The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-01
TOO MUCH WASTE
That Is Said To Be One of
Many Water Troubles.
Sewers Get Large Part Of the
Supply Pumped.

That the city of Topeka is facing a
problem of the most extreme gravity
was the declaration of L. T. Hussey.
state fire marshal, in a conferences
held in his Office Tuesday afternoon
for the purpose of determining meas
ures for reducing the present fire haz-
ard.s
Featured with the very highest de-
gree of prominence. based on figures
submitted by Jesse Shaw, former sup
erintendent of the water plant, the
information which has never been
given the position of prime impor-
lance before was that the city was u.s.
ing an immense amount of unneces-
sary water in the street department
for the purpose of flushing sewers
According to the figures presented at
the conference it would appear that
the plant goes thru the sewers and is
absolutely wasted.
Not only has the long continued
gloom over the eyer-present fire haz-
ard aroused Topeka business men, to
Spasmodic indignation meetings and
committees. to wait upon the commits
s.oners, but also Paul w. Terry, man
ager of the Kansas inspection bureau.
has many times seriously. threatened
business men with higher fire insur-
ance rates.
Too Much Waste.
Hussey, Commissioner Tandy and
Commissioner Newland met in Hus-
sey's office for the conference, with
the idea of finding out whether any
thing could be done to increase the
water pressure. Apparently Hussey is
am bilious to tackle a job which the
commissioners themselves have never
been able to solve to their satisfaction,
for none of them have sufficient
knowledge of water engineering to be
able to suggest and keep on pushing
ideas, the adoption of which might
have benefited the water department
Tuesday, before going to the meet
ing, Shaw inspected eleven of the
sewer tanks in order to be able to
present pressure conditions. The re-
ports indicate that some of these were
flushing at the rate of eight times,
day. Hussey asserted that normal
should be about four and not more
than six time. Computing from Shaw's
report. with possible average of thir-
ty times day for the tanks to flush,
which is two and one-half more times
than w. E. Baldry, city engineer.
claims should be normal, at least
2.403. 900 gallons of water go thru the
sewers each twenty-four< hours.
If the tanks should be flushed
twelve times a day, which Baldry
claims is necessary on the East side,
flow would approximate $4,000 gal
Ions. for the 267 tanks, which would
be /, 44f.800 gallons less than is now
running thru the sewers each twenty
four hours. With a daily capacity for
the plant of 100000 gallons a day
this would leave a total of 1,497,00O
gallons for supplying the entire needs
of the city.
Tandy Blames Newland.
1t was apparent that Commissioner
Tandy was inclined to place the
blame on the water department as he
had told Newland to regulate the
tanks if it was so desired. He also
said that with the present low pres
sure the guages are opened wider and
the tanks fill more rapidly than usual
He said further that his department
would. Immediately regulate the tanks
to reduce consumption to the mini
mum. The tanks will be regulated to
a degree that will serve to keep the
| sewers free from obstruction without
wasting any more water than is nee
essary.
According to Hussey, If big fire
should break out here it could de-
velop into a conflagration with which
the fire department would be unable
to cope on account of insufficient
water.
The present emergency should pass
in few months" said Hussey, with
the completion of planned improve
ments. But the great problem will
remain unsolved. If Topeka is to
have a real fire protection that can
be depended on at all times. the pres
ent water supply must at least be
doubled. That can be accomplished
only by the expenditure of large sums
of money on new wells and pumps
far enough from the present wells to
assure abundant water. That is the
cold fact that Topeka people must
face sooner or. later, is they are to