The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1938-08-11

The City Council is giving consideration at this
time to the water situation In Redwood Falls with
view of charging the reservoir capacity to
mOdae the peak loads of summer consumption and
the StalatlOn of filter aeratOr system to
the iron content in the present water supply. Some
consideration has been given to a municipal water
sofening plant which will soften all of the Cys sup
ply Of water but definite action in this regard has
been taken at this time.
Captain R. A Radfo-d, Regional Director of the
Public Works Administration has urged municipalities
to take advantage of the lberazed Public Works
Administration program which is the result of relief
legislation passed just before Congress ad Ourned
Gently The high school building and the repairs
to be made in the Lincoln Building this fall the
only Public Works Administration projects which Red
wood Falls has had
Public Works Administration grant of $50 of
the cost OF worthwhile approved project is avail
able. This would include project for rehablitating
and charging the Waterworks system of Redwood
Falls. This leaves only $50 to be provided for by
the municipality under the program Application for
grants of this nature must be filed before September
80 although the earlier the application is filed the
better. Earlier applications have the assurance of
being acted upon before funds are exhausted. The
present time is excellent opportunity of procuring
q complete municipal water softening plant for Red
wood Falls At recent meeting of the City Council
Mr. Lowell Anderson, Works Progress Administration
Hydraulic Inspector who had charge of the recently
completed Little Falls municipal sOftenng plant, and
accompanied by Mr. Stack, Hydraulic Engineer for the
City of Minneapolis and the Water Chemist for the
City Of Minneapolis, gave pertinent data and informal
ton to the members of the City Council These three
experienced men strongly recommended to the Council
the erection of a complete municipal water softenng
rather than the proposed plant for the removal
of iron alone.
Mr.. Anderson presented figures showing the COM
plete cost Of plant consisting of a 100000 gallon
reservoir-Whch the City needs badly regardless Of
the IRON removal or sottenlng-and modern lime
soda ash type Of sottenng plant including the most
efficient devices and equipment for the handling of
the CltNS water supply at $4,000
If a Federal Public Works Administration grant
be obtained Redwood Falls share would be S25 $50.
| have been informed that the City has $4,000 to
$4,000 in funds available for this project This would
leave balance of from $4,000 to $4,000 to be pro-
Vlded by bonds upon the vote Of the people of Red
wood Fails. The present bond market is extremely
interest rate should be obtained.
Mr.. Anderson stated that the cost of softening all
of the water would be eight cents per 1000 gallons.
Redwood Falls present rate is 40 per 1000 gal
Ions for the first 215OO gallons with step down rate
to 26 = 3 cents Per 1000 gallons for the next 2l5OO
gallons and - cents per 1000 gallons for the re-
mainder. The average household in Redwood Falls
does get out Of the 40 cent rate Municipal sof-
tening plants not In South Dakota the cities
of Watertown Aberdeen, Mobrdge, Huron, Mitchell,
IanktOn and VermilliOn and in North Dakota, Fargo,
Grand Forks, jamestown, Williston and New Rock
ford all soften all Of the City water by the lime pro-
cess. Farmont Chisholm and Little Falls have begun
softening all of the City water this year. Mandan
North Dakota, is building softenng plant as is
Hackensack, Minnesota. Madison, Minnesota has
softened all water for and is making plans
for the installation of lime process plant this
year. Minneapolis will begin softenng all of the City
water there next year, this will be the largest soften
ing plant in the world with capacity Of 1200OOO00
gallons per day. Recently there have been some new
developments in design which reduces the amount of
sedmentation time required that the lime process
is less expensive to install and requires less space
that iron removal and complete softening be
complished easily compared with the older prac-
tice. Redwood Falls is known hard water town
and this could easily be changed to provide soft water
in every home The expense of maintaining a hard
water system we'll known by all residents who have
to build and maintain cistern and pump install,
maintain and pay for salt and backwash water
quired in the zeolite softeners.
The necessary increase in water rates due to
softenng all of the water is small in comparison to
the aggregate expense and inconvenience which hard
water entails.
From the standpoint of soap consumption alone
is practical to soften all of the water in order to get
only five percent Of it soft. Lime costs only - cent