The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-08-28
MINOT PROPOSES TO
BUILD SEWAGE PLANT
City Commissioners Call Election to
Issue S2S5, 900 in Bonds to Con-
struct Sewage Disposal Plant.

struct Sewage Disposal Plant.
The City Commissioners at their
meeting last Monday evening took a
definite action in regard to the harm
full and unsanitary conditions caused
from the discharge of the City's sew
age into the Mouse River and ordered
bond issue election for the issuing
of S2S5,000 in bonds for the construc-
ton of a sewage disposal plant.
The sewage of the City has been dis
charged into the Mouse river since the
installation of the original system. In
times of sigh water and during the
period when the city was smaller this
system worked quite satisfactorily /
but with the growth of the city and
increased amount of sewage, this sys-
TEN has been very unsatisfactory, I'M
satisfactory and harmful during per-
iods of dry weather flow. The pollu-I
tiop of the river by the sewage has
been a source of nuisance for several
years, not only to the residents of Mi
not but also to the farmers residing
along the river for miles below the
city. The question of sewage disposal
has repeatedly been before the board
of city commissioners for discussion
for the past several years and it has
been evident to the commissioners for
some time that the only adequate
method Of taking care of the city's
sewage is to construct a disposal
plant of the most approved type.
In 1918 the farmers along the river
below the city filed petition with the
board Of city commissioners asking
that action be taken by the board at
once to abate the nuisance caused by
the discharge of the city's sewage into
the Mouse river and they further took
up the matter with the state board of
health. The state board of health
brought the matter to the attention of
the Board of City Commissioners ask
ing that prompt action be taken. At
various times during the past few
months, resolutions have been pre-
sented to the commissioners by various
organizations Of the city, including
the Association of Commerce, the
Town Criers, the Rotary Club and the !
Park Board, urging the board to take
the necessary steps to construct sew
age disposal plant to eliminate the
nuisance. About two weeks ago del |
egation representing the residents
along the river below the city appear.
ed before the board and askd that
some action be taken on the petition
which they presented in 1918. They
represented to the board that the con-
ditions due to the river are becoming
unbearable and that unless the city
proceeded to construct a plant that
they would bring suit for damages
against the city.
There are several methods of sew
age disposal in use. The city COM
missioners and the city engineering
department have made some investi-
cations as to methods of sewage dis
posal and Investigations show that the
type of plant best adapted for the
City Of Minot is the Imhoff Tank and
Shrinking Filter method of disposal.
The following is brief outline Of this |
method Of disposal.
The sewage from the system is first
discharged into two-story Imhoff
tanks through which the sewage flows
with a sufficiently low velocity to al
low the solid particles to settle into
the lower chamber of such tanks where
bacterial action takes place and the
solid matter is reduced to sludge. This
sludge is removed and placed on /
sludge drying beds and after drying
can be used for filling in or as al
fertilizer. The sewage after flowing
through the Imhof tanks will pass
over wiers into dosing chamber in
which will be installed large syphon.
After the sewage in this dosing cham
Der reaches a certain height the siphon
automatically discharges into a pine
distributing system of the filter. The
area of this filter viii be determined byI
the. amount Of sewage to be filtered
and will be from six to eight feet in |
depth. The filtering material will con-
SYST OF crushed rock varying from one
eighth inch to two inches in size.
Sprlnkling nozzles will be connected toll
the distributing pipe line system. The
nozzles will extend about six inchesI
above the filtering material and will
be spaced about ten feet apart. When
ever the slphon in the dosing chamber
| discharges, these nozzles will gush
forth and spray the sewage over the
crushed rock area. The object of this
| fllterlng process is not to filter out the |
small particles in the sewage after
passing through the Imhoff tanks, but
by oxidation caused by the sprinkling
| and the sewage coming in contact with
the air in the interstices of the filter
ing material, induces the action of
llquifying and nitrifying bacteria, |
causing the organic matter to change
to inoffensive nitrates and carbonates.
In case further treatment is required !!
in order not to cause a nuisance the
sewage is required to flow through a,
| final Qualification tank where bacterial
action takes place and the solid mat
tel, is reduced TO sludge and removed
and placed on sludge drying beds, the
same as described for the Imhoff
tanks. After passing through these
Qualification tanks the sewage can
then be discharged into the river as
treated sewage.
The health Of the people of the city
OF Mlnot receives the first considera-
ton. There is close relation between
health and a proper system of sewage
disposal. In view of the danger to
the public health from the polluted and
unsanitary condition Of the river and