Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-07-13
REASON FOR BELIEF
WATER TABLE IS
NOT FALLING
Member of Committee of tx
pertS Explains Theory That
There Is No Real Diminution
in Available Supply at Water
Plant,

Dear Sir;-Will you please give me
plain my position on the falling of the
water table, the only complaint or
reason given by the Water company
for not pumping more water.
Report on Wells.
Referring TO well No. ., % feet, to
first water. with pump in operation
and well being drawn to its full capa-
city. Deduct from this the distance
from the top down to the center of
TIE pump cylinders, IL feet, 3 inches
you have - feet. 9 inches or the
amount of the hat the pump
should show. Where does the other
6 feet 3 inches of vacuum come from.
I rom the friction in the long pipe full
of crooks and turns. elbows and val
yes.
Well No. sc (and all of the others)
show 10 feet, to first water Immediate
ly after stopping the pump a raise of
6 feet. or the distance that the wells
are pulled down when under opera
ton.
Take from his 10 feet, the distance
from the top down to the pump. II
feet. inches, and you have 8 feet, 3 in
,hes. below first water level. This is
What they call the fall of the water
table, but it is far from it. Why? Be
cause the Rio Grande is running at
its normal stage. and the great natural
filter which underlays this whole valley
is flooded to its natural height. Whhy
is this 6 feet 2 inch fall them 1t is
that this natural filter of sand and
gravel is very fine and soft on top uic
harder as you go down, until the kst
eight or ten feet is like drilling
through it for any great distance.
Whenever you put a forced draft on a
well and try to AXE in more water
than will naturally flow in, you cause
a feaVy and you draw m"vc
water than can get through the hard
gravel from "A distance. therefore, the
water up i'm the fine sands above has
time to sink and is drawn down into
the strainer. thus causing what is call
ed "A falling Of the general water ta-.
bic. But it is only local in the imme-
date vicinity Of the pipe
There is only one remedy for this
which 1 have found successful, that is.
more strainer surface placed in the.
filter beds below the fine sand. 1t
is commonly thought hat placing too
many straincrs in one place is not gO1d.
he reverse Is the case. In fact. ~ the
company had q strainer in every 10
feet square of their ground. the would
not have arN W Ium at all. as suci a
great o Of strainer surface in
the filter beds below would permit a
free flow of water up TO and into the
pumps. as they are set below the first
water level. and all the pump would
have 10 do would be TO pass it on w
L. TIE reservoir.
A. an example you may drive a
small point for "a hand pump. say Il
IA inches down into the 40 foot gravel
and YOU have 40 feet Of water in your
pine Put q 4 or : inch pump on it,
the first two or three strokes are all
but as the strainer surface IS I
not large enough TO admit enough VA
ter t. supply the pump. sou create
a heavy vacuum and il you are not on
you guard the handle will knock you
over. NOW you can put four or five
Of these points within a radius
of : feet OF this first one. connect
them together. put the same pump on