The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-10-04

Kenosha's new water plant is now
IL complete operation and decidedly
successful operation and it has been
declared by experts to be the most mod
ern plant Of the Lind in any city along
Lake Michigan. Extensive tests Of
water from the plant have been made
and these tests show that Kenosha with
Lake Michigan water has as pure or
purer water than any city in this sec
tion of the country. The operation of
the new filtration plant has become
50 successful that the Health officials
no longer have any hesitation in recon-
mending the water from the city plant
for all uses. Few Kenosha people know
to what extent the water company has
gone to provide an ample supply of pure
water for the city. The visit to the
Washington 1 'ndp ant willlprove an eye
opener and people who have chance
to see just what is done to purify the
water used in Kenosha will no longer
hesitate to use it, The pumping plant
has been described in former statements
made by city officials General Super
intendent Britton Of the filtration plant
has provided the following description
of the filter and it's work:
"Work was started on the new Fill
tration Plant May, 1916, and has just
been completed. The contract was
awarded to the New York Continental
Jewell Filtration Co. and the construc-
tion Of basins, buildings, ETC., sub-let
TO the Sterling Engineering and Con-
struction Co. All equipment was in
stalled by the New York Continental
Jewell Filtration Co.
"The plant consist of two subsistence
basins with combined capacity of
667, 900 gallons; eight filter units of
100000 gallons capacity per "a hours
each; clean water basin with storage of
100000 gallons; brick and concrete
building which contains the filters,
clearwater basin, operating floor, chemi-
cal storage room, machinery room, Of
flee and laboratory. The type of fill
ters are Continental air wash gravity
filters. Each uni is 25 TT. inches by
is TT. inches and eight feet deep, built
of reinforced concrete. The outlet sys-
tenn or under drains consist of cast iron
manifolds, lateral pipes and 1920 brass
strainers. The lateral pipes are i'm
bedded in concrete with tops of brass
strainers above the concrete facing. The
filter medium consists of inches of
gravel in layers, next the strainers and
on top of this gravel is 81 inches of
specially screened sand. Above the
sand beds are E5ur longitudinal troughs
or cutters which are used to carry off
the wash water to the sewer when the
collection of sediment and other matter
is being washed from the sand beds.
All the filter operating valves are OPP
ened and closed by hydraulic pressure
and are operated from a marble table
or the operating floor.
"The raw water from Lake Michigan
flows by gravity Trough a 42-inch cast
iron main. The distance from the
pumping station to the intake crib out
in the late is approximately 400 feet.
The water flows to a suction well in the
main pumping station and from there is
pumped by centrifugal pumps of S,000,-
600 gallons capacity each to the influ-
cut or mixing chamber located at end
OF basins. In this chamber iss located a
hydraulic valve and device to control
the head or lever of water in basin.
There is also an agitator to mix the
chemical coagulent (sulp. alumina) with
the water before it passes into the sub
sidence basins. The basins are ar
ranged with valves so that they may be
used together or singly, one basin being
used while the other may be cleaned
out.
'fThe water flows from the influent
or mixing chamber through gate valves
into fumes extending the whole width
OF basins. The top of these fumes are
near the level of the water in the
basins. There is BATTLE wall located
about ten feet away from these trorghs
which diverts the water downward and
through an opening at the bottom of the
BATTLES. The water then flows upward
and toward the other end Of basins into
fumes similar to those at the opposite
end and from them through flume to
the filters. The time Of subsistence at
100000 gallons capacity is approx.
mately two hours and during this time
we expect to get from 40 to so per cent
removal Of sediment and foreign matter