is comparatively level, the village being located in the valley between moderately high hills. There has been some trouble due to tastes and odors derived from algae developed in the reservoir. This has been obviated by cleaning the reservoir. At one time a man, found bathing in the reservoir, was arrested and fined. Subsequent to the time of the inspection samples of the water were collected by Dr. Dwinelle, 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 These analyses show a clear but colorless and very hard water. figures for nitrogen in its various forms and especially those for nitrates are higher than should be found in an unpolluted ground water. The figures for chlorine are also very high and these figures taken in conjunction with the high figures for nitrates indicate the occurrence of considerable organic pollution of the ground water tributary to the supply, usually rendered inactive by the natural processes of purification. The bacterial counts are in some cases extremely high although this may be due to delay in transit. Organisms of the B. coli type are usually absent although they have been found occasionally in small dilutions indicating that at times the natural processes of purification are incomplete. In view of the above the following conclusions may be drawn: 1. That the well from which the public water supply of Tully is derived is unsatisfactorily located with respect to its proximity to the various dwellings in the village. 2. That the analytical results indicate the occurrence of considerable pollution of the ground water tributary to the supply, usually rendered inactive by natural processes of purification although at times the occurrence of organisms of the B. coli type indicates active contamination. In view of these conclusions, I beg to recommend: 1. That the village authorities consider the development of a new well, possibly at a point several hundred feet east of the present well in order to secure a supply remote from potential sources of contamination. 2. That when the above recommendation is carried out an area at least 200 feet in diameter around the new well be enclosed by a suitably constructed fence and trespassing in the enclosure be strictly forbidden. Respectfully submitted, THEODORE HORTON, ALBANY, N. Y., February 28, 1917 |