The herald., 1894-01-01
A CITY'S HEALTH IS WEALTH,
A Great Sewer System and Its
Construction.
City Engineer Dockweiler Tells the
Story in Detail.
The Internal System and the OutfalI
Sewer to tho Pacific OosAn-The
Problem Met and Con
quered.
[Br CITY rNa1NnER j. H. DooKwEI1ER |

lno b6Wer system OF Ln6 city oil Los
Angeles may be properly teated under
two heads: The internal system COM
prising one division and the outiall
sewer the other.
Owing to the favorable topography OF
the city, no difficulty is experienced in
d securing sufficient fall for the sewers, 30
that when properly designed they will
have self-cleansing velocities.
The general slope of the lower portion
of the city is southwesterly, the lowest
point In the city being the southwest
corner at Agricultural park.
In view of the large territory covere d
by the city, the limits of which enclose
1857 IL acres, the separate system of
sewerage, which admits no storm waters
to the sewers, as opposed to the COM
bined system which does, was found to
be best suited to the requirements of the
city.
The city Is divided into three great
sewer districts, namely, western, central
and southern, and to accommodate these
districts three large intercepting sewers
have been built.
The western district includes all that
portion Of the city lying between the
west city limits, north city limits, JEFF
ferson, Figueroa and Pearl streets to
Eighth street, thence in a northerly di-
rection to the north city limits, COM
prislng one-ffth OF the city's area.
The central district includes that por-
tion Of the city lying between the west.
ern district above described, north and
east city limits to First street, thence
southwesterly to Washington street,
along Washington street to Grand ave-
nue., Grand avenue to Jefferson, Jeffsr-
SCI; &c western d!strict, EN- hrscing three
fifths OF the city's area.
The southern district embraces the
remaining portion of the city lying be-
tween the south and east city limits and
the southern boundary of above de-
scribsd central district, containing
about ons-fifth of the city's area.
Each of these districts is accommo-
dated with large intercepting sewer
known after its respective district.
The western intercepting sewer begins
ut the corner OF Wesley avenue and JET
ferson streets, and runs along the west
srn city limits, with slight deviations,
to Seventh street, where it angles and
runs in general northerly direction to
Temple street, east of Martz street. This
sewer is vitrified pipe. running from "a
to 10 inches in size.
The central intercepting sewer begins
ut Grand avenue and Jefferson street,
and follows Grand avenue, Washington.
Peru, Fourteenth. Hawthorn, Eighth.
Alameda, Scheerer, Lemon, Seventh,
Tulip and Sixth streets, crossing the
river to Anderson street, thence north
erly along the east side of the river to
Hayes street, in East Los Angeles. This
sewer is brick from Jefferson street to
Anderson and Sixth street, so inch to So
inch diameter, excepting at river cross
ing, where it is SO inch cast iron pipe.
The remaining portion is vitrifed
pipe ranging from 80 inch to 15 inch in
size.
The southern intercepting sewer is
built along Jefferson street from Grand
avenue to its temporary terminus at San
Pedro street. This sewer is 24-inch
vitrified pipe.
The above-described intercepting
sewers are designed to collect the entire
sewage Of the city. Within each OF
these main districts are secondary in
terceptors, which gather the sewage of
the sub-districts. 81
The general depth of the sewers is 1o,l
ieet in the residence portion of the
city and Is feet in the business portion.
The least velocity allowed in any of
the sewers is two and one-quarter feet
per second, and as an additional safe
guard to insure perfect and constant
flushing an automatic flush-tank il built
at the dead end OF every sewer. The |
capacity of these tanks is about 300
United States gallons, which are die
charged into the sewer in one minute.
The tanke are supplied from the street
mains and discharge automatically, |
when filled, so that by regulating the |
time required to fill them, the frequency
oil flushing can be governed. At present |
they are supposed to discharge once in !
every "a hours.
Since 1886 the smallest sized sewer
laid in the street is eight inches. All |
sewers are laid straight for alignment
and grade between manholes, which are
built at every angle or change in grade.
and average about 300 feet apart. This
secures perfect facility for inspection
All manholcs are provided with movable
pans to catch foreign matter falling
through the castiron covers from the
surface OIL tn6 streets.
House connections, or Ys, are built
into the sewers opposite everv lot and
the records of these Va are compiled in
the shape OF maps, showing the lots and
lands fronting on the street in which the
sewer is built, the size and location of
the sewer, it rate of fall, elevation of the
bottom of the sewer above sea level.
manholes, lampholes and fushtanks,
and the exact position of each Y.
The catch basins located on the street
corners are not connected with the eew-
ers, but discharge into storm drains es-
peclally constructed for them.
r The total mileage of the interior sew
ers built to date is 5499, of which
amount 4.29 miles were constructed
during the last year.
THE OUTFALL SEWER.
The outfail sewer commences at the
corner OF Grand avenue and Jefferson
street, runs along Jefferson street to
Wesley avenue, along Wesley avenue
through Agricultural park to Vermont
avenue, thence in a southweeterlv di-
rectlon to Hyde park, through Hyde
park southwesterly to the southern
boundary OF the town of Inglewood.
westerly along said boundary and its
prolongation to point one mile west of
the Santa Fe railroad leading to Redon-
dondo, thence in southwesterly dlrec-
49,.