The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-06-25
GETTING GOOD WATER
FROM NEW FILTER
Wonderful Improvement In City Water
Following Installation of Modern
Plant

During the past week a remarkable :,
Improvement in the color of the city
water here has been the subject of
much comment among the people. The
brown, dirty looking stuff which for
mer1y flowed through the city water
mains, and which even some horses re-
fused to drink, has been succeeded by
product usually as clear as crystal, and =
like distilled water to the taste. Water
company officials, however, warn that
slight darkening of color may be notice
| able soon,. for the reason that the alum
supply of the company is running short,
and it is practically impossible to get
| more at this time, due to the inability.
of the manufacturers to get the raw
material of which alum is by-product.
/ No alarm need be felt on this ground as
to the purity of the water, since the alum
| is simply used to remove vegetable dis
| coloration, and the newly Installed fill
| tration plant guarantees a water sup
ply that is absolutely free from bac-
terra and solid matter.
With it's recent additions and improve
ments,- the city water plant has nor
!, NAL capacity of a million gallons OF
Thoroughly purified water per day. This
can be raised to a million and half
gallons maximum output. Two power
full pumping engines are used in con-
veying the water from Knobbs Greek
| to the plant, and in forcing it through
the city mains. Before the water
, reaches the first tank, coagulants con-
sisting of alum and soda ash are mixed
, with it by means of pipes 100 feet apart,
1 n4o1y oiT1n T1d
$ flows over an aerator. The water pass
< es slowly through this first tank, which
has a capacity of $4,000 gallons, and here
S the soda and alum are thoroughly mix
D ed with it, some of the color and bac-
terra being deposited here. After two
r hours in this tank, the water flows into
t a 100000 gallon sedimentation tank, in
K which 80 per cent of the cOloring matter
g and bacterial content settles out. Next
n the water goes into the new and re-
+ Gently installed filter, which includes
Y two filtration tanks with a total nor
e NAL capacity of 100000 gallons per
l. day. The latter rectangular con-
d crete basins, 12 by Is feet, and eight
It feet deep. The strainer system is used,
e with cast-iron 1aterals and bronze
E. strainers six inches apart both ways,
k under an 1S-inch bed of gravel, which in
it turn is covered by a 3O-inch layer of
r. carefully screened and graded sand. The
[e remaining color and nearly all bacteria
TX are removed here. When the filters be-
IS come clogged with impurities, a simple
le reversing of the flow of the water eff
al fectively cleans them in five minutes.
ut Practically all impurities of all kinds
g, are removed in the filtration tanks JUS
described, but as an added safeguard the
water is next treated with chlorine ga!
m the kind often used in gas attack!
;s during the world warm proportions
10 of about one and a half pounds PEE
n million gallons of water. This imme
ov diately oxidizes all spore forming bac
to terra dangerous to humans, and com
h. pletely sterilizes the water. Bacteria
onj logical tests conducted by experts las
- week showed that, while the water a
10 pumped from Knobbs Greek 'containe
co 267 parts of color per million parts o
or water, the filtered water was absolute
os ly ,colorless, and the bacterial coun
~, was reduced from 500 per cubic cent?
g. meter, to 10 per cu-cm.' after filtra
81 tion and before chlorination.-
ks 1LSpecldl dtLeHIIOu Is Cd1eu u III
er fact that all chemicals used in the puri
We fication of the water are removed befor
er the water reaches the consumer. Ra,
all water contains certain chemicals whic
ice unite with those used to purify it, an
he coagulate, or, to explain more clearly
ng precipitate and settles to the bottom
900 the various tanks, upon the same prir
raj yciple by which coffee grounds settle OF
ito when the white of an egg is dropped il
md to the coffee pot by the housewife. E,
ed cept in point of size, the city water plan
up is now absolutely as modern and up
The date as any in the United States, watt
ten company officials state, and the peop
of this city are being supplied wit
ing city water which is as pure as can
or had anywhere. And, too, as long
per sufficient alum can be obtained, the w
hey ter will continue to be as clear al
at pleasing to the aesthetic sense as it
or today.