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.
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Name of City │ GENERAL DATA ├──────────┬────────────────┬─────────────┬───────────── │Population│ General │ Annual Cost │ Gallons │ │ Description │ of │ Treated │ │ Plant │Operation[29]│ Annually │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼──────────┼────────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Albany, N. Y.│ 110,000│Coarse screens, │ │ │ │ Imhoff tanks │ │ │ │ and pumping │ │ │ │ station. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Atlanta, Ga. │ 200,000│Coarse screens, │ $1.93 per│ │ │ grit chambers,│ [M.G.]X.│ │ │ Imhoff tanks, │ │ │ │ sprinkling │ │ │ │ filters. │ │ Akron, Ohio │ 150,000│Screens, grit │ │ │ │ chambers, │ │ │ │ Imhoff tanks, │ │ │ │ sludge beds, │ │ │ │ sprinkling │ │ │ │ filters. │ │ Alliance, │ 22,000│Cameron tanks. │ 2,200 per│ Ohio │ │ Contact and │ [M.G.]│ │ │ intermittent │ │ │ │ sand filters. │ │ │ │ Imhoff tanks │ │ │ │ and slag │ │ │ │ contact beds │ │ │ │ now under │ │ │ │ construction. │ │ Auburn, N. Y.│ 37,000│Two plants. Grit│ 8,500│ │ │ chambers, │ │ │ │ settling │ │ │ │ tanks, dosing │ │ │ │ tanks, contact│ │ │ │ beds. │ │ Brockton, │ 63,000│Revolving │ 12,000│ 768,000,000 Mass. │ │ screens, sand │ │ │ │ beds and │ │ │ │ sprinkling │ │ │ │ filters. │ │ Bloomington, │ 12,000│Septic tank, │ │ 275,000,000 Ill. │ │ center │ │ │ │ settling │ │ │ │ basin, 3 │ │ │ │ contact beds │ │ │ │ arranged │ │ │ │ around center │ │ │ │ basin, nozzle │ │ │ │ spray upon │ │ │ │ filter beds │ │ │ │ surrounding │ │ │ │ contact beds. │ │ Bristol, │ 15,000│Sand filter │ 5,000│ Conn. │ │ beds. │ │ Columbus, │ 220,000│Grit chamber, │ │5,163,000,000 Ohio. │ │ screens, │ │ │ │ pumps, Imhoff │ │ │ │ tanks, │ │ │ │ sprinkling │ │ │ │ filters, final│ │ │ │ settling │ │ │ │ basins. │ │ │ │ │ │ Canton, Ohio.│ 70,000│Imhoff tanks, │ 20,000│ 700,000,000 │ │ 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. │ │ Danbury, │ 23,000│Irrigation and │ 7,500│ Conn. │ │ filtration. │ │ │ │ │ │ Dallas, Texas│ 120,000│Screens, grit │ │ │ │ chambers, │ │ │ │ Imhoff tanks │ │ │ │ and sludge │ │ │ │ beds. │ │ Fond du Lac, │ 20,000│Sewage collected│ 3,200│ Wis. │ │ in receiving │ │ │ │ well and │ │ │ │ pumped into │ │ │ │ Imhoff tanks. │ │ │ │ │ │ Fresno, Cal. │ 40,000│Partial │ 1,000│1,825,000,000 │ │ purification │ │ │ │ by settling │ │ │ │ and septic │ │ │ │ process, and │ │ │ │ disposal of │ │ │ │ effluent by │ │ │ │ irrigation of │ │ │ │ alfalfa. │ │ Gloversville,│ 21,000│Primary and │ 22,000│1,022,000,000 N. Y. │ │ secondary │ │ │ │ settling │ │ │ │ tanks, screen │ │ │ │ chambers and │ │ │ │ dosing tanks, │ │ │ │ sprinkling │ │ │ │ filters, │ │ │ │ sludge drying │ │ │ │ beds and sand │ │ │ │ filters. │ │ Houston, │ 140,000│Activated sludge│ 9.25 per│6,570,000,000 Texas │ │ method, │ [M.G.]│ │ │ reinforced │ │ │ │ concrete │ │ │ │ aeration │ │ │ │ tanks, [M.G.] │ │ │ │ settling tanks│ │ │ │ and re- │ │ │ │ aeration │ │ │ │ tanks. │ │ │ │ Continuous │ │ │ │ flow, power │ │ │ │ houses and │ │ │ │ blowers. │ │ Independence,│ 12,000│Cameron tanks │ │ Kas. │ │ and filter │ │ │ │ beds. │ │ Lackawanna, │ 17,500│788,400,000 │ │ N.Y. │ │ 95%. │ │ Milwaukee, │ 450,000│Trial plant │ │ Wis. │ │ operated since│ │ │ │ 1916. Now │ │ │ │ designing │ │ │ │ activated │ │ │ │ sludge plant │ │ │ │ to treat all │ │ │ │ sewage. │ │ Mt. Vernon, │ 38,000│Settling tanks, │ 17,675│ 750,000,000 N.Y. │ │ single story │ │ │ │ septic type, │ │ │ │ constructed in│ │ │ │ five units.