Lansing improvements
An outline of the Electric Light and Water Authority’s plans to replace Lansing, Mich .’s current grate distribution water system with one of the heavy reinforced pipes that service every part of the city, was presented by Manager Guy C. Crane at the recent regular lunch at the Kiwanis Club . He pointed out that the improvements shown at the plant today are only the production part of the system and that recommendations for an expanded distribution system will become necessary as the city grows. Lunch was served in the new 3,500,000 gallon reservoir of the municipal water system. This reservoir is 160 feet in diameter and 23 feet in height with 52 load-bearing concrete pillars for the dome. This structure will soon be ready for continuous use. Manager Crane was a guest of the club at their meeting and arranged lunch at the reservoir. Immediately after lunch, the group split over to the plant, where Superintendent Crane gave a story and overview of the urban plants. A number of diagrams were used to show the proposed plan for a future distribution system and other points mentioned in his presentation. The group was then taken over to the facilities, with each of the major machine parts being signposted for the information of those who inspected them. “This water company was founded on March 28, 1885,” said Manager Crane in his discussion of the facility. “The water department has 11,285 service connections. Eight and a half miles of main line was laid last year for a total of 102.9 miles of main line mileage, including all sizes. One of the new 20-inch wells was drilled and has been in operation for about a year, averaging one and a half million gallons of water per day. It is 375 feet deep. We built a new pumping station of modern refractory construction, installed the required boilers and ancillary equipment, built a new chimney 9 feet in diameter and 200 feet high, a new 10,000 gallon heavy duty pump motor with a 10,000,000 gallon capacity installed and relocated from the old pumping station the 5,000,000 gallon Holly steam pump and 3,000,000 gallon electric, making the total pumping capacity of the new pumping station 19,000,000 gallons of water per 24 hours. These improvements represent the $ 165,000 bond that was sold a year ago. The water rates are as follows: The first 1,000 gallons consumed each month, 40 cents; next 40,000 gallons, ten cents a thousand; next 50,000 gallons, 8 cents a thousand; anything over 100,000 gallons, 5 cents a thousand. A 10 percent discount is allowed on all invoices if paid on or before the 15th of the month in which they were issued. “Mr. Crane emphasized the need for heavy reinforced pipelines to meet not only the requirements of the outskirts of the city, but also fire safety in the congested areas, the proposed extensions and extended pipelines to be introduced after the war, with the exception of those on Pennsylvania Avenue and Michigan Avenue, for which the materials had already been purchased. The delay in the completion of the reservoirs and other work was attributed to difficulties in shipping materials and, in the special case of the reservoirs, to a necessary change of engineers in the course of the work. In the last four and a half years the service outlets have grown from 8,000 to 11,000, and with increased and constant water pressure, the current per capita value of 60 gallons per day will increase significantly. It is planned to continue sinking more 20 inch wells from time to time which are to be centrally located and which are intended to replace the many smaller wells that are the source of current supplies.
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