3s OREGON CITY COURIER-HERALD NEW YEAR NUMBER
CITY'S NEW FILTER
This city is soon to have h water supply
that will be the equal of any city of its size
on the Coast awl within a few weeks pure,
filtered water will be pumped in the mains
and reservoir and the citizens can bid adieu
to the uncertain quality awl highly colored
lluid that is drawn from the faucets for a
grea.er l ortion of the year.
While Willamette river water is proven
not to be an unlieallhful drinking water,
still no one can relish a turbid, roily liquid.
The Board of Water Commissioners and
especially the citizens are to be congratulat
ed on the success of the undertaking and
when the filtered water is at the command of
every consumer then they will appreciate
the great change and people will begin to
reali.e that as far as water is concerned that
this city is up-to-date and a good place to
reside in.
Alter some two years endeavoring to find
a suitable gravity supply, within the reach
of the finances of the water works, it was de
cided last February to adopt the mechanical
filtration system, so the board proceeded to
further investigate the system awl after
much correspondence among which was the
report of twelve different cities in the United
States that are using filters of the Jewell
Filter system, and are highly satisfied with
the rcJii.t, it. wn decided to take the matter
up with the California Jewell Filter Com
pany, awl to that end a small pressure filter
was installed for the experiment. An imme
diate improvement was at once noticed and
a clear palatable water was furnished and
the filter was allowed to remain from last
March till December and was largely pat
ronized by the public.
From samples that were analyzed at the
University of Oregon and the Oregon Agri
cultural College, it was shown that besides
making the water absolutely clear and clean
it removed all germs and a very small per
cent of bacteria remained with no evidence of
disease germs.
Contracts were signed in the latter part of
last June, and it was expected that four
months would complete the plant, but delay
in getting iron pipe from the manufacturers,
and other incidental delays has prolonged the
work.
The site, 50x157, was secured from the P.
G. E. Co., and is but 100 feet from the pump
ing station.
The Filter plant consists of two, 14-feet
Jewell gravity filters, placed in a building
28x75, on a foundation that provides a res
ervoir of some 65,000 gallons for the filtered
water. There are two 40,000 gallon settling
tanks at the rear of the building where the
water from the in-take pipe is pumped and
after allowing the sediment to settle, the
water liows into the filters.
There is in addition a large 18-inch in-take
pipe leading up in this basin some 700 feet,
at present but pipe enough to extend 600 feet
farther up is on the ground and will be laid
next season when the river is lower, so that
a better quality of water is obtained and no
danger from the steam boats which often
stir up the mud in the basin and make the
water very bad during the summer months.
The total expense of all these improve
ments means an outlay of some $25,000 and
thai will be the amount of debt thrt the
water works will carry less what will be paid
in July, 1890, and is a prominent hardware
merchant of the firm of Wilson & Cooke,
and has come in for a large share of the
work for the new water supply.
T. L. Charman was elected in July, 189.4.
and is now serving his third term, lie is a
large property owner and is largely identified
with the growth of the city. He is the sec
retary of the Board awl has charge of the
collections.
V. 11. Howell is superintendent of the
water works, awl is an enterprising citizen
and a plumber by occupation. He has been
identified with the growth of the water works
for the past 17 years and has seen the sys
tem grow from a small pump on a 4-inch
main, supplying Main street for a half mile
. ... ., . ,.
; 1 -V . ' 1
. t '- .......
, ' ' ' 1 "'-v. : : , ,
a ' . , . ' . V .' " :'
1 . : ' - :
III f U
off front the surplus revenue, within probably
five years. No increase of rates are anticipat
ed except that waste of water awl the un
reasonable amount 0: sprinkling will have to
be curtailed.
The members of the Board are Chas. H.
Caufield, president, who is the president of
the Bank of Oregon City and secretary of
P. C. E. Co., who has been a member since
its organization, May 23, 1891, and takes an
active interest in all matters connected with
its work.
Mr. K. P. Wilson was elected a member
to the present system that has some five
miles of mains, nearly 60 fire hydrants and a
reservoir having a capacity of one and a half
million gallons and two large water power
pumps of a million gallon capacity each.
The value of the water works is at least
$75,000, and steadily increasing as mains are
extended awl improvements made.
The cost of operation is very light owing
to the excellent water power of which the
city still has a free lease for the next 20
years.
'I
L "ST 1 . 4
1.1,, T - r f ' ft'. rJ ".-J"' " - i ' . 6 l 1
NEW' VIEW OF ORUGON CITY I.OOKIXO DOWN THE RIVER.