The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-10-14
TWO MILLION GALLONS
OF PURE WATER A DAY
Elizabeth City's New S25O,OO Filtration Plant
Can Send No Dangerous Raw Water
Into the City's Homes

million dollars, and equal in eff
flciency to anything of the kind
III the state is now complete
and in active service, with a
capacity of filtering and purify
ing two million gallons of
water a day.
1t is large enough to take care
of more than twice aS many inhabi-
tantS us the city now has. for the
daily consumption of water in Eliz-
aheth City is now only about 7J0.00O
gallons or so gallons per person Il
day.
The completion of the new plant
which went into active operation
this week marks the final stage i'm
the city'S mCderniZation Of its utili-
ties. calling for the expenditure of
a million dollars. 1t is Il plant
modern in every detail. operated en-
tirely by electricity, and requiring
only three men to supervise its
operation. one man for each shift
of eight hours.
Operating to capacity. the four
units of the plant. each with Il
capacity of half million gallons
day. will take total of $1,000
gallons of raw. red water as 1t comes
from Knobbs Greek, purify it. eX-
tract all the dye of the juniper roots,
the salt and sediment. the filth and
dirt from the watershed, the carbon
dioXide. the carbonic acid gas, the
colon baccilli. and all else objection
able and convert it in to clear
sparkling palatable. potable water
as safe for human consumption as
the raindrOps.
For the, first time in history
, Elizabeth City people can rest asSur'
cd that no raw creek water will
find its way into the mains. as was
often the case when the old plant
on Pennsylvania Avenue was Oper-
ated. The new plant il so designed
that it is Impossible to pump the
raw water up town to the big half
million gallon tank back of the Fire
Engine House. even if the operator
/ at the plant desired to pump it III
! town. 1t all must come through the
settling tanks. the filter basin. the
/ sediment basin. the secondary basin
and 20 into the big concrete reSer
voir. before the big pumps i'll the
engine room can send it on its way
to:.the biz water tank from whEl
! Elizabeth City ,pedhle draw. thei'
daily water supply.
The old water plant On knobf'
Creek originally designed to handle
Il million gallons Of water daily
/ could barely filter enough water
such as it was to supply the town
As the years passed. the pipes he
came so corroded that its capacity
rapidlv decreased. And when a hi:
fire happened to require lot o.
wafer. the supply Of filtered watel
WIS soon drained off. Moreover
/ the tank didn't put enough pressure
en- the mains for fire fighting pur
moses and the water plant had Il
nut the pumps to work. pulling th'
dirty. red filthy water direct IRON
knobbs Greek. and sending it JUS
so info the mains that led into ever!
home of the town.
The new water plant is not 0nl!
designed under the state law whicl
makes II impossible to send raw
wafer up town, but can filter
supply of pure water adequate u
most any fire the city could alitlci
note. More than one and hai
million gallons of water Will p'
stored in the big concrete reservoir
the water tank will hold half mii
lion gallons. and the giant 1ilte'
system can purify water from INT
icreek at the rate of 1.4OO gallons
minute. while the pumps Ill TIT
uower house can take it from th'
hir bosiu at the rate of 1000 gallons
u minute and the big standby gu
engine pump would send along an
other 1000 gallons Il minute
The new water publication plan
* in charge of City Chemist l." Il
uedgepeth. and his two assistants
Vernon Barco and Kenyon Smith
.on # is a beautiful building. fire
nroof throughout, built OF brlck
and concrete with n green tiled roof
The building is 40 feet. four lnche
long. - feet. six inches wide, ant
is about 40 feet high.
From the entrance may be seel
on the right hand the working ele
ments of the plant, the four big ten
inch pipes and connecting units
from which the water flows iron
the filter basins into the secondar!
basin and then to the big reser
yoir: on the left hand are the bi;
pumps. which send the water III
town to the big storage tank, tw'
pumps having Il capacity OF l.oo'
gallons a minute, and one with
capacity of 1000 gallons per minute
while Il big four cylinder 300 II. p
Sterling gasoline engine for emer
sency purposes is hooked to n puml
Continued on Page Three)