St. Paul daily globe., 1884-08-03
st. Paul Water Works as They
are at Present and will be
Under the New System.
A Brief History of Our Present Water
Works and the Source of
Supply.
How the New System is Being Built, and the
Advantages to be Secured.
A Globe Reporter Takes a Trip Over the
Works and Tests the Water.
The Present Susten,.

ST. PAUL's WATER WORKS AS THEY ARE.
There is no industry in St. Paul which is
so closely allied to the interests of the people
as the water works, and yet it is safe to say
that very few, if any, industries within the
city limits, or contiguous thereto, are as un-
familiar to the people as the means by which
the water is secured. Perhaps not one OF
ten persons who use hydrant water can tell
where it is secured, while the per centage
that can tell how it is secured is much
smaller. The cost of labor and the work
necessary to furnish the city with water is
also probably unknown except to few of our
citizens. At this time, when cholera is rag
ing in the old world, and every precautien is
being taken to secure the health of our ,citi-
SOURCE OF OUR PRESENT SCPPLY.
When the advantages which could be Sc
cured by system of water works were first
agitatated, those interested in the matter
turned their attention to the lakes around
st. Paul and naturally decided that they
should furnish the city. The number of
these lakes, with their acreage of water is as
follows: Vadnais, $50; Lambert, 750; Pha-
len, 237; Gervais, 210; Pleasant, 730; White
Bear, 5000; Bald Eagle, 1900; Bass, 400;
Otter, 400; other lakes, $50; making a total
of S,727 acres of water. This could be in
creased to about 10000 acres by adding
other lakes available. These lakes are the
center of water shed of 10000 acres, and
to these the promoters of the scheme looked
for water with which to supply st. Paul.
The plan was to connect such of these lakes
with canals as were not already connected
with streams and thus make one vast reser-
voir.
QUALITY OF THE WATER.
The quality of the water which is secured
from these lakes is far superior to any found
in the west, and is probably unsurpassed by
any in the world. The water take from Lake
Phalen, on being analyzed, was found to
contain only 60 grains of solid matter to the
gallon, while that of the lakes shows only
eleven grains. The well water in this city
shows from twenty to twenty-five grains of
solid matter to the gallon, and the amount is
increased as the population increases. This
is shown by the fact that the well water in
New York city contains nearly 225 grains OF
solid matter to the gallon, while the well
water of London does not fall far short OF
300 grains. The pecolation of the water
through soil impregnated with foul matter
being instrumental in causing this differ
ence. The nearest approach to the water
supplied by the lakes is to be found in the
springs in the upper part of the city, which
probably do not contain more than fifteen
grains of solid matter to the gallon. st. Paul
is especially favored in thus having natural
basin from which pure water, to an unlim-
tied amount, can be drawn.
THE PIPES LAID.
The great difficulty experienced was in
getting the water to the CITY, AS early as
1862 the question of a system of water
works was agitated in st. Paul, and in 1865
active steps were taken to secure the desired
end In 1868 the ST. Paul Water company,
of which c. d. Gilfllan was president, com
menced work at Lake Phalen. The work
was pushed rapidly, and by the fall of 1869
they had completed their work at the lake,
and had run a sixteen inch pipe into the city
striking Seventh street at Locust, and run
ing up Seventh street, from whence numerous
smaller pipes supplied the city. In Decem-
Der, 1869, over ten miles of pipe had been
laid in the streets, and the lower portions of
the city were supplied with water. In the
fall of the year 1878 the supply of water be-
ing inadequate to meet the demands of a
rapidly growing city, new line of twenty
four inch pipe was laid from the lake. This
water is carried into the city by its own force,
and no pumping station is used, and for this
reason no attempt has been made to supply
st. Anthony hill, and other high portions
of the city.
GROWTH OF THE SYSTEM.
The system continued to grow, and on
December, 1888, the total amount of pipe
laid aggregated ,02s feet, or nearly
twenty-nine miles. This amount was divi-
ded as follows: Four inch, 36, 763 feet; six
inch, 1884 feet; twelve inch, 6,Os5 feet;
sixteen inch, 2S,771 feeU;. and 7,O25 feet
twenty-four inch pipe. In addition to this
there were 236 fire hydrants, twenty-four
sprnklng hydrants, and 343 valves. The
cost of this work was over S500,000. In
August, 1882, the water works passed from
the control of the st. Paul Water company to
public ownership. The consideration being
s51o,O00
A NEW SYSTEM DEMANDED.
For number of years there has been a
growing feeling that new system of water
works was needed. 1t was not only evident
that the present system would soon be mad
equate to supply the wants of the citizens,
but the need of convenient water on high
portions of the city. like st. Anthony's hill,