The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-06-22
Completed Plans for the
Pumping Station and Set
Ting Tanks With
Purifying Pro-
cess
100000 GALLONS DAIL|
Is the Capacity of the Tanks
and the Grounds and
Buildings Will be
Slightly and
Ornamental


Mr.. Mcdonnell met Thursday with
the city council and discussed with
them his plans for the water works
plant, the buildings and engines and
settling tanks and the process of clari-
flying the water from the river.
The power house will be located on
the river bank between the grist mill
and the saw mill, west of the Missouri
Pacific switch. 1t will be brick
building 80 by 50 feet in dimensions,
absolutely fire proof. Four boilers,
each with 100 horse power capacity, |
will furnish power for the pumps and
dynamos. There will betwocompound
duplex pumps with a capacity each of
| 800, 900 gallons every twenty-four
hours, A Corliss engine will run two
dynamos, one for the arc lights and
one for the incandescent lights.
The settling tanks in which the water
from the river will be pumped will be
located east of the power house, on
the east side of the switch. The tanks
will be builttogether, with separating
wall the entire basin occupyinga space
$50 by 225 feet. Each tank will hold
one and a half million gallons and
can be filled in six hours, the rest OF
the time being given to settling the
water. The walls of the tanks will be
of brick and concrete. The water will
be pumped directly into them from the
river and as the water falls into the
tanks in spray, a small stream OF
sulphate of aluminium will be injected
into the stream. An aerating device
removes the scum from the water as it
comes to the tank, and the coagulant
precipitates the impurities in the water
to the bottom of the basin.
At one side, and between the two
large tanks, is smaller tank of some
10000 gallons capacity, into which the
clarified water from the settling tanks
is drawn. An automatic gate permits
only the water from the top to run into
the small basin and thus the clearest
water in the settling tanks gets into 1t
and is pumped from there into the
main pipe leading to town. When one
tank is empty, the mud and impure
water in the bottom, is drawn from
the tank 'and discharged below the
dam. In the meantime the other settl-
ing tank has been filed and settled
and by changing back and forth there
is constant stream from one of the
l 100000 tanks supplying the small
10000 gallon tank. The present needs
of the city will not exceed 800, 900 gal
Ions daily and thus it will be seen al
ample supply is secured. a large
settling tank can be filled in six hours
and allowed to settle eighteen hours
, or three days, if necessary, before be
! ing used.
This is the process in use in Kansas
, City, Mo-, and many other places anC
= as evidence of its effectiveness the fol
t lowing letter from DR.. Coffin, city
physician and sanitary superintend
ent of Kansas City to d. w. Long
0 well, superintendent of waterworks o
d that city, may be of interest. Tn
letter says:
a Kansas City, June 81, 1899
!, Dear Sir:-Replying to your inquiry of re
q cent date, regarding the safety of using su
i plate OF alumina as coagulant in the SETTLE
n ment of the city's water supply, beg to han
n you herewith report of DR.. Carter, city chen
: list, which shows conclusively that the waite
# carries no foreign substance that is detri
mental to the general health. In fact be
ieve the water is decidedly more wholesom
h after receiving the treatment given II by you
20 department. We have tested the waite
n weekly since the first day of March last, an
a at no time have we fonnd any trace of alum
t and believe that the water supply of Kans,
y City is us wholesome, in fact far superior,
d that of any of the other large cities in Anne
he lea. Should we be able to clarity the wot'
as satisfactorily MS we have in the past fe
!, months, l believe we are getting better r
n suits than we could obtain. possibly, by m
~ other Treatments
Wish to state further in connection her
IN with that at each time the analysis was mad
~ the water was also examined microscopical
40 and found practically germ free.
Respectfully,
- G. o. COFFIN, NJ ID,
% The council went over all the detail
last night and discussed the cost p,
g. piece of each item The next step wi
IT. be to advertise for bids for the co
es struction of the plant, both for Il
e- entire work and for the separa
e. items, material, labor, machiner
III power house, tanks, and when Il
tn council knows exactly how much tn
ie- part of the plant is going to cost,
ne will know how much will be left f
nv the mains, and the length, locate
s. and other details of the uptown pa
is of the plant can be determined.
'ef 1t is probable that neat park W
be made of the nine acres about