RESULTS OF WATER ANALYSES

PHYSICAL

CHEMICAL (PARTS PER MILLION)

BACTERIOLOGICAL

WELLS BRIDGE

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

I beg to submit the following report upon the investigation of the public water supply of Wells Bridge, made by Mr. M. F. Sanborn, assistant engineer, on August 28, 1917.

Wells Bridge is an unincorporated village, located in the southern part of Otsego county, on the Susquehanna river, and on the D. & H. R. R., about 13 miles southwest of Onconta. The population is estimated at 120. About two-thirds of the houses are provided with private sewers, which discharge into the river, while the remaining houses are served by cesspools and privies. The water supply is owned and operated by the Wells Bridge Water Works Company. The supply is derived by gravity from a spring one mile northwest from the village. An auxiliary supply has been obtained for short periods from a well located near the railroad. The waterworks were installed and put in operation in 1914.

Approximately 90 per cent of the population is served with the supply through 130 service taps, none of which are metered. There are 11⁄2 miles of water mains, ranging in size from 1 to 3 inches in diameter. The average pressure is 55 pounds per square inch. Fire protection is provided by means hydrants, located at various points in the village.

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The spring from which the supply is obtained is located in a wooded tract on a side hill, one mile north of the village. The spring is developed by the construction of a circular masonry pit or basin, 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep and covered by loosely laid plank. From this spring a 1-inch pipe, the top of which is covered with a copper screen, conveys the water to the distributing reservoir, located in the northern part of the village. This reservoir is constructed with concrete walls and bottom, 22 feet in diameter, 12 feet deep and with a capacity of 34.000 gallons. The top of the reservoir is covered by a conical shingle roof. The reservoir is cleaned once a year and the water mains are flushed 2 and 3 times a year.

There were no permanent sources of contamination located in the vicinity of the spring, but its development is such that there is a possibility of surface wash reaching it directly at times of heavy rainfall, and furthermore, the character of the cover renders possible opportunities for accidental or wilful contamination by visitors in its vicinity.

The auxiliary well, from which the supply may be augmented at times, consists of 6-inch casing driven to a depth of 60 feet through quicksand. It is located near the railroad tracks, but no other sources of contamination are within 100 feet of it. From 100 feet to within 500 feet there are some 8 buildings, provided with privies and a private sewer passes along the street about 60 feet distant.

At the time of the inspection a sample of the spring supply was collected from a tap in the village. No samples, however, were taken from the well supply. as it was not in use at the time. The results of the analysis of the sample collected made by the Division of Laboratories and Research may be found in the appended table.

The results of this analysis show a clear and colorless water of comparative softness. The figures for nitrogen in its various forms and for oxygen consumed are low. The total bacterial count is somewhat high and the occurrence of organisms of the B. coli tvne in inoculations as small as 1 c.c. indicates the presence of active contamination.

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

1. That the regular water supply of the village of Wells Bridge is derived from a source which if more satisfactorily developed and protected should afford a supply of satisfactory sanitary quality.

2. That the auxiliary well used at times to supplement the regular supply is somewhat unsatisfactorily located with respect to its proximity to sources of possible pollution of the ground water tributary to it.

I would therefore make the following recommendations to be acted upon by the waterworks company:

1. That steps be taken to more satisfactorily develop the spring from which the supply is obtained by the construction of a masonry or concrete curb around its top extending at least 1 foot above the surface of the ground and providing the basin thus formed with a tight cover which should be kept locked.

2. That, in order to avoid the necessity for the use of the auxiliary well, other springs satisfactorily located and free from possibilities of contamination be developed and connected with the present reservoir. I would further recommend that copies of this report be transmitted to the local authorities and to the sanitary supervisor of the district. Respectfully submitted,

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

WELLSVILLE

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 Wellsville made on April 6, 1917, by Mr. E. S. Chase, assistant engineer.

Wellsville is an incorporated village with a population of 4,382 located in the southeastern part of Allegany county on the Genesee river and on the Erie and Buffalo and Susquehanna railroads. The village is partly an industrial community and partly a trading center for the surrounding agricultural region. While there is no comprehensive sewer system for the entire village, several private and public sewers empty into the river while many houses are served by privies and cesspools.

The public water supply is derived from the Genesee river after purification through a slow sand filter plant. The supply was formerly owned by the Wellsville Water Company and derived unpurified from Cromer brook and from wells near the Genesee river. This original supply proved inadequate in quantity and not satisfactory in quality and consequently the village took

steps to purchase the plant of the company and to develop a new supply from the Genesee river. This new supply has been in operation since the twentyseventh of January of the present year. The waterworks were designed by Mr. C. C. Hopkins, civil engineer of Rochester, and installed by contract under the direction of Mr. J. M. Sill, resident engineer.

Practically the entire population of the village is served by the supply and the average daily consumption may be estimated at approximately 550,000 gallons. There are about 6 mills and the railroad which use considerable amounts of water. There are 18 miles of water mains ranging in size from 5 to 14 inches in diameter. Of the 1,000 service taps some two-thirds are metered at present and meters are being installed on the other services as rapidly as possible. The water is pumped from the river to the filtration plant located on a hill north of the village, from whence it is distributed by gravity at an average pressure of about 90 pounds per square inch.

The intake is located about 1 mile south of the village at a point just above an oil refinery. At this point a low timber dam has been placed across the stream and concrete intake works constructed on the east bank. From this intake the water flows by gravity to the pumping station located in the southwestern part of the village on the western bank of the river.

The pumping equipment consists of a two-stage Allis-Chalmers centrifugal pump direct connected to an electric motor. The capacity of this pump is 1,260 gallons per minute. Two old Worthington duplex steam pumps rated at 121⁄2 million gallons per day each are kept in reserve for emergency. Steam and electricity are furnished by the power plant of the municipal electric works located in the same building.

From the pumping station the water is forced to a 3,000,000-gallon storage reservoir constructed of concrete and circular in plan. From this reservoir the water flows by gravity to three units of covered slow sand filters 40 x 93 feet in plan each, with a total area of one-fourth acre. The sand in these filters is 30 inches in depth over 5 inches of graded gravel underlaid by brick underdrains. The water is carried over the sand layer of the filters at a depth of 3 feet. Devices are provided for indicating the loss of head through the filters and for controlling the rate of filtration. It is planned to clean the filters at such times as the loss of head reaches 3 feet. After cleaning it is planned to waste the filtrate for about three days to an amount of 150,000 gallons. From the filters the purified water flows to a circular covered reinforced concrete clear water basin with a capacity of half a million gallons 75 feet diameter and 15 feet deep.

Analyses of raw and treated water are made at intervals by Mr. G. E. Willcomb of Albany and every week by Dr. Robinson of the Allegany county laboratory.

The Genesee river above the point of intake has a watershed area of approximately 200 square miles and a population estimated at 20 per square mile. This area is devoted largely to agriculture and the opportunities for pollution are those incidental to any fairly well populated surface watershed. A portion of the watershed lies in the state of Pennsylvania and on this portion is located the village of Genesee. This village has no sewerage system, however. Subsequent to this inspection a request has been received from the village authorities for the enactment by this Department of rules and regulations for the sanitary protection of that portion of the Genesee river tributary to their supply and located within this State.

On February 28 of the present year the water from one of the old wells near the pumping station was pumped directly into the distribution system. After this pumping many cases of diarrheal disturbances occurred in the village which were attributed to the use of this well water. These wells are located in coarse gravel within a few feet of the Genesee river and the water therefrom undoubtedly reaches these wells without adequate purification at times of heavy draft. A by-pass is also provided into the distribution system from the force main to the purification plant whereby untreated river water may be pumped into the distribution system at times of fire or other emergency.

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

These analyses show clearly the contaminated condition and unsafe sanitary quality of the raw Genesee river water, the total bacterial counts being high and organisms of the B. coli type prevalent. The results of these analyses of the filtered water show a marked reduction in the total counts and in organisms of the B. coli type, although it is probable that still further bacterial removal will be effected as soon as the filters have had opportunity to reach normal operating condition.

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

1. That the new filtration works for the public water supply of the village of Wellsville appear to be so designed and constructed as to afford opportunity for ample purification of the Genesee river provided these works are at all times carefully and efficiently operated.

2. That at the time of the inspection the filters had been in operation too short a time to have reached the point of highest bacterial efficiency, but there is no reason to believe that satisfactory efficiency will not be reached shortly.

3. That the pumping of raw river water or water from the old wells directly into the distribution system without purification is inadvisable and might result in an outbreak of water-borne disease. In this connection the outbreak of intestinal disturbances subsequent to the use of the unpurified well water is extremely significant.

4. That the existence of the by-pass valve connecting the raw water force main directly with the distribution system renders it possible to nullify the good effect of the purification plant at such times as direct pumping is resorted to.

I would therefore recommend:

1. That the village authorities continue to maintain careful and efficient operation of the purification plant and keep proper records of such operation and the results of the analyses made at regular intervals.

2. That at no time should raw water from either wells or river be pumped directly into the distribution system.

3. That the by-pass valve connecting the force main and distribution system be kept sealed and tightly closed except in case of a severe fire and subsequent to the use of raw water at such a time the mains be thoroughly flushed. Furthermore, steps should be taken to provide at the earliest practicable time ample reserve storage of purified water to fulfill all requirements for fire protection in order that this valve and cross connection may be completely removed.

4. That upon enactment the rules and regulations of this Department covering that portion of the Genesee river immediately tributary to the Wellsville water supply and situated in this State be thoroughly enforced by the local authorities.

I would also recommend that copies of this report be transmitted to the local authorities and to the sanitary supervisor of the district.

ALBANY, N. Y., May 25, 1917

Respectfully submitted,
THEODORE HORTON,
Chief Engineer