Capacity of Storage Resevoirs

Posted on Jan 16, 2008 under Uncategorized | No Comment
If two fires occur simultaneously in a town or fire district of 
10 ooo people the hourly consumption for fire purposes alone 
will be at the rate of 173 gallons per person per day. In 
general for each fire district the maximum available hourly 
supply for both fire purposes and domestic use should be at a 
rate from three to four times as great as that of the mean 
daily consumption. 

The pressure under which the water is delivered in the 
streets is an important factor in all questions relating to fires. 
If the pressure be very high fire engines may not be needed, 
as the hose may be attached directly to the hydrants. If the 
pressure be very low it may not be possible to secure an 
effective fire service even with the use of engines, since a low 
pressure is always accompanied by a small discharge. In the 
houses a very high pressure greatly increases the waste of 
water, while of course a very low pressure furnishes an insuffi- 
cient supply. Pressures over 100 pounds per square inch are 
high, and pressures less than 30 pounds per square inch are 
low. 

Pressure Capacity

Posted on Jan 13, 2008 under Uncategorized | No Comment
When plans are to be made for a gravity supply there are 
two important preliminary questions to be discussed: first, 
what amount of water can be obtained; second, what storage 
capacity is needed for the supply of the town. The first 
question involves the preparation of maps of the neighboring 
watersheds, the collection of rainfall and run-off data, and 
certain reservoir estimates. The second question involves the 
considerations of consumption and pressure presented in the 
last article and more detailed estimates of storage capacity. 
The combination of the results of these two inquiries enables 
a decision to be made as to whether or not a given watershed 
will furnish a sufficient supply for the town. 

Consumption Trends by Week

Posted on Nov 20, 2007 under Uncategorized | No Comment
On Mondays, when every household is at work on the 
weekly washing, the consumption may be put at from 20 to 
40 per cent higher than the mean for the week. Accordingly, 
on the basis of 100 gallons per person as the daily mean for 
the year, the Monday consumption during very cold or very 
hot weather may be taken as from 140 to 170 gallons per 
person per day. 

Consumption Per Person

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A small city generally uses less water per person than a 
large one; but the mean for American cities having 50000 
population is over 100 gallons per person per day. A manu- 
facturing town has a high rate of consumption, and the same 
is true for a city with asphalt streets, since much water is used 
in washing them. In towns without factories and having a 
population of less than 10000 the mean daily consumption 
will generally be between 60 and 100 gallons per person per 
day. 

The daily consumption during July and August is from 15 
to 20 per cent greater than the mean for the year, as in these 
months much water is used for sprinkling streets and lawns. 
In the northern part of the United States the daily consump- 
tion during January and February may be also 15 or 20 per 
cent higher than the mean, owing to the large amount that 
is wasted in order to prevent freezing of the pipes. If 100 
gallons per person is the daily mean for the year the daily 
mean during these four months may be as high as 120 gallons 
per person. 

Mean Daily Consumption

Posted on Nov 16, 2007 under Uncategorized | No Comment
The mean daily consumption per person in Philadelphia 
was 68 gallons in 1880 and 132 gallons in 1890; in Chicago, 
112 gallons in 1880 and 127 gallons in 1890; in St. Louis, 72 
gallons in 1880 and 78 gallons in 1890; in Detroit, 130 gallons 
in 1880 and 155 gallons in 1890. In general the consumption 
of water shows a gradual increase in all the cities of the 
United States, but according to reliable estimates nearly one- 
half this is waste. This is demonstrated by the use of the