The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-10-01
AN OFFICE SHUT.
The Sewer commissioners
Retire.
AN OUTLINE OF THEIR WORK.
Final Report of Engineers Manson
and Grunsky on the Reconstruc.
). ton of the Sewers.

istence yesterday. Engineers Manson and
Grunsky, who had charge OF the WORK OF
recOnstructing the sewers, turnedSoyer all
the property In their Office to the clerk OF
the Board of Supervisors. There have
been no two officials in the City Hall who
were more conscientious in the discharge
of their duties or more courteous in the
giving of in formation than the mem bers OF
the Sewer Commission. Their retirement
is matter of regret to all who had deal
ings with them.
Before retiring yesterday the Sewer
Comm ssioners filed their last and final
report, in which they say:
Although we are not now prepared to fully
in 1Orse any project we feel IL our duty TO sub
nit al this time brief outline OF some OF the
measures which we believe Will nave to be IN
diligently ana honestly carried out before this
community will have received from the proper
authorities that relief which it is OF right enti-
tied to demand.
The open waterway on Channel street (de-
fined as navigable as far westward as Harrison
street by stan lory enactment in 1868 ana again
10 1892 receiveS the sewage from an area OF
over 5000 acres, inha blfed by probably more
than 100000 people. Channel street sewer, tie
la gest in the city, terminates IN this open wafer
way at Ninth street, about mile from the pres
en- water front of the city. All the sewage con-
tributed by this sewer and by Eighth. Seventh.
ebbs and flows here, creating nuisance which
must be abated.
1t viii be necessary to reduce the flow of
sewage toward Channel street by an Intercept
Ing sewer and the besI location for an inter-
cepting sewer will be along Market street, COM
mencing at some point near Castro.
This lntercepting sewer would receive tne
entire flow OF sewage from the western Adj
dition, aud would reduce tie area tributary to
Channel street nearly one.half. But there are
difficulties In The way OF construction. and IL Is
important 80 select proper point OF outfali tor
Market street grades have been improperly
established, notably so at Fifth street, where
the STREET Is low, and also at points southwest
watd from TenIh street, at some OF when
changes have long been under discussion, and.
If carried out, Will facilitate aud materially
cneaptn the construction OF any main sewer
along Market street.
During August and September of this year
we have been COLI citing data concerning struc-
lures already IN place along the route OF pos
sble main drainage lines, particularly that re.
laiiDg to the position aud depth OF conduits for
gas, water aud electricity and OF cdbie.r0ad
functions and inter-ec ions. On the oasis OF
this iDforma ion and additional rainfall data 10
be collected this winter it was proposed to fully
discuss The deSiraDllity Of constructing the
Make street ipterceptlng sewer. we mad al
ready found by preliminary study OF The re-
suits of current observations made by us this
ring that the foot OF Powell street seems TO
offer particular advantages as an outfall point
for sewer. To reach this Joint with the
turn norInwatd from Market street into hearny
street, along Kearny street 10 Telegraph Hill,
thence by tunnel, on one OF several possible
routes, TO the northern slope OF the hill and
thence to the on fall point.
III can hardly be questioned that The sewer
must be made TO serve both for sewage and
lmil ed amount OF storm water. bui excessive
volumes OF storm wat can be discharged at
sew raj points into main sewers having reason
ably direct lines TO the bay.
Care mast be taken In considering this
vim nhaI In vfans inn
This sewer further westward to more remote
point of Ouifall without rec0nstruc ion other
than connection with the system as outlined.
permitting further utilization OF The POWELL
Street ourfall as a relief outlet for flood wafer
" henever 1t may become desirable TO perfect
the sy stem Of intermittent discharge OF sewage
into the ebb flow OF the tide 1t Will be Dece> sary
10 construct Il large receiving tank from winch
there will be a rapid outflow at he proper time.
There is nothing original or novel III such an
arrangement but IN the case OF San francisco
such an oufall system can probably be so
arranged that the receiving tank Will be IN the
form of a tunnel or a series Of tunnels termi.
mating at OF near Fort Point. The flushing and
cleansing OF long tanks properly located can be
accompanied by ira ping sea water at high
tides at the upper tndS Of the tanks.
The main sewer along Market street, as above
suggested. cannot serve the more southerly por-
tion of the Mission Bay district for which sepa-
rate provision must be made.
The sewage from the greater part OF the
district W. ST from Ninth and Utah streets and
present, near Ninth and Channel strerts, bur 1t
Will arrive there at an undesirably low elevation.
From this point IL eau by proper arrangement
of works be delivered TO the bay by gravity
flow, but its course should not be through the
OpeD waterway Of Channel street; II should be
along Brennan or some other parallel street.
1t is hardly necessary to say that II IL be car
ried toward the bay on such a route IL does
not seem probable that any plan can be devised
for a delivery OF his sewage into the bay with
sufficient assurance that such delivery Will not
In, h0nn ffnn IEa md 0Eaa M
that must be abated.
A delivery anywhere near the foot of Channel
or Brannan t,eets Is therefore moi 10 be con-
sidered, except as a temporary expedieut. The
sewage conduits from large district must
however, by reason Of Typographical features
be made to concentrate their flow somewhere
near the points indicated ana the sewage there
delivered must ultimately be forced to a better
point of Oullall into the bay. When IL becomes
necessary 10 carry out this part of any proposed
system it will probably be found advantageous
to pump this sewage to lbe same c0ndults in
use for the central parts OF the city. This
project involves the preservation and utiiZa-
ton of present sewers when properly corrected
for grade. Storm waters OF the district can be
admitted into The sewers and stOrnl-wate over
flows should be provided. During l0Odf0w in
the months Of winter there will then be a direct
outflow OF greatly diluted sewage into the bay
on the eastern front OF The city, but at all other
times no sewage Will there be discharged
Our float obs fyaiions and studies OF direc-
ton of DRIFT in the bay maxi IL appear very un-
desirable 10 discharge large quantities at or
near Polrero P0iut, but Indicate that an Outfal
for sewage could be maintained at Hunters
Poin Tor an indefinite period Of time without
polluting the waters of The bay 10 an objection
abb extent. For this reason IL will be neces-
sary 10 pl u for concentration Of the sewage
from the southern and high portions of Potrero
Hills and the Islais and Precita Creek dis.
tricis at some convenient point or points from
which sewage can be delivered 10 an Ou fall at
Hunters Point either by gravity flow or rumD-
Ing. Provision must here again be made Tor
delivery OF storm-waierS during periods OF
exces siye flow from main lines of sewers into
the bay through relief outlets, so that II Will
not be necessary TO provide great cauaclty for
the outfall sewer, and that il IN not become
necessary to pump large amounts OF storm.
water.
But in this district more than in any other
revision OF officially established grades should
be had before details of the system are pre-
ScrIbed.
The sewage OF Bay View and Visitacion dis
tricts will have 10 be trealed in The same way
as that of Precta Creek and Isiais Creek dis
trcts, whenever increased population renders
the carrying out OF a local syst m necessary.
One outfal at Hunters Point Will serve these
districts In conjunction with those on its
northern slopes.
In that portion OF Buena Vista Bay district
lying east OF Kearny street and north of Mar
ket street Qncluding probably lie low portions
of the city northwest OF Rincon Hill and north
east of Second street, 1t will be we'll TO separate
sewage from stOrm.waters en- frely. The num-
Der 1T large sewers in this district must be
duced and suitab provision must be made to