The story of modern public water supplies in Georgia

The Story of Modern Public Water Supplies
In Georgia
STATE OF GEORGIA
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
DIVISION OF SANITARY ENGINEERING ATLANTA 1938

The Story of Modern Public Water Supplies In Georgia
.GEORGIA. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
DIVISION OF SANITARY ENGINEERING ATLANTA JUNE. 1938

Additional copies of this bulletin are available to students, teachers, and all other interested persons. There is no charge for this material. Requests for copies of this bulletin should be addressed to the Division of Sanitary Engineering, Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia.

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THE STORY OF MODERN PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES IN GEORGIA
One of the requirements for a safe community is an adequate and properly protected public water supply. Many persons are so accustomed to relying on turning the familiar faucet for their water requirements that little thought is usually given to the many things that must go on to make this simple and necessary act possible at any time of the day or night. The story of modern public water supplies for Georgia cities and towns tells how public health science, engineering, and municipal government combine to make this possible.
Water Condition in Nature Water is one of the most useful materials of nature. Where it is abundant there is always plant and animal life. Where it is scarce or absent there is parched land or desert with practically no life of any kind. Water has many very interesting qualities. It can readily be changed by heating into steam or vapor
Fig. 1. WATER DRIVEN CORN MEAL MILL IN HANCOCK COUNTY, GEORGIA.
Water kept under control by the dam does useful work in turning a water wheel located under the small building. This water wheel operates the corn mill in the large building.
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_and by cooling into ice and in these conditions it is very different from ordinary water. Everything dissolves to some extent in water. Many materials dissolve easily in water and become a part of the water. This is well known by the taste of water in which materials such as salt or sugar have been added. The dissolved materials cannot be seen unless they color the water. The tea color of many south Georgia streams is caused by dissolved vegetable juices from plants. It is due to this ability to dissolve many things that water is used for bathing and cleaning.
Water is a very busy workman for nature. Unless it is kept in a tight vessel it is almost always moving. In its constant motion it picks up and carries much material which is heavier than water. The muddy color of many of Georgia's rivers and creeks is caused by the clay which the rain washes from the soil. Over a period of many years the surface of the earth has been changed into hills and valleys largely by this continuous working of water.
The rivers and creeks making up the system of Georgia streams drain every part of the state. Some of the water that falls as rain or snow sinks into the soil and very slowly moves under the ground usually in the same direction as the slope of

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Fig. 2. GEORGIA SOIL REMOVED BY EROSION. Soil is removed by erosion unless rain water is kept under control by

terraces, trees, grass and other vegetation.

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the land. Where grass, bushes, and trees are growing much rain water soaks into the ground. Where land has been cleared of vegetation the rain water rushes along and soon is pouring with great force into the rivers carrying much valuable fertile soil with it. A great amount of valuable land has been destroyed by wasteful cutting of trees and burning grass and other protecting vegetation.
Water-Borne Diseases
In addition to the soil which is washed into the streams there are many kinds of bacteria also carried into them. Many of these bacteria come from persons who are or have been sick with some intestinal disease such as typhoid fever, dysentery or diarrhea. They may come from human waste material on the farms or from sewage from cities along the streams. Harmful bacteria may thus be carried many miles in streams and it is known that many cases of sickness have been caused by drinking water without proper purification. Bacteria are too small to be seen without a microscope and unfortunately unlike salt and sugar do not cause a taste when they are present in water. Water may therefore contain many disease causing bacteria and still have an excellent taste and attractive appearance. This fact has caused engineers and other scientists to study and develop methods by , which water could be safely purified in large quantities for use '- in cities and towns to remove the danger of water-borne diseases..
Water Supply for Georgia Cities
The geographical location and size of the community has had a great influence on the source of water for Georgia cities and towns. In the southern portion of the state there is deep underground water moving slowly from the upland section toward the ocean. This underground water flows through the gravel and sand beds several hundred feet below the surface. Much of this water has probably trickled many miles through these sand and gravel layers. There are also thick layers of limestone under the ground in southern Georgia. Water that trickles great distances through underground beds of fine sand has the bacteria removed from it by natural filtration. These sand beds often connect with limestone formations and the water may again become contaminated. Limestone is not solid rock but contains many holes or channels through which contaminated water from the surface may enter the underground water. The water from deep wells drilled into the water bearing underground layers of
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Fig. 3. INSANITARY PRIVIES ARE DANGEROUS.
Bacteria that cause disease are carried into rivers and creeks from open privies and untreated city sewage.

Fig. 4. ONE OF

ATLANTA'S SEWAGE

TREATMENT

PLANTS TO

PROTECT THE

CHATTAHOOCHEE

RIVER.

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This plant is large

enough to treat sewage

from nearly one-half

million people.

6

southern Georgia is usually clear but is by no means always free from disease causing bacteria.
The underground structure of the northern portion of Georgia is entirely different from the southen section. In this part of the state a very dense layer of rock extends far into the earth. A rather thin layer of clay lies on top of this granite rock. Stone Mountain near Atlanta is an exposed part of this granite which extends in all directions for many miles. Very little water is to be found in this hard rock layer as there are few crevices in which it can accumulate. The layer of clay on top of the underground granite is too shallow to hold much water. There is also limestone under a small part of northern Georgia.
Georgia is therefore naturally divided into two sections when we approach the problem of supplying cities with water. Cities and towns in the southern part of the state have been able to secure water in sufficient quantity from deep drilled wells. Cities and towns in the northern part of the state have seldom been able to secure enough water from wells, and the rivers and creeks are the main sources of water supply. A line drawn on the map of Georgia between Augusta, Macon, and Columbus will divide these two sections. The map on pages 8-9 shows the public water supplies in Georgia and indicates the source and method of purification for each town.

Water Problems in Georgia Cities

One of the first things that must be known about a city's

water supply is how much water must be available each day for

every person in the city. Records kept in many Georgia cities

show that about one hundred gallons of water must be supplied

every day for each person. This amount of water would fill two

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ordinary size barrels. While many others could be named, the

main uses of water in a town requiring this quantity per person

each day are drinking, cooking, washing, toilet flushing, manu-

facturing, lawn sprinkling, and fire protection. A town of ten

thousand people will require about one million gallons of water

every day. Having enough water every day of the year, even

during long summer droughts, is most necessary.

In addition to having enough water at all times it must be absolutely pure for drinking to prevent disease. It must be attractive in appearance, must not be muddy or colored, must not have disagreeable odors or tastes and must not destroy by rusting the pipes in which it is carried throughout the city. To ac-

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complish all of these things the science of sanitary engineering has developed water purification to a high degree of perfection. Methods of purifying water for Georgia cities and towns will be described later in this story.
Water must not only be secured in sufficient quantity and purified but it must be carried into every house in the town. In order to place the water in all buildings where people live or work it is necessary to have a system of large pipes laid under the streets from which small pipes lead into the houses or other buildings, The fire hydrants seen at street corners also are connected to the same large pipes under the street. Unless the water supply is from mountains higher than the city, pumps are necessary to force the water from the purification plant through these pipes and into buildings. To assist the pumps in keeping a steady pressure in every part of these great pipe systems, tanks built high in the air have water in them at all times.
Since pure water is so necessary to every person and such large amounts are required every day it must be produced and sold to families and manufacturing companies at a very low cost. Pure water in Georgia cities costs less than any other material which must be bought for the home. In spite of the great effort to supply low-cost pure water many people in Georgia towns still drink water from unsafe wells even where pure water is available. While there are many problems in connection with securing enough water, purifying, and putting it in reach of every home, the greatest problem in Georgia towns is to convince some people that they should use the city water supply rather than unsafe wells in the yard.

Water Purification

The purpose of purifying .water is to change the condition in

which it is found in nature to make it safe for drinking, satis-

factory for manufacturing and to prevent it from rusting metals

with which it must come in contact. It has been explained that

water which contains harmful bacteria will cause disease. The

most important object of water purification is to remove or kill

all harmful bacteria. Much water is used in manufacturing

plants in cities. Some materials dissolved in natural water cause

great difficulty and often make impossible its use in certain kinds

of manufacturing pr'ocesses. The city must supply water which

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does not contain large amounts of undesirable dissolved material

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if it expects to have manufacturing plants use it. Many miles

10

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of e:x:pensive iron pipe are laid under city streets and these large pipes must last many years. Since the inside of these iron pipes cannot be painted frequently as other metals exposed to moisture are protected, the water carried in them must be treated so that rust will not destroy the pipes. The changing of natural water to accomplish all of these things makes water purification very interesting.
In the section of Georgia where underground water is available the water pumped from deep wells is usually clear and colorless. This clear water may contain harmful bacteria which -would cause disease. These bacteria must be killed. The killing of all bacteria in water is called sterilization. The best way to sterilize water from this source is to add chlorine to it. A very small amount of chlorine in water will kill bacteria but will not harm a person drinking the water.
The water from many deep wells in Georgia contains much objectionable material dissolved in it. This kind of water does not permit soap to act properly and it is very difficult to clean clothes and other things in it. Manufacturing plants cannot use it in making their products. Such water is called hard water. The objectionable dissolved material can be removed by adding small amounts of chemicals and then passing the water through what is known as a softening plant. When hard water has thus been softened and sterilized it is suitable for drinking and manufacturing purposes in the city.
Fig. 5. MUNICIPAL WATER PURIFICATION PLANT AT GRIFFIN, GEORGIA.
Water is pumped from the Flint River nine miles away to this plant. After chemicals are added for coagulation most of the mud and bacteria settle in the concrete basin shown near center of the picture. The brick building contains the sand filters, chlorinator, and laboratory. The tank holds water for cleaning the filters. This plant is capable of purifying four million gallons of water each day.
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Where cities take water from creeks, rivers or lakes another purification process of chemical treatment and filtration must be used. The materials to be removed are bacteria, clay or mud, color, and undesirable tastes. These tastes are caused by algae. Algae are small water plants and are seen as green scum on ponds during the summer. Water from creeks, rivers or ponds is called surface water..
Fig. 6. GEORGIA INDUSTRIES MUST ALSO HAVE SATISFACTORY WATER SUPPLIES.
This modern plant purifies all water used at the Martha Mill at Thomaston, Georgia. The manufacture of cotton and many other materials requires correctly treated water. This plant also supplies safe drinking water to persons employed in the mill.
Several steps are necessary to properly purify surface water. The water is sprayed into the air if there are disagreeable odors and tastes due to algae. Small amounts of chemicals are added to produce coagulation. Coagulation is the bringing together of the many small separate pieces of clay, bacteria, and algae into larger clusters. These clusters form while the water is being gently stirred. The water is then allowed to remain in a basin where most of the coagulated clay, bacteria, and algae settle to the bottom. The clearer water is drawn off the top of this basin and passed through sand beds where the remaining material is removed. The water is clear after passing through the sand bed which is known as the filter. After passing through the filter the water is sterilized with chlorine to be sure that no living harmful bacteria are present. The purified water must now be treated so that it will not rust the pipes through which it is carried to the homes. The water is now stored in a reservoir from which pumps force it into the pipe system under the city streets.
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Fig. 7. INTERIOR VIEW OF WATER PURIFICATION PLANT AT MACON, GEORGIA.
Mter water from the Ocmulgee River has been chemically treated and much of the mud and bacteria settled, it is passed through sand filter; where the small amount remaining is removed. Water in the sand filters is seen in the raised section running the entire length of the building. The filters are controlled from the five box-like tables.
The purification of water requires very careful control of each part of the process by frequent chemical and bacteriological tests in the laboratory. These tests are made several times each day in the laboratory at the purification plant. The water as it comes to the purification plant from the surface stream must be tested to know the proper amount of chemicals to be added to produce coagulation. These amounts of chemicals must be changed when the streams become muddy during rains. Warm water during summer requires different treatment from cold water in winter. Tests for bacteria show how well each part of the process is operating and that the water supplied to the city is pure.
Water Responsibilities of Government
One of the main duties of a municipal government is to provide a safe public water supply for' its citizens. All citizens should be interested in knowing whether or not their public
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Fig. 8. LABORATORY IN WATER PURIFICATION PLANT AT ATHENS, GEORGIA.

The purification of water in many Georgia cities is controlled in labora-

tories located in the water plant. Persons responsible for water pUl'ifica-

tion must have special training for this work.

water supply is safe. They should know where water is secured

and how it is purified. The city official in direct charge of the

public water supply is the superintendent of water works. The

superintendent of water works wants the citizens to know these

things and would like every citizen to visit the water purifica-

tion plant and see how water is purified. School classes will find

an inspection trip to the municipal water purification plant to be

very interesting. Science classes in Georgia schools include biol-

ogy, chemistry, and physics. Bacteria and algae are studied in

biology classes. Chemistry describes how materials can be

changed and physics explains how and why things can be made

.t

to move. Water purification is a direct use of biology, chemistry,

~n<! physics and well illusj;rates how these sciences add pleasure

and safety to our daily lives.

In 1938 there are 340 Georgia cities and towns having public

water supplies. These cities and towns receive assistance from

the Georgia Department of Public Health in keeping their water

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Fig. 9. WATER BACTERIA GROWING IN CULTURE DISH AND TUBE.
(A) Each of the white spots is a colony of bacteria which .grew from a single bacterium. Water containing bacteria was mixed with agar and kept warm. This allowed each single bacterium to multiply into a large colony. All of these bacteria may not be harmful. (The rule is graduated in inches.)
(B) Water bacteria which may cause disease are g-rowing in the cotton stoppered broth tube. Dangerous bacteria are known to be present by the gas produced in the small tube in lower part of large tube.
supplies safe. Each town has its source of water and the method of purification approved by the Department of Public Health before the water supply is built. Samples of water are sent from the public water supplies once each month to the laboratory of the State Department of Public Health to be examined for bacteria. The water plants are inspected frequently and assistance is given in purification problems. Through very close cooperation with the Department of Public Health every Georgia town can have a safe public water supply.
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