The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-24
Superintendent Charles {. Boiling
Tells How 10 Clear It.
SEDlMENTATlON THE ONLYWAY.
He Proposes To Construct Large
Double Basin at Cost of About
5000. 900, Where the Water
VIII he Allowed 60 Settle.

growth OF the city
This trouble is That for days. AN" VIZ"
weeks al "a time the water iuinlshto the
residents Tor drinking ana ba'n'"s PUI
poses Is so strongly impf tHa''' VII"
,nud as 90 bc most unpleasant On appear
anre I'm rct So bad does 10 get al
lines that o. bath in 10 does not by any
means add Go cleanliness
How 10 overcome ANA DO away win
This nuisance has been the study OF nose
in charge of tle water Department i"
years. but nothing 50 far mas come OF
their deliberations. NOW. h"WeF'i' .'t'.
charles H. Boiling superintendent oi the
water Works. has nit upon plan WHICH
n adopted. will uo doubt result 80 "a sup-
plv OF clear water. Mr. BOILING ever
since ho became superintendent, mas give"
his every energy Co the water question:
and the improvement iu every direction
has been marked.
Re was seen bon hls office yesterday py
a Tines reporter busily engaged in some
experiments looking to the clarifying OF
tho water. and in reply TO a question as
10 how g. could best Doe done. ne stlo'
EREsTING INFORMATlON.
"In replv 10 your question. 'can any
tnlng be done 20 clear The water OF James
river. and what would be the best ana
most economical means OF accompiIaHl"s
,bfe most bcneficcnt result | would
fant matter has received constant study
and examination. In the first place, for
period OF twenty-five years past. the
water furnished the city OF Richmond
has had frequent analysis and careful In
Vesticafion hy several skilled assaylsts.
These results were compiled and publish
cd I'm tho annual report Of the Water
Works for the year l&i
NO one OF those. who have given pa
tlent and careful study Of the water
has ever given bad report OF our drink
ing water. The answer has invariably
been that 30 was a good and healthy wa
ter. All agree. scientists ana 'iI"'"''
that the water IS certainly most unattrac-
tive when furnished in "a muddy condi-
ton both for drinking and bathing pur-
poses. .........
SOME or THE AsSAYlsTS.
.srt would bo we'll 90 give the names or
Nsome of those who have submitted iuH
renortg Of their Investigation of our Wa
tor prof NJ. b. Hardin made fun ana
most comprehensive report 100 1914
n william H. Taylor State Chemist
made "a report 20 the president OF lH'
Board Of Health in 1871 in Wmcn me t'N
the results of examination Tor '''h
MONTH for the whole year. another re-
,rrt bv the National Board OF Healh
.., $50. another report by DIR. william II.
~,,lor en- 1S,i. and in 1901 examinations
rd reports were made hy Dr Wllham ~
ravlor state Chemist professor J'
NaUot OF the University OF virginia ana
Professor b. a. Fuesies' 'ofn'" '"i-
rersity ithaca. y. y.
as stated before am unite I'm saving
ours Is q good healthy water. irte from
any serious impurities. 10 would S'''i',
therefore. that the main question Wo"d
no TO furnish the water clear. or at least
with mud Many experiments nave Oeeh
tried for Offering the water. ANA % num-
her OF our citizens get clear water iof
drinking purposes by the use OF various
makes of filters which furnish DC IN very
small quantities none of which could
DE applied 90 hlterinr so large % guam
titv as We consume daily, namely zen ana
half million GALLONS. Ut We were To
construct a largo mechanical filter plant
~ would not only entail large eNpendl-
ture for installation. hui con-.dcraule .h-
nual cost in the purchase OF alum. 'Ae
renewal Of htor.ng material. mechanl-
cal repairs and labor in caring Tor ana
cleaning the filter tanks. but at times
In very bad condition of the water. am
excessive use of alum which would make
tho water hard and possibly un"hole-
some.
SHOULD BE SETTLED.
"In "a recent conversation with gem
study % the different water supplied
cities including our own james river wa
tor and who is largely interested in me-
chanical filters. he frankly stated that
he regarded DO ass absolutely essential that
opr water should Doe settled in large sub-
siding basins before any attempt should
pe made 90 filter our daily supply This
statement helped To- confirm me in The
recommendations / have been making
each year for several years past as 10
the best means of furnishing good ana
unobiecuonable water ! nnd after re-
heated trials that tho worst water I'm the
river. taken at times when 10 IS filled with
mud. will settle 20 the cloarnass or color
OF pale lemonade say opalcscent IN
about sixteen DAYS. 1 am satisfied that
no ono would object 90 It's color or ap-
pcarance.
ct ind also that tho periods Of extreme
muddy water in tho river rarely exceed
sixteen days. though 7 have known
period Of ninety days. ] find that keep
ing the water in open vessels Tor month
or more does not cause 20 10 deteriorate'
nor is there anything IN the water 10 oe-
compose. and make il unhealthy by stor-
ing &C.
81 am. therefore confirmed in making
the recommendation that the best ana
cheapest means of furnishing good water
10 the city OF Richmond. IS Go construct
a large storage basin, capable of holding
over 10000 million gallons. at some point
on the low grounds above the pump
house There are several sites which
would suit Feed the water into this
basin from the river direct and then de-
liver Il by a conduit from the basin 10
the pumps.
I'VE would always havo on hand
twenty days supply of clear water. and
should the basin Doe exhausted Il could
be redlcd with muddy water which
would have twenty days 90 settle, before
u was pumped. The basin should Doe di-
Vided into two equal compartments, $50
that one would be filing and settling
while the other was being cmpticd. Al
long intervals of years 10 would be neces-
sary 10 clean out these basins. which
would not be expensive We find from
experience with our own reservoirs that
the deposit from sedimcntation amounts
to abou, one inch per year
GET WAITER DIRECTLY.
Another great advantage and improve
ment 10 our supply would be that by
such "A construction. We would get our
gater directly from the river. and all
the drainage from the lands and streams
On the norm bank OF the river would be
Intercepted by the canal which furnishes
our power. for several miles west OF the