The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-03-27

1
View showing reservoir on top of Sha
passes on it's xvav to ar,
The daily consumption of water in
Birmingham has increased from TX.
ooo 900 49, go :, =,
ooo'ooo 10 2o'ooo,ooo gallons daily
since 1916, and the number of separate
consumers in the Same tina hoe ~
80
creased more IMAM 4U per cent, OF
from 81 900 to 10000, according tosin-
fo,,,.,o 49,, ~.;,,a,, - A5 l.
yes'hoay Ny
Harry ii. Horner, vice president OF
tho Rirp1;poha,,, Wo+arxvorLs ,o,,,
pany.
water consumption and the number OF
separate consumers nave increased IL
proportion TO the growth or the city, ano
THESE tigures show that Birmingh am and
her population nave increased more than
one-tnira IN tne iast i've years.
Ihere Is no otner city IN the tnlteo
states as iaFse DIS birhinsnam Wnlch &c
not locateu on some stream large enough
10 supply lts water. Ihus IL Will be seen
that nature mas favored TINS CITY less
than any other IN the country, but de-
spite this handicap, Birmingham has ere
| ~Et~S.
OF supplying all the possible needs Oh
city many tunes greater than this.
how THIS mas peen done and now BIZ
mlngham receives an ample supply OF the
purest water IN America is tolo IN
statement made yesterday by MT.
Horner.
MIR. HORNER'S STATEMENT
1.-THE Romans in the old days knew
the value of pure water" said Mr.. Hor-
| 49, Iva 1nr 1t
methods of water publication, so they
went back into the hills and brought
water down to Rome in great stone aque~
ducts; so solidly were they built that
they are to this day an Impressive fea-
ture of the Roman plan. Their water
supply, which was the marvel of the an
cient world, would be condemned by any
sanitary officer today
Such was the water supply of the I'M
perial City. This is story of the water
supply of the Magic City.
birmingham. like the Romans has
gone into the hills for it's supply. Lying
to the south of Jones valley, where the
quarter of million people OF birmingham
live, is rugged, wooded country
sparsely populated, covering an area Oh
over 100000 acres. 1t is region Where
springs from the underlying limestone
formations converge into the CANADA and
the Little Cahaba rivers. Thls Is the
region from whence comes the water
supply of Birmingham, and 1T is th's
mingled spring water and river water
which flows in the pipes beneath the
city streets
"All water comes from the CLOUDS
where it is pure. 1t receives It's contain
nation from conlac. WIN .ne eal.n. -
~ 49, tha water a. he finds Il in the
snrings and streams and as nearly as
! ne.s;t1o ,as+ora n ~ tic orip;nal, n,,rity
80 aaI;yar ~ r. the bousehoIder
N .s1xy;tha,,t +ta andIsss cvcIa ~ the rain
aror ufe would he imnossible anywhere
~, th;s e.r+b n comes down from the
~ o,a,' as y ;s nrr;f;ed ana Il serves its
49,, ~ is reciayed again into
~ o1o,,ss NV nsture.s nurifvine process
.l' $3.50 ana,assl,, ;ts haneficent func-
A.,
coTrpCr
oood;t;ons ~ r,tr,,it
onue oiu' ~ 60 -,r,ar ~
me e"o pran1es =. .;t .,le ,,1s s,,,r,,,
.heil haluiai NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NJ ~
enoush wa'er ior so,,t,, az r;,,.rs ' nm ~,
seasons Vi siea' ~ Ill. 10 ~, -,
iow' So ~,
.he INNS .heie nes 49,, ~,
means 81 an nn,.,os $3.50, -,
i p,,ss.. 7. hn,Ss ora and half hI,,on
ea,,ors ~ water ,gainst ! time when
&c ord;narv fIoware would he too small.
M. h,,,ide,- ~ the dam Mad some vision
| ~ ~ vrowth ~ nonulat;on in the val
~, ~ tha,, so constr,ctad IL that !,
80, 10 raisad an add;tional ~ feet and
tharshv ;,,,nound more than five billion
sai,ons ~ watar as reserve SUNNY.
---..
II wouiu "ave peo'' "'oS' io' =
II nature had provided In the Jones val
ley an adequate stream OF water when
could have flowed to the town by grav'
| ity. But 1t did not do SO. The water
FROM the Cahaba watershed will not flow
to the city by gravity, for lying be-
tween is the elevations OF Shades Noun
tain and Red Mountain. Every drop OF
water consumed must De nfted over tnis
formidable divide.
At point on the Cahaba river about
eight miles south or the city IS the
Cahaba pumping station. Here cease
Iessly every day and every hour OF every
day the ponderous pumps must lift the
water from the bed OF the river to a
height of more than 40 feet through
great 3O-inch mains to the top OF Shades
Mountain 1t is at the top OF shades
Mountain that the water Tor Birmingham
starts its long journey by gravity to the
faucet OF the consumer
RAW MATERIAL
The water at the top OF Shades Noun
tain is no longer the water as it came
from the clouds. 1t has run down the
Alabama hillsides and has accumulated
therefrom sediment and characteris-
tics that must be removed, 1t has also