The record-union., 1899-05-23

and in the same location as the sewers
required for the combined system.
Second-An entire new system of
| sewers covering every part of the city
for the collection of sewage proper
Third-A disconnection of house
sewers and cesspool overf1ows from the
present sewers and a connection of
these with the new system.
Fourth-The establishment of
permanent pumping station for storm
waters.
Fifth-The establishment of g. pump
ing station for sewage only.
Sixth-The treatment % sewage by
some chemical process by rapid filtra-
tion or its use in irrigation, and in
either case the delivery of the efiluent
into the river.
The establishment of the separate
system may, if desired, be progressive
to this extent:
| First-That sewers for storm waters
be first constructed and be put into
service for a time as conduitS of a
combined system.
SecOnd-ThaIt in the near future ar
rangements be perfected for the treat
ment Of crude sewage and be put into
| service during the dry months, Whe<l
| the flow of sewage is sufficiently small
in volume to permit of treatment. The
excessive dilute flow during. the rainy
months to be discharged by pumping
direct into the river without treatment
Third-That as soon as practicable a
separate system Of sewers for the col
lection of sewage only be extended to
all parts of the city, and that all house
sewers be disconnected from the storm
water conduits
Under such a progressive introduce
| t1on of the separate system it Will be
desirable to exercise particular care in
locating the sewers which are hereafter
to serve for storm water only, so that
they may be easily accessible and shall
have as few dead ends as possible to
simplify and facilitate flushing. Storm
| water sewers should preferab be
placed deeper in the ground than the
sewers for sewage only, so that they
may receive the bulk of seepage waters,
thereby relieving the smaller sewers
from an increment of flow which is par
ticularly undesirable in the case of your
city. where the expense of treatment
will depend largely upon quantity to be
treated.
The system, if so it may be called, at
present in use in Sacramento is on the
Ii.
of conduits receives sewage proper as
well as rain water. But there is a
marked departure from modern practice
| in this that in most cases sewage is
not allowed to flow direct into the
sewers, but is put into cesspools, whose
| overflow is to the street sewers From
the cesspoOls there is a rapid infiitra-
! tion into the soil. l am informed that
they are rarely made water tight; that
the brick work often serves merely as
a support for the surrounding earth ard
ldoes not always extend to the bottom
OF the pit; that there are many timber
lined cesspoCls still in use; that they
are not regularly cleaned out, and that
some are constantly being reported by
the Sanitary Inspector of the city as
| being in an extremely offensive condi-
ton.
That the resulting impregnation of
the SOIL with organic wastes with dis
ease germs and filth, often to more
than saturation, is a menace to health
goes without saying, and the most i'm
portaM step to be taken as soon as
| condultsI are in place is to effect a di-
| rect delivery of the sewage into these
IN order that it may flow to the point
OF outfaH before putrefaction sets in.
ana IN order that stop may be put to
the further infection of the soil To
some extent. direct connection of bouse
drains with, the sewers has already be-
come practice in Sacramento. regula-
tlons to the contrary not having been
continuously in force
l am not ready to make a final report
and did not intend to report at all at
this time, but in response to the request
| from his honor, the Mayor as per let
ter dated May Sth, and subsequent TO-
tlhcatiCn from your honorable board
| through the Mayors office that a report
from me was required on Monday, Nav
"a, L submit the above at this time.
ana must advise you that l cannot en-
dorse the pending project without modi-
ncations based on a deliberate study of
the Whole question. 1t would be folly
to commit the city to any scheme that
| Will not stand the test of time or 10
deny your engineer the time necessary
TO elaborate a satisfactory project.
| The matter of proceeding on the right
lines is of such Importance that I am
constrained, as already stated. to sug-
gest that suitable provision for a tenn
porary discharge of the sewage into the
| river at the foot of S street be made.
that the same pumps be there installed
| which were in service in the dismantled
pumphouse; that the pump at the Y
street levee be kept in serviceable con-
dition to be used in case of emergency.
and that the question of issuing bonds
for sewer work be not submitted TO
vote until a modified project shall have
received your approval.
| Your engineer should be intrusted to
prepare plans and make estimates of
cost of required sewers, planning them
as though intended to carry surface
drainage only, and to supplement the
same with the project, at least in out
line, for the separate collection and
disposal of sewage proper You will
then be in position to act progressive
ly if you SO desire entering upon actual
construction of the different parts of
the sewer system as local conditions re-
quire. Respectfully submitted,
| G. E. GRUNSKY,
| Consulting Engineer
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