TABLE 7
Rates of Water Consumption
From Journals of American and New England Water Works Associations
CityPopulation in ThousandsPer Cent MeteredConsumption, Gal. per Capita per Day
Tacoma, Wash.100  11.6460
Buffalo, N. Y.450  4.9310
Cheyenne, Wyo.13   270
Erie, Pa.72  3.0198
Philadelphia, Pa.1611  4.6180
St. Catherines, Ont.17  3.2160
Port Arthur, Ont.18  14.7145
Ogdensburg, N. Y.18  0.2140
Los Angeles, Cal.516  77.9140
Wilmington, Del.92  43.7125
Lancaster Pa.60  34.6120
Richmond, Va.120  75.2115
St. Louis, Mo.730  6.7110
Springfield, Mass.100  94.4110
Keokuk, Ia.14  64.5105
Jefferson City, Mo.13.534.4100
Muncie, Ind.30  23.895
Burlington, Ia.24  4.590
Council Bluffs, Ia.32  75.580
San Diego, Cal.85  100  80
Monroe, Wis.3  100  80
Yazoo City, Miss.7  84.175
Oak Park, Illinois.26  100  70
Portsmouth, Va.75  8.165
New Orleans, La.360  99.760
Rockford, Ill.53  93.055
Fort Dodge, Ia.20  96.050
Manchester, Vt.1.569.045
Woonsocket, R. I.47.595.635

Attempts have been made to express the rate of sewage flow in different units other than in gallons per capita per day. A unit in terms of gallons per square foot of floor area tributary has been suggested for commercial and industrial districts. It has not been generally adopted. The rates of flow in New York City as reported in this unit by W. S. McGrane are given in Table 11.

The most successful way to predict the flow from commercial or industrial districts is to study the character of the district’s activities and to base the prediction on the quantity of water demanded by the commerce and industry of the district affected.

25. Fluctuations in Rate of Sewage Flow.—The rate of flow of sewage from any district varies with the season of the year, the day of the week, and the hour of the day. The maximum and minimum rates of sewage flow are the controlling factors in the design of sewers. The sewers must be of sufficient capacity to carry the maximum load which may be put upon them, and they must be on such a grade that deposits will not occur during periods of minimum flow. The maximum and minimum rates of flow are usually expressed as percentages of the average rate of flow.

TABLE 8
Sewage Flow from Different Classes of Districts
Arranged from data by Kenneth Allen in Municipal Engineer’s Journal, Feb., 1918.
DistrictGallons per Capita per DayGallons per Acre per Day
Buffalo, N. Y. From Report of International Joint Commission on the Pollution of Boundary Waters:
Industrial: Metal and automobile plants. Maximum. 13,000
Industrial: Meat packing, chemical and soap. 16,000
Commercial: Hotels, stores and office buildings. 60,000
Domestic: Average.80  
Domestic: Apartment houses.147  
Domestic: First-class dwellings.129  
Domestic: Middle-class dwellings.81  
Domestic: Lowest-class dwellings.35.5
Cincinnati, Ohio. 1913 Report on Sewerage Plan:
Industrial, in addition to residential and ground water. 9,000
Commercial, in addition to residential and ground water. 40,000
Domestic.135  
Detroit, Mich.:
Domestic.228  
Industrial, in addition to residential and ground water. 12,000
Commercial, in addition to residential and ground water. 50,000
Milwaukee, Wis. 1915 Report of Sewerage Commission:
Industrial, maximum.81  16,600
Industrial, average.31  8,300
Commercial, maximum. 60,500
Commercial, average. 37,400
Wholesale commercial, maximum. 20,000
Wholesale commercial, average. 9,650
TABLE 9
Observed Water Consumption in Different Classes of Districts in New York City
From data by Kenneth Allen in Municipal Engineers Journal, for 1918
HotelsDaily Cons. Gals. per 1000 Sq. Ft. Floor AreaTenementsDaily Cons. Gals. per 1000 Sq. Ft. Floor AreaOffice and Loft BuildingsDaily Cons. Gals. per 1000 Sq. Ft. Floor Area
BuildingMax.[[19]]Avg.LocationMax.[[19]]Avg.BuildingMax.[[19]]Avg.
Hotel Biltmore.47036878th–79th St. and B’way.256192McGraw Bldg.309206
Hotel McAlpin.753694410 E. 65th St.350295N. Y. Telephone Bldg. 194
Hotel Plaza.63057830th St. and Madison Ave306188Met. Life Bldg. 256
Hotel Waldorf Astoria.61848227 Lewis St.30725042d St. Bldg 271
Hotel Astor.732492258 Delancey St.267226Municipal Bldg. 118
Hotel Vanderbilt.604545 Equitable Bldg.366268
Average634526Average297230Average338219
TABLE 10
Sewage Flow from Different Classes of Districts Based on 1915 Report of Milwaukee Sewerage Commission
Ratio of maximum to average rate for department store district.1.755
Ratio of maximum to average rate for hotel district.1.65 
Ratio of maximum to average rate for office building district.1.51 
Ratio of maximum to average rate for wholesale commercial district.2.1  


Average and maximum gallons per thousand square feet of floor area:Avg.Max.


For department store district.232407
For office building district.541891
For wholesale commercial district.164344
For all districts except wholesale commercial.381618
Average and maximum gallons per day:
For all districts except wholesale commercial.17,70029,800
For wholesale commercial district.9,65020,000
TABLE 11
Rates of Consumption Predicted for Different Districts in New York City
DistrictNet Bldg. Area in Sq. Ft. per Acre for Ultimate ConsumptionAvg. Number of FloorsObserved Cons. in g.p.d. per 1000 Sq. Ft. Max.Observed Cons. in g.p.d. per 1000 Sq. Ft. Avg.Predicted Mean Cons.Predicted Mean in Million Gals. per Acre per DayPredicted Dry Weather Flow, c.f.s. per AcrePredicted Max. Dry Weather Flow, c.f.s. per AcreMeasured Avg. Dry Weather Flow, c.f.s. per AcreMeasured Max. Dry Weather Flow, c.f.s. per Acre
Hotel and midtown.24,80015634526500.20 .29.341.04 .146
Midtown and financial.24,80015338219300.12 .18.23.078.110
East and West of midtown.24,80010297230300.074.12.15.057.097
Apartment, 59th to 155th Sts.20,4007 230300.043.06.09
Manhattan north of 155th St.20,4005 230300.031.05.08
Midtown district consists of department stores, large railroad terminals, industrial and loft buildings, and sky-scraper office building.

It is difficult to set any definite figure for the percentage which the maximum rate of flow is of the average. Fluctuations above and below the average are greater the smaller the tributary population. This relation can be expressed empirically as

M = 500
P,