Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1898-09-13
.LMINGTON'S FILTER.
:hnically Discussed BY a
New York Periodical.
rRATIOE SYSTEM PRAISED

liH 1NHOfuN1AluON WHICH TIHD
.OPIE WHO DRINK THE BRIAN
WINES WAITER WILL BE
J, leased TO RECEIVE.
ee New York Engineering News
ins this exhaustive and technical
.iption Of the water altering plant
is city:
tunique system Of water purifca-
has been in use at Wilmington,
ysince the latter part OF 1894. Up
filtration is employed at the rate,
Tssigned, of 4S,56O,OOO gallons per
or 1000 gallons per square foot Of
bed. The water is treated with
NJ before filtration, and is aerated
before and after passing the beds.
y 'ordinary cleaning of the beds is
q led by washing the filtering mate
& while in place with both air and
q The prototype of this filter was
n at Tacoma and is said to be still
lat times Of bad water.
llmington has had a public water
81 ~ since 1904. The original works
81 built by a company, which sold
to the borough in 1910 for $4,000,
,ington thus being the pioneer
ST fican city in changing from pri-
to municipal ownership of water
IS. The population of the city in
ed from 42,47S in 1880 to 6l,4 in
and is now estimated at from
= to 10000.
# } water supply is taken from the
M lywine creek, being pumped from
,lear water well to storage reser-
with repumping for small area
's ielh service. Although the creek
br years past received more or less
,ic pollution, it is doubtful
sler filters would have been put in
ION as they We're had it not been
le large amount of suspended mat
'kX arried by the stream. The evils
sllution were officially recognized
nber OF years ago and steps taken
move them, as described later IN
article. It has been the practice
,me time to shut down the pump:
the water is at its worst, drawint
fpply from the storage reservoirs
while. but these have a combine'
ity OF only 4O,OOO,OOO gallons, an'
OF course, desirable to keep som
in reserve. The average dahl
,mption for a numbr Of years ha
nearly 100000 gallons, while a
the maximum consumption TO
IN days has been much larger. o
the maximum consumption
unlikely to be coincident wit
rains and turbid water, but 1t J
afe to count on being able to shu
the pumps for more than fou
at a time.
filter plant was designed b
ce II. Sellers, late manager an
eer of the United States Filterir
Purifying Company, 9irard bulk
Philadelphia, but a resident of Wi
on until his death some two yea
Day labor was employed for Il
ruction of the plant, which w
the supervision of Mr.. Selle
Il Joseph "A. Bond, chief engine
Wilmington water-works.
plant consists of five filter bee
16x125 feet, and each supplemer
ducts and pipes used for aerati'
he devices for adding iron to t
Each bed is designed for a
Of 1000, 900 gallons in twen'
hours, making a total capacity
900 gallons, with no allowan'
eds ont of use for cleaning. I
ned area of the beds is lO,C
feet. or less than one-fourth
Re, making the rate of filtration
hllons per square foot per day,
AZ. 900 900 gallons an acre, w
owances for cleaning.
ter passes from the supply p
into number of conical tuh
led to suck in air with the wa
hence into a fume, where
first comes into contact with
Is of revolving iron rods and
rds has air admitted to 1t thro'
soose necks. After passing
of the first fume the water
through another one, directly
More air was introduced I
mite recently, when the
for the lower fiume were Ia
I'm. account of the difficulty
need in keeping them open.
divides into two parts and fl
on 9th of the filter bed the q
through the two side hui
having flowed through the
bf fumes the water passes d
& tn the filter beds into the c
':E' ont entitled ''sedimenta
/" From here the water pa
I'd through the filter bed and
J end it entered, after a jou1
70. Tho filtered water for