The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-07-27

INV "oN'i StPPis ipi Ni' '.Ns N'h'N'
from AN artificial lake located about
three miles northeast of the city. The
lake Is about sixty.five acres In area
and has a maximum depth of water
when completely full of forty feet. The
minimum amount of water recorded
In the lake was eight feet deep and
the average depth has been observed
TO be about fifteen feet The area from
which the water supply is obtained is
one thousand two hundred forty-five
acres.
Ii is tn .oughly protected from hu'
man habitation and human or animal
pollution, except that permission IL
granted 70 residents of the city to en-
Joy fishing and picnics on the banks
of the lake.
Ought 10 Prohibit Fishing
This privilege should be rescinded
Immediately. since 1t destroys the bar
ritr of safety which the city has built
up about the watershed. 1t is possibel
To poliute and even to infect the water
supply through fishing parties and
parties that picnic on the banks of
the lake The health of the community
is so important, and the water supply
and welfare of the city, chat every
prc,> ution should be- taken to prevent
possible infection of the water supply,
Filtration of Water Necessary
The average daily water consumption
OF the city is 1000 gallons. The wa
ter is always turbid, although the tur-
bidity varies with the season of the
year and the regency of rainfall The
for
plain sedimentation. which il receives
In settling basin, which is entirely
too small and inadequate for the pur-
pose.
In order TO obtain clean water, ana at
the same time render the water thor'
oughly safe from u sanitary standpoint
il will be necessary for the city to treat
the supply. on examination of tine
the supply. An examination of the
survey showed that the water con
tanned 400 bacteria per cubic centi-
meter, and that b. coli was present
one tenth of a cubic centimeter. Is
coli is an organism found in the intes-
tinal discharges of man and other warm
blooded animals and, when observed
in water supply, represents fecal con
tamination 1t is always considered as
the danger signal for the safety OF the
water supply.
Water Shows Contamination
1t Is therefore quite obvious that the
city water in Ardmore must be treated
by scmc efficient method in order 10
render the water thoroughly safe. From
the brief study of the supply it would
seem that a thoroughly safe and clean
water could be obtained by treating the
supply with some coagulatinS SUP
stances like alum, and then dlslh-
fectine the water before 1t enters the
mains leading to the city, with liqulo
chrolide preferably, or with solution
of sodium or calcium hypochlorite In
order 10 obtain satisfactory results
during the progress of coalgulation IL
will be necessary to furnish sufficient
sedimentation basin facilities. At least
two large basins will be necessary, ana
probably three.
In order to determine whether the
supply is thoroughly safe, frequent
laboratory tests should be conducted,
preferably in the city.
The water may be pumped to the
city directly from the lake, or it may
be permitted to flow by gravity to the
sedmcntation basin. and then to clear
well from which it is pumped to the
city. There are four pumps available
of which two are used to supply the
city with its necessary water. me
water is then pumped to a standpipe
which Is about two miles from the
pu-nping station and which has a ca
pac,ty of approximately five hundred
thousand gallons. From here the wa
tor flows by gravity to the city. The
water pressure maintained is seventy
three pounds per square inch. In
case Of emergency however. this may
be Increased to one hundred twenty
pounds bn pumping directly from the
lake. The city is fairly we'll supplied
with water and the water supply is
thoroughly motered.
Additional Water Supply
The city has bcon growing so rapid
" during the past few years that 1t
has heeu necessary to seek other
sources of supply. in order to supple
mcnt the present one. 4 pipe line is
now being laid to bring this additional
water supply from point on Hickory
creek thirteen and one-alf miles
from the city lake pumping station.
This creek is in the mountains and
is fed By springs. The flow to the
pumping station will be by gravity.
The additional supply obtained in this
way will take care OF the city's needs
for a long time to come.
Sewerage and Sewage Disposal
The city is provided with separate
systems Of storm and sanitary sewer
age that is, separate sewers are fur-
nished to remove the house, or domes-
tic. sewage and separate sewers are
provided to carry off the storm sew
ers There are two outfalls, one of
which empties east of the city, and
another at the western extremity.
At each of these outfalls there is a
sewage disposal plant which consists
of q septic tank and two trickling fit |
ers After the filtration, the sewage |
is discharged into creeks. The septic !
tank east of the city is sixty feet in
diameter and twelve feet deep. When |
a storm occurs. the tank is drained
and is flushed with water. The trick
ling filters are sixty feet in diameter |
and three and one-fourth feet deep. |
Each filter is made of crushed rock. |
the sewage being sprinkled over the |
filter.
Lack Of Scientific Supervision
At the present time there is no
scientific supervision of these treat |
ment plants. Thus all the sludge and
scum and other materials which ac-
cumulate in the septic tanks are dis
charged into the creek. instead of be-
ing discharged onto land where the
water might drain off and where tie
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