Management and Supervision
No matter how well a sewage disposal plant is designed or constructed it will not do its work in a satisfactory manner and produce desired results unless it is efficiently managed. Every plant should be in charge of a man who has knowledge of sewage disposal principles, is thoroughly familiar with his plant and who can act intelligently in an emergency. The New Jersey State Sewerage Commission in one of its reports notes the tendency of local authorities to permit the deterioration of disposal plants usually through inattention. “It cannot be too strongly urged on those charged with these, as of other public works, that a competent man in charge is a primary necessity and that the plant should be kept continuously in the highest state of efficiency.” The same condition is complained of by the California State Board of Health and other state organizations. In one of its bulletins the California State Board says that “some of the plants are operating very indifferently well and some very badly. The general situation shows plainly the need of expert advice to municipalities with respect to general methods and necessary efficiencies from some central authority.”
D. C. Faber, Industrial Engineer of the Iowa State College, goes so far as to claim that practically all nuisances in connection with plants can be traced directly to failure to give them attention. He says that even where plants have been found too small increased care in many cases could be made to offset lack of capacity.
In several states, such as New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kansas, Ohio and Massachusetts, the State Boards of Health have supervision over the designing of new plants and the operation of those established. The good results obtained as a result of this supervision are evidence that similar powers should be granted to all state boards of health.
With a plant designed to meet local conditions, properly constructed and efficiently managed, a city should have no difficulty in disposing of its sewage economically, in a sanitary manner and without creating a nuisance.
| Table II (a) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEWAGE DISPOSAL IN AMERICAN CITIES | |||||||||||||||
| Name of City | General Data | Sewerage System | Sewage Pumping | ||||||||||||
| Population | General Description Plant | Annual Cost of Operation[[29]] | Gallons Treated Annually | Average Number Gallons Treated Daily | Per cent. of City’s Total Treated | Kind of Sewerage System | Preliminary Treatment | What Percentage of Sewage is Pumped to Plant | Gallons Pumped Annually | Daily Capacity of Pumps | Kind and Number of Pumps | Annual Cost of Pumping Station | Number of Feet Sewage is raised | ||
| Total | Per Million Gals. Raised a Foot | ||||||||||||||
| Albany, N. Y. | 110,000 | Coarse screens, Imhoff tanks and pumping station. | Mostly combined | Coarse screens and grit chamber. | Large part. | Three 10 [M.G.]D. each and three 15 [M.G.]D. each | Three var. speed 24 in. and three const. 24 in. electric power. | ||||||||
| Atlanta, Ga. | 200,000 | Coarse screens, grit chambers, Imhoff tanks, sprinkling filters. | $1.93 per [M.G.]X. | 16,000,000 | 90%. | Combined. | Grate bars 1½ in. apart, and three grit chambers. | Some. | 50,000,000 | Centrifugal electric power. | |||||
| Akron, Ohio | 150,000 | Screens, grit chambers, Imhoff tanks, sludge beds, sprinkling filters. | Separate and combined. | Screens and grit chambers. | |||||||||||
| Alliance, Ohio | 22,000 | Cameron tanks. Contact and intermittent sand filters. Imhoff tanks and slag contact beds now under construction. | 2,200 per [M.G.] | 3,000,000 | 100%. | Separate. | Grit chambers. | None. | |||||||
| Auburn, N. Y. | 37,000 | Two plants. Grit chambers, settling tanks, dosing tanks, contact beds. | 8,500 | 675,000 | 22%. | Separate with some surface water. | Two grit chambers. | None. | |||||||
| Brockton, Mass. | 63,000 | Revolving screens, sand beds and sprinkling filters. | 12,000 | 768,000,000 | 2,106,000 | 100%. | Separate. | Revolving screen. | All. | 6,000,000 | Two Knowles triple expansion condensing steam power. | $30,000 | .975 | 40. | |
| Bloomington, Ill. | 12,000 | Septic tank, center settling basin, 3 contact beds arranged around center basin, nozzle spray upon filter beds surrounding contact beds. | 275,000,000 | 750,000 | 100%. | Separate. | Settling basin with weirs. | None. | |||||||
| Bristol, Conn. | 15,000 | Sand filter beds. | 5,000 | 1,500,000 | 90%. | Separate. | None. | None. | |||||||
| Columbus, Ohio. | 220,000 | Grit chamber, screens, pumps, Imhoff tanks, sprinkling filters, final settling basins. | 5,163,000,000 | 21,300,000 | All for 242 days. | Separate and combined. | One in. and one-half in. vertical bar screens mechanically operated. Grit chamber. | All once and 10% twice. | 5,163,000,000 | 50,000,000 | One 12 in. Worthington, one 20 in. Morris, two 18 in. and one 12 in. De Lavel. Electric power. | $23,656 | .16 | 21.6 | |
| Canton, Ohio. | 70,000 | Imhoff tanks, contact beds, crushed slag and gravel filter with automatic syphon, sludge drying beds, sand and pea gravel filling. Half of bed covered with greenhouse construction. Final effluent into creek. | 20,000 | 700,000,000 | 1,900,000 | 95%. | Separate. | Coarse screens and grit chambers. | None. | ||||||
| Danbury, Conn. | 23,000 | Irrigation and filtration. | 7,500 | 300,000 | Mostly separate. | Coarse screens and grit chambers. | None. | ||||||||
| Dallas, Texas | 120,000 | Screens, grit chambers, Imhoff tanks and sludge beds. | 10,000,000 | All. | Separate. | Coarse screens and grit chambers. | All. | 22,500,000 | Two centrifugal steam power. | 42. | |||||
| Fond du Lac, Wis. | 20,000 | Sewage collected in receiving well and pumped into Imhoff tanks. | 3,200 | Separate with cistern overflow connected with sanitary. | Screens and grit chambers. | All. | 1,000,000 a day. | 60,000,000 | Four centrifugal electric power. | ||||||
| Fresno, Cal. | 40,000 | Partial purification by settling and septic process, and disposal of effluent by irrigation of alfalfa. | 1,000 | 1,825,000,000 | 5,000,000 | All. | Separate. | Chamber for trapping crude oil. | None. | ||||||
| Gloversville, N. Y. | 21,000 | Primary and secondary settling tanks, screen chambers and dosing tanks, sprinkling filters, sludge drying beds and sand filters. | 22,000 | 1,022,000,000 | 2,800,000 | 90%. | Separate. | Coarse screens. | None. | ||||||
| Houston, Texas | 140,000 | Activated sludge method, reinforced concrete aeration tanks, [M.G.] settling tanks and re-aeration tanks. Continuous flow, power houses and blowers. | 9.25 per [M.G.] | 6,570,000,000 | 18,000,000 | All. | Separate. | Coarse screens and grit chambers for two-thirds of sewage. | 105.2% some twice. | 8,611,000,000 | 30,000,000 | One air ejector six single centrifugal pumps. Electric power. | $23,500 est. | .136 | .25. |
| Independence, Kas. | 12,000 | Cameron tanks and filter beds. | Separate. | None. | |||||||||||
| Lackawanna, N.Y. | 17,500 | 788,400,000 95%. | Separate. | Grit chamber. | 95%. | 788,000,000 | 720,000 power. | Centrifugal steam | 9,000 | 18. | |||||
| Milwaukee, Wis. | 450,000 | Trial plant operated since 1916. Now designing activated sludge plant to treat all sewage. | 130,000,000 | Separate with first wash from street. | Coarse screens and grit chamber. | 33%. | 42,000,000 | 60,000,000 | Three centrifugal, 20 million each. Electric power. | 22. | |||||
| Mt. Vernon, N.Y. | 38,000 | Settling tanks, single story septic type, constructed in five units. Sprinkling overhead Phelps nozzle, dosing tanks with automatic syphon. | 17,675 | 750,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 75%. | Separate with much wet weather infiltration. | Coarse bar screens. | 15%. | 110,000,000 | 5,000,000 | Two vertical centrifugal electric power. | 26 ft. including friction. | ||
| New Britain, Conn. | 55,000 | Sand filtration. | 12,000 | 4,000,000 | All. | Separate. | None. | None. | |||||||
| Oswego, N.Y. | 24,000 | None. | |||||||||||||
| Pasadena, Cal. | 42,000 | Imhoff and septic tanks, sludge bed and sewage farm. | 730,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 95%. | Separate with first wash from street. | None. | None. | |||||||
| Providence, R. I. | 249,616 | Settling tanks; disinfection. | 54,954 | 9,078,620,000 | 24,872,000 | Combined. | Yes. | ||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pa. | 1,800,000 | Pennypack Creek sewage treated | 450,000,000 | 1,250,000 | One-third of 1%. | Combined first wash from street. | Coarse screens and grit chamber. | Yes. | 450,000,000 | 4,000,000 | One eight in. and one ten in. Worthington, vertical. By gas. | 41. | |||
| Reading, Pa. | 110,000 | 21,500 | 2,000,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 60%. | Separate. | Two grit chambers. | All. | One 6 and the other 8 millions. | Two centrifugal electric power. | $14,500 | 39. | |||
| Rochester, N. Y. | 248,465 | Detritus tanks, fine screens Imhoff tanks. Plan made for effluent to run power plant. Sludge drying beds. | 55,000,000 dry weather flow, 173,000,000 wet weather flow. | All. | Combined. | Six detritus tanks and fine screens. | |||||||||
| Schenectady, N.Y. | 87,000 | Imhoff tanks and sprinkling filters. | 23,000 | 72,000,000 | 70%. | Separate and combined. | 40%. | 40,000,000 | 15,000,000 | Five direct connected motor vertical centrifugal. | $10,000 | 23. | |||
| Sumter, S. C. | 12,000 | Sewage only partly treated. A settling chamber only. No filtering bed. | 8,000 | Separate. | Two grit chambers 20 x 30 ft. | None. | |||||||||
| Tallahassee, Fla. | 6,000 | Single contact system, 3 beds, coke and sand, filtration with automatic apparatus. | 2,500 | 100,000 | Grit chamber. | No. | |||||||||
| Woonsocket, R. I. | 43,000 | Screening basin and filters. | 1,500,000 | Separate. | Coarse screens between screening basins and pump well. | 100%. | 2,200 per min. | Centrifugal. By steam. | 20⅓ | ||||||
| Worcester, Mass. | 170,000 | Chemical precipitation, sand filters. | 60,000 exclusive of depreciation and interest. | 6,094,000,000 | All dry weather flow and first part of storm water. | Separate and combined. | Grit chambers | 2%. | Four centrifugal. Electric power. | 5,509.35 | |||||
| Table II (c) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEWAGE DISPOSAL IN AMERICAN CITIES (Continued) | ||||||||||||||
| Name of City | Industrial Wastes | Sludge Disposal | Final Treatment | |||||||||||
| Establishments Which Empty Wastes Into City’s Sewerage System | What Kinds Are Treated Before They are Emptied Into Sewerage System | Methods of Treatment Where Wastes are Purified Separately | How is Sludge Disposed of | Any Revenue from Disposal Plant | Is Effluent Disinfected | Is there a Secondary Settling Tank | Per cent. of Suspended Matter Removed | Per cent. of Bacteria Removed | What Degree of Purity Required | Is Plant Operating Satisfactorily | If Not, Why? | Distance of Plant from Center of City | Any Odor at Plant | |
| Albany, N. Y. | No. | Two miles. | ||||||||||||
| Atlanta, Ga. | Steel mills, tin can works, gas works, coal and gas plants. | From gas works. | Plain sedimentation. | Filling and fertilizer. | None. | No. | No. | Yes. | 4–7 miles. | Not sufficient to cause inconvenience. | ||||
| Akron, Ohio | Burned. | Yes. | ||||||||||||
| Alliance, Ohio | Dried on beds and hauled to farmers. | None. | No. | No. | No. | No technical supervision. Large quantities of roof water during storms. | 1 mile. | Yes. | ||||||
| Auburn, N. Y. | None. | No. | No. | Yes. | 5 miles. | |||||||||
| Brockton, Mass. | Shoe factory and tannery. | Fertilizer and fill. | None. | No. | From sprinkl’r. | 61.2. | 95. | As high as possible. | Not entirely. | Sand beds in operation 22 years and have reached capacity. | 3 miles. | During damp weather | ||
| Bloomington, Ill. | No. | No. | Yes. | 1½ miles. | Not over 1,000 ft. under worst conditions. | |||||||||
| Bristol, Conn. | Plowed into land | Yes. | 2 miles. | Not much. | ||||||||||
| Columbus, Ohio | Tanneries, breweries, starch works, wool cleaners, packing plants. | None. | Dried on beds and spread on city farm. | None. | No. | Yes. | 25. | 80–90. | Varies with stream and weather conditions. | Some parts satisfactory others not. | Insufficient capacity. | 5 miles. | Yes. | |
| Canton, Ohio | Various factories, including iron and steel; chief waste is rags. | None. | Fertilizer. | None. | No. | 98. | 85. | Yes. | 8 miles. | Very little. | ||||
| Danbury, Conn. | Hat factories. | None. | Fertilizer. | $400. | No. | No. | Yes. | 2½ miles. | None from beds; sometimes when flow exceeds maximum it is turned into swamp, and during hot weather there is odor. | |||||
| Dallas, Tex. | Packing houses, laundries, dye works. | No. | 3½ miles. | |||||||||||
| Fond du Lac, Wis. | Laundries, cleaning establishments. | None. | Filling. | No. | Yes. | 1 mile. | No. | |||||||
| Fresno, Cal. | Fruit canneries and packing houses. | None. | 30. | No standard. | Yes. | 7 miles. | Yes. | |||||||
| Gloversville, N. Y. | Leather and canneries; 26% of total is trade waste. | All. | Settling tanks. | Fertilizer and fill | $300. | No. | Yes. | Yes. | 2 miles. | Some. | ||||
| Houston, Tex. | Pressed and dried | No. | Yes. | 95–98. | 95–99. | 85–90. | 2.5 miles. | None expected. | ||||||
| Independence, Kas. | ||||||||||||||
| Lackawanna, N. Y. | None. | No. | No. | 90. | Yes. | 1 mile. | No. | |||||||
| Milwaukee, Wis. | Breweries, tanneries, soap works, laundries, hair works and packing houses. | None. | Pressed, dried and sold for fertilizer. | No. | 95. | 95. | 95. | Centre of city. | No. | |||||
| Mt. Vernon, N. Y. | Fill. | None. | No. | No. | 70. | 80. | Non-putrescible. | Yes. | 1 mile. | A few days noticeable ¼ mile. | ||||
| New Britain, Conn. | Pickling liquor. | Fill. | None. | No. | No. | Voids almost completely clogged by pickling liquor. | 3 miles. | |||||||
| Oswego, N. Y. | ¼ mile. | |||||||||||||
| [[31]]Pasadena, Cal. | Laundries. | Fertilizer. | None. | No. | Imhoff satisfactory septic “as well as can be expected of any septic tank.” | 5 miles. | ||||||||
| Providence, R. I. | Woolen mills, bleacheries, dye houses, jewelry factories. | Pressed and carried away on scows. | Yes. | Total bacterial 64%; B Coli 96.9. | ||||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pa. | No. | Fertilizer. | None. | Liquid Chlorine. | Yes. | 60. | 100 acid formers. | Absence of acid forming bacteria. | Yes. | 12 miles. | ||||
| Reading, Pa. | Soap and dye works, tanneries, paper mills, breweries, laundries, hat factories, electroplating works. | Fertilizer. | None. | No. | Yes. | 71.1 exclusive of solids removed by grits. | 86. | State standard. | Yes. | 3 miles. | Some at times of cleaning. | |||
| Rochester, N. Y. | Plans made for such. | |||||||||||||
| Schenectady, N. Y. | Laundries, locomotive and electrical top of tanks. | Oil skimmed off | Fill. | No. | No. | 40. | 70. | Fairly so. | 2½ miles. | At first, but not now. | ||||
| Sumter, S. C. | None. | None. | No. | Great Portion | No objection as it empties into swampy stream. | 1½ miles. | Slight as it empties at mouth of outfall. | |||||||
| Tallahassee, Fla. | Chera Cola Works, and garages. | None. | All run into grit chamber before entering main. | No. | Yes. | Yes. | 1 mile. | Only when cleaning grit chamber. | ||||||
| Woonsocket, R. I. | No. | No. | 100. | 97. | Yes. | 1 mile. | No, except slight smell like dish water. | |||||||
| Worcester, Mass. | Carpet mills, tanneries and dye works. | None. | Fill and fertilizer. | None. | No. | No. | 87. | No standard. | Effluent from sand filter excellent; chemical precipitation poor. | 3 miles. | Very little. | |||
[29]. Includes depreciation and interest on investment.
[M.G.]. Million gallons.