The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-05-11
TO MAKE A STUDY OF
HARDIN WATER COST

to produce the water needed by
the town.
Zone of our neighboring cities
gave a $50 discount and found
the income from the water de-
partment had increased. There is
no reason why we cannot use the
same method to increase the in
come from our water plant and
help pay for an expensive water
SYSTEM
Troy D. French, for eight years
prior to two years ago superin-
tendent of the Hardin city water
department, and who, in such a
pacity had personal charge of
the pumping and filtration of
all water used by the city of
! Hardin, states that an increase
in the production of the plant
would decrease the cost per
thousand gallons for the follow
ing reasons:
I'm the first place there is a
fixed overhead charge, in that
the salaries, repairs and upkeep
would remain practically the
same, whether a few million gal
Ions or many million gallons were
pumped and filtered monthly. The
only extra expense would be in
electric power and chemicals for
the water. The electric power
would cost about one cent per
thousand gallons, the chemicals
slightly less than two cents. Dur
ing the eight years I operated the
plant the cost of these items
averaged less than the above
figures.
1.-THE rate given the city by the
Montana Power Co. is reduced in
proportion to the amount of cleo
trio power used, which means
that the more the plant produces,
the cheaper the rate per thous-
and gallons. In other words, if
the city would lower the rate per
thousand gallons, judging by
the experience of other cities
where a summer lawn rate is
given, the net income of the water
department would be increased,
the larger production cutting
the pumping cost per thousand
gallons.
Answering the argument that
the water cannot be settled fast
enough to permit of greatly in
creased production because of the
high turbidity-si content-it is
admitted that in time of high
water it is impossible, with the
present plant, to settle all the
water the plant can pump. How
ever, this condition rarely exists
only following the run-off from
snow water in June and following
sudden freshets after heavy rains.
Ninety per cent of the time, during
the irrigation period, all the
water the people of Hardin could
possibly use on their lawns and
gardens, no matter how dry the
weather, could be settled as easily
as when only a small quantity of
water is pumped. The rate of
settling, under normal conditions,
running at full capacity, is $4,000
gallons per hour Or approximately
a half million gallons per shift
of 10 hours. During the eight
years I operated the plant, the
average daily pumping was less
than a quarter million gallons per
shift of 10 hours during the
summer months when most of the
water was used"
AT a meeting Of the Hardin
Lions club, Monday evening, the
proposition of reducing the Har-
din water rates was discussed and
a committee, comprising DR.. L.
E. Haverfield, DR.. w. A. Ransier,
A. M. Chilly and Ralph H. Frank
lin was appointed to meet with
a committee named at a recent
meeting Of the Hardin Woman's
club, and the water committee OF
the city council and make a study
Of the proposition that it MAJ
be presented to the next meeting
of the city council for their action