Omaha daily bee., 1915-10-03
Council Bluffs
new WATER SYSTEM TESTED
Sections Of City Hitherto Without
Water Now Supplied from Mains
Recently Laid.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE COST

The new high service city water sys-
tenn Is being carefully tested II under
working conditions and residents of the
hilltops In the eastern part Of 'hc city
are getting city water for the first time.
About two miles OF mains are now I'm
service and the system will be extended
ms the demand for Il increases. No de-
fects have shown up and hundreds of
families are delighted
Fire pressure IL given at about 2 dozen
hydrants and nowhere in the hill district
will the constant pressure he less thBn
forty pounds. which may be materially
Increased. II required. for fire purposes.
The pumping station Is located at the
south end OF Glen avenue. at the foot Of
the Fairmount park reservoir.
The high service storage head r. a huge
steel tank. located at the highest point
in the vicinity and 400 feet distant from
the pumps. The water level In the tank
is 4O1 feet above the broadway pumping
station and 905 feet above the pumps that
supply IL. The tank Is 10 feet above the
concrete foundations upon when It
stands. which represent an area OF forty
feet in diameter. The tank holds 125. 100
gallons. Two electric pumps Supply 1t.
Running at normal speed each delivers
800 gallons per minute. At the present
time the consumption does not require
the operation Of but one OF the pumps
part OF the time. with the tank half
full the pumps were yesterday working
at a pressure OF about seventy -,lvo
pounds.
Pressure Varies.
The new system gives a widely varying
pressure to the houses scattered over
hilltops and In valleys. At the very nigh
est levels 1t Is forty pounds and at s)me
points Il runs W to 125 pounds Rest
dents on streets that had been lmper-
fectly supplied by the Fairmount park
reservoir pressure now get the hill serv-
ice. This makes some remarkable
changes in the pressure
At Pomona street and Park avenue the
old pressure was eighteen pounds. Now II
is eighty-seven. and when the tank =
fun II will DO nInety-two pounds to the
square inch. This new pressure Is put
ting some severe tests upon old plumbing.
but there has only been one burst pipe
since the water was turned on. That oe-
CURED between Y and o'clock yesterday
morning.
Hazel street. the most ELEVATED
thoroughfare in the city. is now getting
water at pressure OF more than forty
pounds and the residents are better sat
isfied than ever with their beautiful
aerial homea
The new high service system has cost
about $4,000 up 10 the present time. II
has all been planned and executed by
Chairman Jensen OF the Water board
and Superintendent Etnyre. The cost is
less than half the amount required by
plans prepared some years ago by hy-
draulic experts.
Many Miles OF New Mains.
In the extension and rebuilding OF the
system the Water board has expended
about $4,000. There have been more
than twenty-three miles OF new mains
laid. from sixteen inches down to six;
the reservoir storage has been moro than
doubled and the capacity OF the entire
plant has been nearly trebled.
The total operating expenses have been
reduced 43 per cent below the annual
cost OF tho last years the plant was run
under private ownership. Since then the
pay OF every employe In the water de
partment has been increased and some
new and expensive men added TO the
payroll. The plant now has the capacity
to supply a city just twice the size OF
Council Bluffs