Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-07-18
FOR ARTESIAN WATER.
The Gloucester County Democrat,
Woodbury., N. j.

see IndL Inc Improvement Oh your
water supply by filtration is being
discussed
1t is to be hoped such method will
not be adopted: not that filtration is
Objectionable, for it has its advantages
where nothing better can be devised;
but Woodbury. can do better At pre-
sent you have a low pressure at the
faucet To increase this to what it
should be after installing a filtration
plant, stand-pipe would have to be
erected into which the filtered water
would have to be pumped and thence
flow by gravitation to the city. This
woud entail (D the erection of a
costly and fully-equipped filtration
plant; (2) its maintenance and the
cost of treating the waters with scien-
tific efficiency, both of which would
be correspondent and additional fac
tors of expense; (3) the erection of a
stand-pipe; (4) additional pumping
engines, and (5) an additional force
of skilled labor to operate the two
additional plants, filter supplies and
more fuel; all of which are constant
factors of daily expense.
J
until it will be necessary to increase
the water-mains or pipe between the
present reservoir and your city. At
the time it was laid, this main should
not have been less than Is inches
diameter. A larger one is the more
necessary now for an adequate and
emergency supply. Taking all of the
foregoing and necessary features intp
account, this system will give Wood
bury an expensive plant not only in
first cost, but in continuous operation
also with a doubtful purity of water
as result.
Woodbury. can do better and more
economically. SO fair city deserves
the best, and once it is possessed, it
will be one of the best assets.
With no available fresh water
streams to draw from, Nature COM
PEELED the seaboard towns to adopt
the proper system to secure a supply:
namely from deep wells.
They first tried the water obtained
at depths varying from 500 to $50 feet.
1t was unsatisfactory and in some
cases unpleasant, because it was the
seepage from surface streams passing
in it's descent through strata of marls,
ETC.
They then sunk deeper, and at $50
feet struck strata of dense rock
through which the drills passed at
$40 feet. In each case the water from
below this rock stratum is clear, pure
and limpid, and leaves no sediment
deposit | know of no towns in the
United States that have a superior
water. Since the installment of these
wells, no disease, attributed to water
supply, have originated in these
resorts.
This water rises to the surface,
thereby proving it's source is in the
mountainous region. Since the rock
strata rises from the coast inland,
and toward the mountains, Woodbury.
would not have to sink any deeper in
all probability, to draw it's supply from
the same subteranean underf1ow. In
any event, however, it should drill
through this impervious rock stratum
to secure water that will make Phila-
delphia and all of her neighbors en-
viouS.
The sinking of these wells should
not average in cost per foot of depth
more than $2.25. Wells that | have
superintended sinking cost with vary
ing depths from SO cents for the sec
ton through earth and clays to S1.5O
per foot through rock.
What the iron casing or tubing will
cost will depend upon current prices
and the size of the bore.
Ocean City has very complete
plant of five wells, bored eight inches
and double cased with s. and 6-inch
tubing, with the space intervening
filled with concrete and extending
down to the rock, thus shutting out
all surface water. A stand-pipe 130
feet in height and 16 feet diameter,
giving a strong pressure over this
island of seven miles length, and an
ample water supply for its summer
population, which at times embraces
many thousand persons The system
is simple and economical because OF
it's simplicity.
1t is well worth Investigation
Woodbury. can and should have such
Ia plant, and would save money by 1T.
Its pumping plant would not neces-
sarily be more expensive than that
you now have You would not need
a filtration system and would save
its cost and the expense of its daily
operation.
With such plant, including a
stand-pipe of sufficient height, located
on high ground in Woodbury., your
present city mains would be ample for
many years to come; and the main
between your reservoir and the city
could be taken up and utilized as
needed.
Those interested in supplying filtra-
tion and other complicated systems,
contractors, etc, will do their best
to inveigle your citizens into adopting
some plan by which they will be
benefited. But the simpler and more
direct the system the better and more
economical will it be for all. During
an extensive and varied engineering
experience I have seen many expen-
sive blunders made and sinister frauds
perpetrated.
W., -. x,o,xy truly