Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-04-03
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Prof Marston's Report About Ready
Will Contain Maps, Surveys
and Chemical Analyses
Plant Must Accommodate 100000
Gallons Per Day The Number
Of Bacteria.

=
Of Bacteria.
Interesting Process Of Making Pure
Water Out Of City's Sewage
Described.
In anticipation Of the coming report
OF Professor Marston. the engineering
expertzof the state college, employed to
make the chemical analyses and pre-
pare preliminary surveys for the ercc-s
tion Of Marshalltown's great sewage
disposal plant, the T.-R::'s Arnes CORE
lispondent sends an Interesting account
of the result of the scientific investiga-
tions and description of the method of
sewage publication to be pursued.
AMEs CORRESPONDENCE.
Ames, April al Professors Marston.s
Pamnel and Weems, of the Iowa State
college, who have been making prelim-s
mary surveys and Investigations for q
sewage disposal plant at MARSHALL town,
are about ready to report. The report
will contain maps of the city and the.
lpresent sewer system, tables and illus
|trations showing the bacterial and
| chemical analyses. 1t was found that
1.-THE average flow OF sewage during TWEEN
Ity-four hours was /, 400, 900 gallons. II
lis recommended, therefore, that the;
lplant be designed for the accommoda-
tion Of about 2, 000, 600 gallons per day
i "A bacterial analysis was made OF the
lefty, and this shows that the packing,
house sewer contains L. 1000 bacteria
Ito the bicscentimeter the glucose fac;
tory J 400, 900, the Ketcnum street sewer
49,, 900, and the sewage outlet 1924 ,oG0
for the entire city, which is a low aver
Iage, altho at this time of the year the
leverage is considerably lower than in
1.-the summer months. This compares
very favorably With the per cent OF
bacteria found in the sewage disposal.
plant at the Ames college, which ranges
from 5000 to 8, 900, 900 to the cubic CEN
ltimeter, this highest average being DUR
ling the summer months. When taken
Unto consideration that the average
number of bacteria found In sewage
amount contained in the eisluent which
very large.
Beside the usual intestinal bacteria
found in the sewage, Professor Pammell
|located asome3rare and interesting speci-
mems from biological point of view,
and his face glowed with that satisfac-
ltion which usually beams from a farm
erts face when het shows off his best.
tstock., when he explained the mysteries
T.-R. correspondent Bacterial analsyls
of the city water and that Of the glucose
factory we'll We're also made. The water
lin the glucose well was found to be exc
slcellent, containing only 100 bacteria to
the cubic centimeter. The city water
Twas found to contain 3125 to the cubic
slcentimeter, which. considering the time
|of the year, there being 80 much surface
water made a good showing
These Investigations have been made
4 for the purpose of furnishing the city oil
Marshalltown with data to be used in;
making estimates for its proposed new
plant, and also as supplementing the in
5|svestigation made at the college disposal
lplant al A1nes. This work is just now
4 LOT the most timely interest, for the rea-
slson that many of the Iowa towns have
leone to that point in their development
5|Fwhere such a thing as a sewage dis
sIposal plant is necessary. For the past
4 few years they have beer building wa
A tier worksEand electric light plants. and
many are now building sewage systems.
a The question of the disposal OF The sew
4 age offers a serious problem on account
4 of the absence of large rivers, and they
a must look to some system to take out
81 the organic matter from the effluent so
slthat at the outlet it will be as pure as
Il the average creek or river water. This
Ehas been successfully accomplished at
"A the Ames College by the plant designed
& by Professor Marston of the department
Iof mechanical engineering, and by
y ladopting the same plan the Marshall
A town sewage could be turned into the
4 Iowa river much purer than the water
[of the river is above the outlet of the
sewer. This, however, would be an un-
a necessary expense, for the reason that
the amount OF sewage compared TO the
u amount of water in the river is so small
q that 1t would not purify the river water
n and would therefore be a waste of mon
a ey. The purity of the effluent can be
a regulated, however, SO that 1t can be
q turned into the river giving no pollution
d Whatever. The Ames sewage disposal
lplant has been constructed as an object
lesson to the people Of the state. and is
one Of the most important matters OF
scientific investigation made a the col
y lege in recent years. The plan consists
i first OF receiving tank about 222x56SA
feet. having concrete bottom, brick
walls and wood cover coated With tar
and gravel. AT the end Of the tank
). where the sewage enters, an area about
Sx20 feet is partitioned OFF for g settling
y chamber, to retain most of the solids OF
Il 1.-THE sewage. BY dividing walls the sew
Iageis compelled TO flow slowly back and
forth across this chamber for distance
1 OF sixty feet, after which 1t passes thru
a screen into the other part of the plant
|, which is called the flushing chamber
This has a capacity of about 10000 gal
/ Ions. and whenever the sewage in II
{ rises to the high-Water mark the entire