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M.Am.Soc.C.E. ; M.C;Soc.C.E. ; M.Am.W.W.Association i ^^: CITY OF BRANTFORD, Report on Proposed System of Sewerage AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL »Y WILLIS CHIPMAN. C.E. M.A.Soc.C. E.; M. C. Soc. C. E. ; M. Am. W. W. Assn." To the Mayor and Council of the City of Brant f ord i GENTLEMEN, — In April last I was entrusted by your Com- mittee with the responsible task of preparing a Report on a system of sewerage for your City. The following Report should have been presented at a much earlier date, but, owing to unforeseen circumstances over which 1 had no control, it was impossible to do so. NATURAL DRAINAGE AREAS. V Although the City of Brantford is a compact city, it is subdivided by the Grand River, the canal, watercourses, depressions and eleva- tions, into several natural drainage areas. The main business and residential portion of the city is on the north side of the Grand River. A small spring creek flows from north to south through the city, with an outlet into the canal near the foot of Clarence Street. This creek furnished the water supply for the city until the construction of your new works in 1889, and will be called in this report Water Works Creek. A smaller creek has its rise from springs in the north-east part of the city, and flows southerly along the east boundary, below Colborne Street, which is the main street of your city. Between these creeks the ground reaches an elevation of about forty-five feet above the canal, into which they empty. About three-fourths of the area between the creeks has a natural slope towards the eastern creek, which area we will call the East Ward A rea. With the exception of the triangular area between the Grand River and the hill to the north, which has an elevation about forty feet above the river, that part of the city which lies north of the river and canal and west of the Water Works Creek slopes gradually towards the south-east, its line of inclination agreeing very closely with the direction of Brant Avenue. The low area between the river and hill above mentioned will be known as the West Mill Street Area. That portion of the city that has. a natural fall towards the Water Works Creek we will call the Water Works Creek Area. All that portion of the city to the north-west of this area we will call the North Ward Area. In addition to these there are three more areas to be considered, the most important being the West Brantford Area^ which lies on the south-west side of the river. It is connected with the main city by the Lome Bridge at the north-east end of Oxford Street. Immediately below the Lome Bridge, under which the whole Grand River flows, is a dam which diverts water into the canal for- merly operated by the Grand River Navigation Company, but now used for supplying water to mills and manufactories only. Below this dam the canal cuns easterly, then south-easterly, then easterly along the front of the main part of the city, while the main river flows southerly below the dam, then easterly, then southerly again. A short distance below the outlet of the Water Works Creek, but on the south bank of the canal, are Watts' Mills, the tail race from which flows south-westerly to the Grand River. The area enclosed between the river, the canal and this tail race we will call the Island Area. South of Watts' Mills, on the angle between the canal and the tail race, is the Eagle Nest Area, which at present is not included within the limits of the city. POPULATION. The population of the different areas and the probable population twenty years hence are approximately as follows : 1890. I9T0. East Ward Area 2,500 5,000 Water Works Creek Area 3»5oo 5,000 North Ward Area 6,000 8,500 West Mill Street Area 500 1,000 West Brantford Area 1,200 2,500 Island Area 800 i ,500 Eagle's Nest Area 500 1,500 Total 15,000 25,000 Although it is probable that not more than 50 per cent, of the total population will avail itself of the advantages of sewerage during the first decade after the completion of your works, it would not, in my opinion, be wisdom to design a system *'or a less population than 25,000 people. ELEVATIONS. " t - The datum from vhich all elevations have been taken was assumed to be 100 feet below the top of the stone foundation of Cockshutt's building, at the south-east corner of Market and Colborne Streets, which gives the elevation of the surface of the water in the canal when standing at the same elevation as the crest of the dam imme- diately below Lome Bridge as 60, and in this Report the elevation of the surface of the water in the canal from the Lome Bridge to the locks will be assumed as 60 feet, which assumption is sufficiently correct for the purposes of this Report. The sewage of the East Ward Area can be conveyed by gravitation to an elevation of 60, that is, to the surface of the canal, such point being at the foot of Rawdon Street. The sewage from the Water Works Creek Area and the North Ward Area can be conveyed by gravitation to an elevation of about 68 feet, or 8 feet above the surface of canal, at or near the old Water Works. The sewage from the West Mill Street Area can be brought by gravitation to an elevation of 51 feet at Lome Bridge. The sewage from the West Brantford Area can be brought by gravitation to an elevation of 50 feet at Lome Bridge. From the Island Area and from the Eagle's Nest Area the sewage can be brought by gravitation to an elevation of 50 feet at Watts' Mill. THE GRAND RIVER. An examination of the accompanying map will shew that the course of the Grand River in the vicinity of Brantford is very tortuous. This river and its tributaries drain a section of the Province that is well cleared, and a very large percentage of the watershed is cultivatea land ; for this reason the river is subject to rapid fluctuations in volume. When the ice is breaking up in the spring of the year, a jam often occurs below the city, causing the water to rise in West Brantford to an elevation of 65 feet. During the flocd of 1878 the water stood at about 70 feet in West Brantford, inundating all that part of the city. Below the Lome Bridge the highest point reached by the river in the last thirty years is about 65 feet, while opposite Baldwin Avenue the river rises to 58 feet in average high water, and to 60 feet with an ice jam below. At the Mohawk Church the extreme high water mark is about 51 feet, and at the Locks about 40 feet. During the dry season the greater portion of the water in the river is diverted into the hydraulic canal at Lome Bridge, one portion operating the machinery of Watts' and Robson's mills, the waste water flowing south-westerly through the tail race to the river ; what is not used here passes on to the Starch Works, about half a mile east of the city, the waste water from which flows to the Grand River through the Mohawk Creek. What is not used at the Starch Works and the Mills flows on down to the Locks, now disused, where the upper gates of the upper lock have been converted into a dam. At this point water is used at night for operating the dynamos of the Brantford Electric Light Co. Between Lome Bridge and the Mohawk Church the river has a fall in the dry season of about 30 feet, 7 feet being at the dam, the greater portion of which is distributed in an approximately uniform manner between the Lome Bridge and Cockshutt's Bridge in a series of rapids, formed by ridges of shingle and gravel transverse to the channel, over which the depth of water varies from a foot to nothing, with, in some cases, not one- fourth of the bar covered during low water. Between the rapids, or bars, the depth of the river varies from 2 feet to 8 feet with sluggish current. Between Cockshutt's Bridge and the Mohawk Church there are fewer rapids than above. Immediately below the church there is a deep narrow rapid, succeeded by a hole 14 feet deep, in low water. From this point to the Locks the river is narrower and deeper than above, with few rapids, the bars being of sand, not of gravel. The banks, also, ^re better defined, and, except in the case of a serious ice jam, the water does not overflow the banks, and then only on the left side of the river, as the right is high. The dry weather flow of the Grand River, calculated from gaug- ings and measurements made in August last, is about 300 cubic feet per second, or 18,000 cubic feet per minute. No estimate was made of the high water flow, but it must exceed this more than twenty fold, POLLUTION OF STREAMS. The proper disposal of the crude sewage from a city is a problem of the greatest importance, and one about which eminent authorities have written voluminously. The complexity of the problem is such that in many cases these authorities arrive at quite diverse conclusions from the same premises. The simplest and cheapest method of disposing of sewage is to discharge it into a large body of water, fresh or salt. If deposited into the sea, the tidal currents must be of sufficient strength to carry off the sewage and dilute it to such an extent that it cannot create a nuisance. When discharged into one of our great lakes, the winds and waves do what tidal currents do in the sea or ocean — disperse and dilute the sewage. These methods of disposal will in time, no doubt, cause local nuisances at the points where the sewage is discharged, especially in our lakes, where the currents are weak. When discharged into a large river, like the St. Lawrence or the Ottawa (below Temiscamingue), the combined sewage from all our cities would not pollute it sufficiently to create a nuisance. The majority of our cities and towns are not so situated that they can discharge their sewage into the sea, or into one of the great lakes, or a large river, but must discharge it into a stream upon whose banks the city or town is located, or dispose ot it in some other way. When the quantity of sewage that is discharged into a stream bears but a small ratio to the volume of the stream in dry seasons, the degree of pollution may be such that no nuisance is created in the stream below, and it may even be such that analyses of the water from the stream, taken at some point below where the sewage enters it, may show no more organic impurities than the water above the point of dis- charge. The ratio above referred to has not as yet been determined by sanitary engineers. About twenty-five years ago authorities considered that sewage diluted with twenty parts of clean water, and exposed to the air for a few miles, would become potable. This ratio has increased to sixty and even to three hundred with extremists, while many bac- 6 teriologists maintain that a water to which sewage has been added can never be considered safe for drinking purposes. In the State of Massachusetts the Legislature has enacted that no city or town shall discharge its crude sewage into any river or stream for a distance of twenty miles above where a public water supply is taken. This statute excepts the Connecticut and the Merrimac Rivers, the only rivers worthy of the name in the State. The Public Health Act of Ontario is not so definite as the law in Massachusetts, but is capable of a more strict interpretation. Although the word " nuisance " is not defined by statute, it is not necessary that sewage be emptied into a stream in such quantities as to make it poisonous in order to constitute a nuisance, or even that a public water supply be taken from the same stream within twenty miles below. If the sewage deposited in a stream is sufficient to render the water offensive or disagreeable to the senses of taste, sight or smell, the people offended aijainst have a right to complain. From an increase in population, from a decrease in the dry v/eather fllow of a stream, from lapse of time, or from a combination of any of these conditions, a nuisance may be created where at present nc objection can be made to dis- charging sewage into a stream. At Chicago it is proposed to construct a water-way from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River of sufficient sectional area to give a dilation of sewage of about i to 35, or a discharge of 240 culiic feet of water per minute for each 1,000 of the population. 1/ this ratio be correct {which I do not admit), the minimum dry weather flow of the Grand River, which is 18,000 cubic feet per minute, would so dilute the sewage from a population of 75,000 people that it would not create an offensive nuisance. The following is the minimum dry weather flow of certain rivers in cubic feet per minute : — St. Lawrence, at Brockville, Ont 18,000,000 Mississippi, at St. Paul, Minn 2,000,000 Connecticut, at Holyoke, lyiass 360,000 Ohio, at Pittsburgh, Pa 100,000 Seine, at Paris, France 100,000 Mohawk, at Cohoes, N.Y 58,800 Thames, ai London, Eng 36,000 Chicago, at Chicago (out of Lake Michigan). 36,000 Illinois, at La Salle, Illinois 36,000 Grand, at Brantford, Ont 18,000 SEWAGE DISPOSAL. Where a nuisance is created by the discharge of crude sewage into a stream, river or lake, or when a pubhc water supply is en- dangered thereby, other methods of disposal become necessary— the chief of which are (i) Irrigation, or utilization of sewage by running it upon land; (2) Intermittent downward filtration, which consists in filtering sewage downward through suitable soil, under- drained thoroughly, allowing a sufficient time between the applications of the sewage to permit the soil to become aerated ; (3) Mechanical filtration, subsidence, and chemical precipitation, 'by which the grosser impurities are removed before discharc'ng the liquid into a stream, a lake, or on farm land; (4) A combii'^ ion of any of the above processes. The method of disposing of sewage by Broad Irrigation has secured many advocates, and under favourable conditions gives most SO)' ifactory results. It requires a large plot of ground, which should be at some distance from the city, and at a low enough elevation to permit of sewage flowing to the farm by gravitation. The quantity of land required depends upon the kind of soil, and the eflFectiveness with which it can be underdrained. A light sandy porous soil, with the subsoil water at a depth of at least six feet from the surface, is the most suitable. In England, where sewage farming has been successfully carried on for many years, the average quantity of land required for each 1,000 of the population is ten acres. In Ontario, with extremes of climate not known in England, it is probable that ten acres per thousand of population would not be sufficient. In extreme cold weather, with the surface of the ground frozen, or covered with a coating of ice and snow, it appears to me very doubtful if all the sewage can, at such times, be absorbed by the soil of a sewage farm. Authorities differ in this matter. Again, in wet rainy weather, such as December, 1889, it would be unreason- able to expect that the soil could absorb both the sewage and the rainfall, without the ground being thoroughly underdrained, in which case the farm becomes a great filter. The produce raised on the farm would probably pay running expanses, but no part of the interest on the cost of the land or of its cultivation. The difficulty of procuring sufficient suitable land for broad irri- gation has given rise to the method of " Downward Intermittent Filtration," which is a modified form of the other. In this system 8 purification of the sewage is the object, and little attempt is made to raise farm produce. The sewa^*i is turned into beds or basins, and allowed to filter downward to underground drains. Sufficient time must be allowed between successive applications of the sewage to allow the soil to become aerated and dried. It requires about two acres of porous soil, well underdrained, to each i,ooo of the popula- tion to make this method successful. No financial return could be expected from this method of disposal. I have examined several sewage farms in the United States, and have carefully followed the discussions that have taken place among leading engineers on the subject, and have concluded that a sewage farm in our climate can be so operated as to clarify the sewage of a city without creating a nuisance, but that at times the odour arising from such farms will be offensive unless great care and judgment is exer- cised by those in charge. There are, however, no definitely proved cases of sewage farms causing injury to the health in the neighbour- hood where they have been placed, badly conducted as some of them are. " Mechanical Filtration " alone has long since been abandoned as a method of clarifying sewage, but it is successfully employed in con- junction with "Subsidence" and "Chemical Precipitation." It is self-evident to any one who understands the composition of sewage that subsidence alone cannot purify it. The patents that have been issued in Great Britain and the United States for purifying sewage by these methods can be numbered by the hundred. It would be impossible to describe all the methods that appear to give satisfactory results in this report. The chemicals added shpuld promote the deposition of the solid matters in suspension, and a portion of those in solution, and act, also, as deodorizers and disinfectants. Many of the patented pro- cesses, however, only tend to delay putrefaction, and are, therefore, of little use. Some of the processes are ruinously expensive, and only applicable to public institutions and similar places. Others give excellent results for a short time only. The following are three of the chief precipitation processes that have been in successful operation in England for any length of time : — " The Coventry Process," " The ABC Process," and " The Lime Process." In the first two. Salts of Alumina are the chief precipi- tating agents ; in the last. Lime is the chief agent. Each year ome new processes are brought forward with a great flourish of trumpets, each described as the cheapest or the best. "Not uncommonly, to furnish the basis for a patent, some well-known and often-used agent was proposed, and with it, to give an air of novelty, some useless or even mischievous matter." In Canada the " Porous Carbon System ' and the " Conder System " have been brought prominently before the public during the last 5'ear. The fact that neither process has been recommended for adoption to any American city by any of the eminent engineers who have thoroughly investigated chemical precipitation processes in England during the last five years should be sufficient to convince municipal corporations that before adopting either of these processes, or any other patent process in preference to well-known standard processes, the method should be thoroughly investigated by compe- tent authorities. The "Electrolysis" method promises good results, but is as yet in its experimental stage. In all methods of precipitation it is necessary to screen the sewage before permitting it to flow into the subsidence tanks ; this removes floating substances, sticks, corks, etc., and a considerable portion of the paper and fibrous matter in suspension. The sewage is then con- veyed to large tanks, preferably of sufficient size to contain the sewage produced in twenty-four hours ; these tanks to be in duplicate, so that whilt one set of tanks is being filled the other set can be emptied and cleaned. The chemicals employed for precipitation are generally added to the sewage immediately before it enters the tanks, but in some places, where it is not necessary to purify the sewage except at certain times or seasons of the year, tjie chemicals are only added to what remains in the subsidence tanks wiien tlie liqmd is drawn off. The effluent in this case must be very impure and putrescible, but would not offend the sense of sight. When a purer effluent is required, chemicals are added in large quantities to the sewage as it enters the tanks. Whatever chemicals "may be used-, the purity of the effluent is one of degree, depending generally on the quantity of chemicals used. The solid and semi-liquid mass that remains in the tanks is known as " sludge," and until the introduction ot the Johnson Filter Press, the disposal of this sludge was a difficulty inherent to all precipitation processes. By this press the sludge is reduced in weight about eighty per cent., the water being pressed out, the resulting •' sludge-cake " lO being easily handled and of some manurial value. Prejudice, however, prevents its use, and no financial returns can be expected in this country from its sale. Where pumping is not necessary the operating expenses in well- managed chemical precipitation works in Ontario, should not exceed 50 cents per annum for each person connected with the sewers. This does not include interest on the cost of the works. The works would consist of subsidence tanks, machinery for raising and handling the sludge, buildings for covering the machinery and storing the chemicals, and in some cases, where the elevation is not sufficient, pumps for drawing off the liquid sewage. In all precipitation works, perfect cleanliness is essential, as other- wise an odour, but not of sanctity, may become sensible. From per- sonal observation, I have never seen a sewage dif^posal works, or a sewage farm that produced more objectionable or offensive odours than the average starch works, distillery, brewery, gas works, varnish works, soap works, or the common wayside cheese factory. •' Of all man's senses, that of smell is generally vaguest in its impressions. Many people smell, or profess to smell, not the odours which actually exist, but those which they think, might, could, would or should be per- ceptible. It is said that a scent which would pass unnoticed in a drawing room will at once excite hostile co.iiments at sewage works." I' I SEWERS NECESSA[ the small amount of the water supplied and tiie porosity of the soil on whicii the city is built. This soil has absorbed the liquid wastes of your city up to the present time, excepting what portions have been removed by the scavengers, and a smal' port. on that has been allowed to flow into the canal. Your system of dry earth closets, so efficiently carried out by your Medical Health Officer, has done much towards keeping your city in a good sanitary condition, but it only disposes of solid excrementitious matter and a limited portion of the liquid wastes. The J IMMHMH r II greater portion of the liquids are ab'^orbed by the soil or are evapor- ated. With an increase in the water consumption, these liquid wastes will multiply, and the absorptive power of the soil will soon be exceeded, and each water consumer's lot will become worse than a sewage farm, if no method is adopted for removing foul water. SYSTEM RECOMMENDED. Of the different methods of removing the most offensive and dan- gerous of the waste products from our city populations, that by water carriage is, no doubt, not only the cheapest, but the best. By this method there is no accumulation or storage of these foul wastes, but they are removed, with a proper system of sewers, promptly to the point of disposal without offence to any of the senses, and without endangering the health of the citizens while in transit. It is not necessary to here enter into the old controversy of " Separate " versus " Combined " systems. Suffice it to say that the " Separate " system has so much to commend it on account of ocal conditions, and on the score of economy, that there can be no hesita- tion in deciding to adopt it in your city. The probability that at some future time it may become necessary to clarify your sewage before discharging it into the Grand River, is alone a sufficient argu- ment in favour of the " Separate " system, as the quantity of sewage to be treated will be constant, only increasing with the increase in the water delivered to consumers. t CELLAR DRAINAGE. In the majority of tlie cities and towns of Ontario the removal of cellar water is an important matter, and must be provided for by the sewer system adopted. In certain portions of Brantford the subsoil water is reached within six feet of the surface of the ground, causing flooded cellars in wet seasons, and dampness at all times. The old method of allowing cellars to be connected directly with the sewer in the street is being superseded by laying alongside the street sewer a porous agricultural drain tile, which has no connection with the sewer proper, but is given an outlet into some existing drain or watercourse, or at the street surface into a gutter. These farm tiles will lower the subsoil water, thus preventing dampness in cellars and basements. Any area in your city that requires cellar drainage can 12 thus be cheaply and effectively drained by this method, without having a direct connection between the cellars and the sewers to endanger the health of the inmates of the buildings. STORM WATER. The storm water from your streets now flows oft by surface gutters and drains, without causing damage or even inconvenience, into the River and the Canal, the porosity of the soil permitting a large percentage of the rainfall to be absorbed. With the paving of your streets, it may become necessary to construct some storm water sewers to relieve certain low lying districts ; these can be given an outlet into the River, the Canal, or any of the natural water courses. J MAIN SEWER. I would recommend that a trunk sewer for house sewage only be constructed from Market Street along the north bank of the canal to a point between the eastern city limit and the Starch Works, thence crossing the canal to a point south of the Starch Works, on the north bank of the valley that runs from the Starch Works to the Grand River ; thence, by the most economical route, to the Grand River, near the Mohawk Church. The sewer, shown by the heavy red line on the plan from the Starch Works to the Grand River, could, in my opinion, be built for less money than that outfall denoted bv the dotted line, and will give a more direct route. I selected this outfall for several reasons. Although the quantity of sewage from your city might not create any offensive nuisance at the point where it is delivered into the Grand River, the probability of such a nuisance being created is much less at this point than at any other point in the river between the new Water Works and the rapids below Baldwin Avenue, as the river has fewer shoals and bars belov/ this point than in the upper part, upon which floating matter might become stranded, and there are no buildings near the banks of the river until Cainsville is reached, nearly three miles below. To empty all of the sewage of the city into the river at any point between the Lome Bridge and Baldwin Avenue cannot be recom- mended, owing to the proximity of residences to the river bank. An examination was also made of a scheme to convey all the sewage to a point immediately below Baldwin Avenue, but an inspection of the accompanying plan will show that the distance from the old Water I 13 Works to this proposed point is greater than the distance from the southerly end of Rawdon Street to the outlet I have recommended. It is true that the trunk sewer I have recommended will not accommo- date West Brantford and other low areas without pumping, but if the outlet were located near Baldwin Avenue it might become necessary to treat all the sewage with chemicals within a few years, while, by discharging it near the old Mohawk Church, this expensive method of disposal will be delayed for many years. The cost of continuing the main trunk sewer along the canal below the Starch Works and discharging the sewage into the Grand River in the vicinity of the old locks would exceed by about $5,000 the cost of the sewer to the Mohawk Church outlet, and would probably be objectionable to the inhabitants of Cainsville, about half a mile below. This village is on a high bank, out of all reach from river floods. It has no public water supply and probably will never have one. From Brantford to Lake Erie no village or town takes its water supply from the river. SEWAGE FARM. The comparatively low, level valley that extends from the Starch Works southerly to the Mohawk Road comprises an area of about 50 acres of land. This valley has a width of about 700 feet near the Starch Works and 1400 feet at the Mohawk Road, and a length of about 2000 feet. The average elevation of the vallej' is 50 feet, or lo feet below the water in the canal, and about 20 feet above the water in Grand River at the Mohawk Church in extreme low water. Through this valley flows Mohawk Creek, which is the tail race from the Starch Works. The elevation of the bed of the creek near the Starch Works IS 43 feet and 40 feet at the Mohawk Road. Below the Mohawk Road this creek is crooked and rapid, having a fall of 9 feet in a dis- tal ^ of 1600 feet, following the course of the stream, but only 1000 feet in a straight line from the bridge at the Mohawk Road to the point where it enters the Grand River. The banks of this creek in this lower portion are very steep, broken and irregular. < The land comprised in this valley is eminently suited for a sewage farm, or for disposing of sewage by downward intermittent filtration, especially the northerly portion, which is a natural filter bed. The area is limited, but should, in ordinary weather, he able to dispose of the sewage from a population of about 5,000 people. This land can be readily underdrained into the creek, and the capacity of the farm for clarifying sewage much increased over what it could at present . H dispose of. By converting all this area into filter beds, it might be able to dispose ol all the sewage from a population of 25,000 people without creating any offensive odour in the neighbourhood. The two methods could be used conjunctively : broad irrigation, until the quantity of sewage increased to such an amount that the land could not dispose of it, then filter beds could be constructed, increasing them in number as the sewage increased in volume. The main sewer should, however, be continued to the Grand River, as in times of heavy rains, freshets, etc, or in times of extreme cold weather the sewage could be turned directly into the River. The disposal of your sewage by irrigation at this point would be much cheaper than by chemical precipitation. I do not, however, consider that you will be required to treat or to purify your sewage by this, or by any other method, for at least fifteen years. PRECIPITATION WORKS. With a sewage farm, precipitation works will not be necessary, but new discoveries in applied chemistry are being made continually, and it is not outside the range of possibilities that within a few years the price of chemicals for precipitating purposes will make this pro- cess of sewage disposal much cheaper than it is at present, and per- haps as cheap as by irrigation. By adopting the outlet recommended precipitation works can be located in the vicinity of the Starch Works, or at the River bank near the Mohawk Church. I prefer the first location, for the reason that by so doing this method can be used in addition to the sewage farm and filter beds, or if a very high degree of purity is required m the effluent the two processes could be com- bined. The proposition to locate precipitating works on Canal Street, where a red star is shown on the plan, and convey the sewage to this point would not, in my opinion, be an economical or a satisfactory method of disposing of your sewage. In the first place, this point is too near the business portion of your city, and except in highest stages of the River, all the sewage would require treatment before discharging into the River, in the second place it would be neces- sary to pump all the sewage from the East Ward Area, the West Braniford Area, and the West Mill Street Area, as the elevation of the River surface at extreme low water is only seven feet below the water surface in the Canal, not sufficient to give an outlet by gravi- tation. If the sewage from only that portion of the city which is 15 ' I sufficiently elevated to permit a discharge by gravitation be brought to this point, it woiild then be necessary to erect precipitation works at several other points, and the operating expenses would thereby be much increased. PUMPING STATIONS. The sewage from the West Mill Street Area and the West Brant- ford Area can be brought to the same elevation in the vicinity of the Lome Bridge. The volume of sewage from these areas for some years will be very small, and can be allowed to enter the river below the dam. If the discharge should become offensive, it will be necessary to raise the sewage by pumps either to the main sewer on Colborne Street or on Market Street, or to pump it to a sufficient elevation to allow it to flow into some of the Island Area sewers, preferably into a sewer laid along the south bank of the canal from Lome Bridge to Watts' Mill. The sewage from Island Area and Eagle's Nest Area will not in all probability ever amount to as much as that from the two other low areas above, and can be allowed to enter the tail race from Watts' Mill at Erie Avenue Bridge until a nuisance is created, then it can be conveyed to a point near Watts' Mill and pumped across the canal into the main sewer, the lift being about 15 feet. Water power could, no doubt, be secured at either of these points to operate the necessary pumping machinery, and the expense would not be a very serious item. SUB-MAINS. A 12-inch main sewer will be required on West Street and Cedar Street from the G. T. Railway Station southerly to Brant Avenue, thence along Brant Avenue to Dalhousie, thence along Dalhousie to King, thence down King to Colborne, thence along Colborne to Market, thence down Market to the upper end of the main trunk sewer. This sub-main is designed to take all the sewage from the North Ward Area. At the junction of Brant Avenue, West Street, Colborne Street and Oxford Street, there is a depression that cannot be drained into the above sub-main without placing the main at a great depth. By altering the location so as to run down Braut Avenue to Colborne, thence along Colborne to Market, this small area would be served ; but it would require a cut of about 20 feet in Colborne at King. It would be cheaper to allow the sewage from this small area to be dis- posed of by connecting with the sub-main that collects the sewage from the West Mill St Area. On Clarence Street a 12-inch sub-main will be required, which, to allow for subsequent growth in the city in the vicinity of and beyond the G. T. R., I would construct from the G. T. R. to Colborne, thence along Colborne to a point west of lower G. T. R. Station at Echo Street, thence south to the main sewer. This sub-main will carry all the sewage from the Water Works Creek Area. Another 12-inch sub-main will be required in Rawdon Street to convey the sewage from the East Ward Area. The West Brantford area can be served by a 9-inch sub-main on Oxford St., emptying into the Grand River below the dam at Lome Bridge until it is necessary to pump the sewage. The West Mill Street Area will require a g-inch sub-main along West Mill and West Colborne Streets from the west limit of the city to Church Street, thence along the bank of the river to the east side of the Lome Bridge, thence south-westerly under the canal to discharge into the Grand River below the dam. The Island Area and the Eagle's nest Area will each require g-inch mains, which can be dis- charged for the present into the tail race of Watts' Mill at the Erie Avenue Bridge. SEWER ACCESSORIES. Manholes should be placed at the junctions of all seweis, and at all changes of grade or of alignment except where the distance apart would be less than one hundred feet, in which case lamp holes may be employed. Automatic flush tanks should be placed at the head of every sewer, so arranged and regulated that a discharge of the contents of the tank will occur at least once in twenty-four hours. By the use of these tanks the upper portions of all the sewers, where the current is generally insufficient to move the solids, are kept clean, and no great amount of foul air can be generated in your sewers. The amount of water required for each tank would not be large, about 200 gallons per day for each tank. The ventilation of the sewer system can best be accomplished by allowing each house connection to pass through and above the roof of the building, without any trap whatever. This soil pipe should be of cast iron from a point about three feet without the cellar wall of the building to a point about four feet above the roof, or above any windows in the vicinity. At the point where the main sewer crosses under the canal a con- necting pipe could be laid from the canal into the manhole at the east side, and fitted with a valve, so that the main sewer and the 17 iron syphon under the canal could be flushed out below this- point whenever it is necessary. During the first few years after the completion of your main sewer, it will be a sewer of deposit owing to the small amount of sewage that will enter it, the sewer being designed to carry all the sewage from a population of 25,000 people below Rawdon Street, and for 20,000 from opposite Watt's Mill to Rawdon Street. If a portion of the water in the Water Works' creek, sufficient to keep this main sewer half full could be turned into it at the old Water Works, it would keep it free from any deposit. No mud or floating matter should, however, be allowed to enter with the creek water. This, with an occasional flush at the canal crossing, as above described,' would keep the main sewer clean. ESTIMATE OF COST. (a) Main Sewer. The following estimate is made of the cost of the main sewer from Market Street to the outlet ; sewer complete in every respect, with manholes, gates, etc. : — Market Street to Old Water Works 1,100 feet $3,000 Old Water Works to opposite Watts' Mill, 1,800 " 4I500 Opposite Watts' Mill to Rawdon Street . . 2,700 " 5,500 Rawdon Street to Canal Crossing 1,550 " 4,000 Iron pipe crossing Canal, with gates, etc . . 200 " 1,500 Canal Crossing to Precipitation Works... 1,000 " 3,000 Precipitation Works to Outlet 2,400 " 7500 RightofWay ,\^^ Engineering and contingencies 3,000 $33,000 (6) Sewage Farm {for a population 0/ jo^o). • 50 acres of land at $200 per acre 10,000 Levelling and Grading i qoo Underdraining ^^ooo Sub-mains and Valves 5 qoo Contingencies ^^ooo $23,000 »8 (c) Filter Beds (/or a population of 33,000). Same as first four items in (6) $20,000 Additional underdraining 5,000 Extra cost for preparation of beds, etc 10,000 Contingencies ^'000 $40,000 {d) Precipitation Works {for a population of 25,000). Six Precipitation Tanks, each 20 feet square, 6 feet deep, capacity, 15,000 gallons each |6,ooo Buildings for Machinery and Chemicals 3,000 Machinery for handling sludge, etc "6,000 Pipes, valves, etc 2,000 Contingencies "'' ^ ^ ^'o^o $20,000 ( . $4,000 Pumpmg Station near Watts' Mill- Building, flumes, well, etc $1,500 Machinery ^[^^^ Pipe under Canal cqo $5,000 The foregoing estimates contemplate plain substantial works. If the city were so disposed, the necessary building and their sur- roundings could be made attractive at a small additional expenditure. OPERATING EXPENSES. (a) Whatever works are constructed, they will require inspection, flushing and occasional repairs, meaning, of course, some yearly operating expenditure. (6) With the operation of a sewage farm I do not estimate that the running expenses would be increased over a direct outlet, and I 19 am rather inclined to believe that the revenue for some years at least would pay considerably more than the running expenses. (c) With filtration beds, sufficient for a population of 25,000, the operating expenses would be about $1,000 per year in excess of what they would be with direct outlet into Grand River. This is assuming . that it would not be necessary to use them but six months in the year. (d) With precipitation works for a population of 25,000, the annual operating expenses would be heavy — about $12,000 — if a pure effluent were required, and the works were operated twelve months in the year. I do not, however, consider that it would be necessary to operate the works more than six months in the year, and that, there- fore, the yearly annual running expenses would not exceed $6,000, nor would they he less than $3,000. (e) The cost of operating the pumping machinery near the Lome Bridge and near Watts' Mill if water were used as power, would not be a large item, probably not exceeding $500 for both pumping stations. It is evident, therefore, that to dispose of the sewage by irrigation is cheaper than by chemical precipitation at the present prices for chemicals. , PLANS. The inset plan in this Report shews the locations and sizes of the trunk sewer and the sub-mains, the location of the proposed outlet, the sewage farm, precipitation works, pumping stations, etc ; it also shews the valley of the Grand River for some distance below the city; the roads, creeks and other physical features. The large plan (not published) shews a system of lateral sewers covering the whole city, or that portion which is now built upon, also the Eagle's Nest tract. HOW THE WORKS SHOULD BE PAID FOR. I would recommend that the city at large should construct as soon as possible the main trunk sewer from Market Street to the outlet. I do not consider that it will become necessary for many years to treat your sewage, or to pump any portion of it, but when required the city at large should construct any or all necessary works, and should also pay all operating expenses. For the construction of the sub-mains and laterals, I believe that the real estate owners on the streets requiring sewerage will take advantage of the Local Assessment Act, and petition for sewers as f 20 soon as you can give them an outlet, and liave passed whatever by- laws may be necessary. It would, however, be to the interest of the city to assist as much as possible in the construction of sewers, cither by prescribing by a general by-law that all cost over and above some certain amount per foot frontage paid by the adjacent property will be borne by the city, or that the city will pay a certain proportion of the cost of every sewer over and above what is provided by Statute. Of these two methods of assisting, 1 would recommend the first. The owner of property knows what he is to pay, and the price per foot frontage is the same in every part of the city. Although the narrow lot, with valuable buildings on Colborne Street, would pay no more per foot frontage than the vacant garden lot on some back street near the Grand Trunk Railway, the owner on Colborne Street would pay much more of the part paid by the city. For your city a frontage tax of fifty or sixty cents per foot on each side of the street would, I think, give satisfaction to all parties, as I do not consider that any proper sewer can be built for less than $1.25 per lineal foot. The Local Assessment Act, as it stands at present, is a cumbrous piece of legislation, and entails a vast amount of additional work on the Treasurer and on the Assessment Department. CONCLUSION. The scheme outlined in this Report, and shown on the accom- panying plans, can be modified in many ways, if it is found necessary, or if considered advisable to do so. The points I have selected for the pumping stations, the precipi- tation works, or the canal and river crossings, can be altered without affecting either the general scheme, the estimate of cost, or running expenses. I take pleasure in recording my appreciation of the valuable services rendered me by your City Engineer, T. Harry Jones, Esq., B.A.Sc, who made the necessary surveys, and took the levels for the compilation of the plans and report herewith submitted. Toronto, 15th Jan., 1890. WILLIS CHIPMAN, Civil and Sanitary Engineer. Btantford Sewerage . PLAN SHEWING ' » Si -AND SEWAG TO ACCOMPANY REPORT OF Willis Chipman, C.K. —1890 Scale, 1,200 feet=i inch. KCTJS.— Only the principal 8tr«et8 are shewn on this plan. TLJI TO ACCOMPANY REPORT OF Willis Chirman, C.E —1890— Scale, 1,200 feet=i inch. NOTE.— Only the principal str«et8 are shewn on this plan. I' 0^^'"' ,jm •"-^'' -s,.' -"j^" .,^-' ALEXANDER «? CA3LE. TORONTO.