Water Works at Sanford, Florida

Water Works at Sanford, Florida

James E. Craig, constructing engineer of the Southern Utilities Company, furnishes the following description of the water works plant at Sanford, Fla.:

The Sanford Water Works Company furnishes a population of about 6,000, several small manufacturing plants and the shops of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway, with an average of 700,000 gallons a day. During very severe drouth it has reached more than 800,000, due to excessive sprinkling. The distribution is through 7 1/2 miles of cast iron mains, from 3 inch to 12 inch, mostly 6 and 10 inch, reaches practically the entire town and is connected to 42 double nozzle fire hydrants. Since the recent improvements to the system the average pressure at the pumping station for service is 48 lbs., and during the hours of greatest use the drop is less than two pounds to any part of the system, as there are three feeder lines of main extending to the city, all connected for circulation. Fire service is given by closing a 12 inch gate valve at the foot of the 60,000 gallon tank on a tower 100 feet high at the pumping station, and increasing the pressure to 100 lbs. until more pressure is called for. For safety when pumping direct a 3-inch relief valve set at 125 lbs. is connected to the main outside of pumping station and piped back into one of the reservoirs. Pressure is maintained with any two of the four pumping engines, two 12-inch x 12-inch Triplex Dean Power Pumps, gear driven with two 50-H. P. G. E., 2 phase 2,300 volt, electric motors, capacity 3/4 million gallons each a day, and two duplex, direct acting, Worthington Pumping Engines, capacity each 3/4 million gallons a day. All pumps have separate suctions and any one can be operated while any other is undergoing repairs. Two pumps are situated in each of two brick buildings, each more than 100 feet from any other building, and the steam engines are furnished from either of two boilers not set in the same hattery. Aeration to eliminate the sulphurous gases from the water is obtained in two pump basins, either of which can be used while the other is being cleaned, one reinforced concrete of 145,000 gallons capacity, the other brick laid in cement mortar of 130,000 gallons capacity. The water is derived from 1-3 inch, 4-4 inch. 2-6 inch, and 1-8 inch artesian wells about 260 feet deep, which flow into the aerating basins, and furnish 1,300,000 gallons a clay of excellent pure water, of course hard, and containing sodium chloride and magnesium sulphate as most of the mineral. When the extremely remote possibility of any vegetable or bacterial contamination, and the security for the continuity of the service due to the extreme flexibility and duplication of the system, are considered, very few cities of any size have prospects for better water service than has Sanford.