Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-08-01
PURE water FOR
OTTUMWA Sept
FILTER SYSTEM IS RAPIDLY
NEARING COMPLETION AT
s.'1,a, WATERWoRKs PLANT.
PROCESS INTERESTING
Water Passes Through a Lengthy
Treatment Before It Is Purified
and Sent Through the Mains
=, To The Consumers.

TO ne SOOSuUSTos
On the first day Of September there
will course through the network o.
mains throughout the city and into the
hundreds of private homes, streams o.
water even purer than that OF the
crystal mountain rivulets and as de
void of disease germs and contagloI
"a IL avery gallon were boiled through
the process Of distillation. Analytlca
examination will fail to show even az ~
atom Of impurity with which IL 10
reeking as it comes from the rlvel' q
greater part of which Is retained ~
It's course through the Water"olA n,
system, to the consumers. Aitnousn
Beptember / Is the day SET LOT Inle
great occasion, it may be possible ina,
the filtration system Will be comPietpu
before that time. II such snould Dc pc
tho case. the waterworks trustees VIII
not deprive the public OF even tnose
few intervening days for ENJOYING tne ny
benefits Of pure water, better as ial
"A purity 10 concerned than that Wnlch
they draw from their own private
wells.
The filtration plant which the water
works trustees, H. l.. Waterman, y. =.
Morey and H. g. Williams. have Sc
lected is recognized through the en-
tire country as one of the best, most
efficient. serviceable and enduraoie
systems that has ever been invented:
It ia known as the Jewell system ana
can be found In all the leading cities
of the United States, from where issue
very creditable letters OF approval
This system is constructed solely py
the New York Continental Jewell I'll.
trntion Co. Under the supervision OF
the firms resident engineer, n. A;
Brown. the local plant has progressed
wonderfully and the four filterlng
basins which have just bee competed
are exhibited by the waterworKs trus'
tees as we'll as the constructors as one
IF the finest concrete structures ever
erected. Mr.. Brown himself states tnat
the quality OF the concrete and lts
accurate placing in the structure Will
rival any Job the firm has turned out.
A Huge Structure.
The MAGNITUDE of the filtration sys-
tenn which the waterworks trustees
are building at an expense OF many
thousands OF dollars, cannot be better
determined by one who has not Deen
privileged to view it, than by conslo-
.erfne the great quantity OF material
used in it's construction and the Time
required to bring 1t to completion. For
the entire summer large force OF
workmen has been steadily at WORK
and at least another month is required
before 1t is finished. Concrete and
steel are the only materials used, put
the quantity is enormous. Forty TONS
of steel bars for reinforcement pur-
poses will have been placed IN the
filter when completed and over LOO
cubic yards of concrete. Several car
loads Of lumber for false work are
also needed.
Settling Basin Large.
One cannot better describe the
workings OF the plant than by follow
ing the course of the water from the
time It is taken from the river until
It Is forced through the mains to the
consumers The water Is not taken
from the race, as many would believe
hut is pumped from the Turkey Island
humping station. First it passes into
the sedimentation basin, a large, box
like structure measuring ninety feet
long, sixty feet wide and sixteen feet
deep. This is being erected at the rear
Of the waterworks engine house along
side the stream Of water that flows
from the race to the power station.
The heavy concrete floor is supported
by innumerable pilings OF treat length
and the high walls are one solid mass
OF the gravel and cement product.
This basin is divided into two com
partments with heavy concrete wall
running through the middle. In eacn
compartment are two other walls run
ming parallel to the dividing wall.
These are what are termed pa1fie
walls and are erected for the purpose
OF keeping the water in the basin as
long as possible to allow the sediment
to settle to the bottom. These ba1fle
walls do not extend from one SIDE
wall to the other but leave an open
space of several feet at opposite ends.
The water is forced in at the bottom
Of the basin at one corner and IS
naturally forced upward.
The pressure also causes 1t to fow
between the outside wall and the hrst
battle wall until it reached the open
ing around the end of the baffle wall
into the next compartment. Passing
down this compartment ~ AowS
around the end of the second banle
WALL and into the third compartment.
After completing this labyrinth course
and leaving the greater part, of the
sediment on the bottom in it's upward
trend, the water passes into what IS
termed flume, channel-like passage
which extends the entire length OF
The basin. Protruding from the filter
drums of the filter basin proper are
four large conducting pipes which
take the water from the flume and
rarry it into the filter basins. E
Chemicals Are Used.
In order to expedite the work OF set
TING, chemicals are placed In the wa
ter in very small quantity. About
one grain of the chemical IS used for
every gallon Of water which is easily
seen to be but an atom This in no
way affects the water and does not re-
main after passing through the filter
drums. The sand of filter attracts this
chemical and removes it entirely. The
effect of the preparation will cause the
sediment to collect in little particles