Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-15

his hypOchiorlte OF lime solution at WORK
DR., Leal is the expert from New Jersey,
brought to Omaha by the water company
in an effort to improve materially the quail
ity of the city water. lie has made good
his claims in other cities where he has SUI
perintended the installation of his scheme
of publication and a good many cities in
the east and south now have colonization
plants in operation.
Preparatory to the experiment now being
tried at the Florence and Burt street pump
ing stations, DR.. Leal came to Omaha and
examined into the situation in March. He
told the company he could purify the city
water to point where the number of bac-
terra would be cut down to an almost in
finitessimal number per cubic centimeter,
which is about twenty drops of water. Go
ing back to his home in the east, DR.. Leal
prepared and forwarded plans to the water
company, which proceeded to construct two
sets of tanks at the settling basins for the
mixing of the chemicals and introducing
1t into the water
At both the Florence and Burt street sta
tons temporary structures have been built
to inclose the mixing tanks. The latter are
large boxes built of two-inch lumber, about
as big as an ordinary dry goods box One
Is set above the other and in the upper box
or tank the mulch is made by dumping In
certain quantity of lime that has beer
chemically treated, This material, called
hypochloTite, comes from Wyandotte Mich
and is now produced in quite large quanti-
ties for the use of cities and private water
companies.
In the muching tank enough hypochlorte
is placed to make a sort OF paste when
mixed with VIZ ter Then the mixture is al
lowed to flow into the lower tank, where
II is thoroughly stirred with an increasi sing
quantity OF water until the proper solution
results The solution is then let out into
strainers at the bottom and from this point
is led through a pipe to a small tank di-
rectly over an intake welk
This small tank, equipped with a very
competent little valve and float contriv-
ance, is the mechanical boss of the job.
When set at the proper notch just so much
OF the solution is allowed to pass into the
settling basin every hour-and not one drop
more than is considered necessary can get
through. At the Burt street station this
quantity of solution put into the water is
al gallons per hour while at the Florence
station the quantity is l2l gallons per hour.
The Burt street station has a capacity of
100000 gallons per day and the Florence
station has capacity Of 100000 gallons.
Where the solution enters the general
body OF water It has pale, limelike color.
and to the initiated looks anything but inn
pressive' 1t does the work planned for II.
however, according to all reports.
Superintendent A. b. Hunt OF the water
company has given his personal suporvi-
sion 70 the building and arrangement OF the
"hypo" houses and tanks. and keeps close
watch on their operation, With clerk who
Keeps careful record Of material used and
sees To II that the quantity OF lime used is
correct and the solution is always "iust
So"
In the. records OF the water company II
will appear officially that the "hypo" wa.
first turned into the water at Florence