The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-26

Atnougn have had only few DAYS in which
80. eai,lins tns circumstances attending your
water WORKS problem. nevertheless. with the
ala OF good weather, aud the Intelligent nra
sehtation OF facts by your SUPERINTENDENT ana
Sne courteous assistance of your city engineer.
Coi WI. VIM, l md the case made so main
That can confidently canvass the DoSsihiIi,ies
anu outline general plan of operations which
VIII enable you 20 proceed at once leaving the
u ss3l TO De worked up and perfected as rap
iuly as necessary. Three things ara necessarv
10 desirable improvement of the supply viz.
hlVer Nater.-h river water is to be utilized.
the question arises as to whether il shouIl he
essen from tne river at the present location, or
az some point further up stream. Already in.
dustrial establishments are located aIony the
river bank as far up as the present ounap house.
which places contribute TO polluting the water
which Mncn: az time OF rising tide, is carried 70 aud
beyond the pumps. AS the city grows, the al
ready objectionable state of affairs must grow
worse. Wherever the water be taken from the
RIVER, It should first be raisei into setting
basins, or their equivalent, before being forced
through pipes to the city. This necessity would
involve low service pumping station for which
the present pump might be used as part of the
necessary plant. Considering these matters it
may be concluded that constructions of the fol-
lowing character would be required for river
supply:
!. Water.
2. Pumps.
8. Enlarged force main, or its equivalent.
Two sources Of water are available The
river water and the artesian water There is
plenty Of river water, but it is not so desirable
as aTtesian water. There is in my opinion NOT
only enough artesian water availabi FOR present
requirements, but for the requirements of a city
very much larger than now exists AS to its
nature more wiz be said below; but 1t may here
be remarked that if plan is feasible which is
equally well adapted to either source of supply,
and which IS no moro costly than plan for
utilizing either source separately, then all
questions as TO which supply to utilize may be
lad TO rest: All plans practicable for collecting
water at either source involves three possible
arrangements of pumping stations:
First, pumps at present water works
Second, pumps at or near the Sprnfield well
That is, pumps nearer the city center, doing
away with the Objectionable force main
Third, pumps at both localites-a makeshift
scheme, not well adapted for extension TO meet
future requirements, besides involving large
hrst-cost and operating expenses.
PUMPS AT PRESENT WATER WORKS.
4. Low service pumping station at some place
up stream from present pump house.
z. Settling basins at low service station.
3. Conduit to carry water from settling basins
TO present pumping station This conduit
might be at an elevation considerably above the
tide level.
4. Pumps for city service which conform to
the requirements of city of such size and rate
of growth as Savannah.
0. A large force main leading from the cit v
service pumps to the city.
.. A Standpipe.
z. A modification of the city pipe system in
conformity with the above works.
Recognizing the desirabity and availability of
artesian water, the present purpose of discuss
ing river supply is simply to show that any
works adapted to artesian water are equally
we'll adapted to use for river water. and at as
little cost as any WORKS that might now be con-
structed with view to using only river water.
This being the case no note will now be made of
the details Of the river water plan further than
to say that the plan above outlined is similar to
plan which, after much investigation by many
engineers, has been adopted at st. Louis, No.
ARTEsIAN WATER.
Can the artesiau water be had? is the question
which at once arises. The existing wells do
not meet present requirements, and would yield
only a fraction of the requirements of
few years hence and of an improved pressure
in the city 1t Is known that by boring addi
rional wells some increase in the yield of the
wells can be had This was determined by &C
tual measurement thus: I caused the pumps
to be stopped. and by aid of pipe. extending
upward and downward into well near the
pump house, found the hight to which
water would rise in the wells il they
be made high enough to prevent flow.
This hight proved to be twenty-three feet above
mean low tide. A similar pipe was placed in
the southwest well of the system and the well
disconnected from the system. The water rose
to the same hight as at the well near the pump
house, the only connection between the wells
being through the water-bearing strata far uu-
derground. Leaving the south well disconnected
from the system the pumps were started. The
water fell sixteen feet in the first, well,
but in the disconnected well it fell only
eight feet. If this disconnected we'll had
been pumped by another pump until the
water in the well fell to the same level as in
the other wells, then this other pump would
have delivered the quantity of water which this
southwest well. when in action, contributes to
the water supply. This is estimated from the
figures at hand, not to exceed 100000 gallons
per day. 1t will be noted that the water fell
sixteen feet in the wells pumped, and fell eight
feet in the we'll that was not pumped, and
which flowed no water This means that half
of the useful pressure Of this we'll was DESTROYED
by the influence of the wells being pumped.
IL it had been closer to the other Wells, more
than half of this useful pressure (ability to
yield water would have been lost.
Again, the casing of the Springfield well was
extended up until water ceased to flow A man
was placed there to measure the level in this
well, both when all the pumps at the pump
house were in use, and where they were not.
No consequent change took place in the water
level at the Springfield well, showing that its
yielding capacity Is not influenced by the other
wells, or vice versa, that it does not effect the
remote. The conclusion is safely drawn
that by boring more wells, more
water may be had If the wells at
the pump house and the Springfield
well flowed into the same channel the Weld
would be the sum of their present yield, since
they do not interfere one with another The
pump house wells now yield not less than
100000 gallons per day and, by cutting off the
may be relied upon for about 100000 gallons
per day. This makes 1000, 900 gallons per day
intermediate wells could be had, which would
increase the quantity at least three-foid, or say
90, 900 900 gallons per day
The nature of the aItesian flow may be stated
thus: 1t is the seward flow of water through a
strata, which strata is of very
limited "Wednesday four feet or less. Wells
bored iDtercepts this flow, the great pressure
at the great depth being enough to force the
water to the surface. The well bored at a given
point intercepts the water which flows under
the immediate vicinity of that point If
by going across the path of this
seaward flow a mile or so another well be bored
the flow under the vicinity of that point will be
intercepted, and SO on At the present pump
there is intercepted now not less than 100000
gallons per day by system of wells whose in
fiueuce extends about quarter of a mile
across the path of the seward flow. Intercept
ton across the path of flow may be inferred to
yield at least 100000 gallons per day for each
mile
It is believed that increased yield may be had
by boring the wells deeper. This is probably
true but to what extent the yield may increase
is only problematic The Springfield well is
certainly more capacious than any of the older
wells, and It's casing had to be extended to a
higher level by five feet in order to stop flow.
could be had at the present pump house to sat
isfy the requirements by deepening the wells or
also adding few deeper wells, still it would not
be advisable to adopt this method. The reason
for this will appear further on. Considerations
Of the kind stated above indicate the following
constructions for an arteSian supply at the site
Of the present pump house:
l. Wells bored and distributed in q southerly
direction from the present wells, and extending
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