It is a little too early to give in detail an account of the arrangements now being made to install the first gravity system of sewerage ever practically attempted in this town. If the town introduces sewerage, it will remain a matter of history that the town’s first filter bed system was the one established at the Winslow tannery.
The State Board of Health has peremptorily ordered all manufacturing establishments now polluting the Neponset River to remove their drainage and sewage in some way which will not pollute natural streams. As we understand the matter, however, George F. Willett, A. W. Randall, and others at the Winslow tannery, having received preliminary notice of what the board would expect, had practically determined to establish a private sewer, a considerable time before the peremptory order from the board had been received. In fact, Mr. Randall and Mr. Rich began visiting towns having sewerage systems and Mr. Randall began figuring out a system for the tannery some two years ago.
A. W. Randall, now of Rutland, Mass., is credited with the origination of the sewer system now constructed. His plans were based, however, on the town sewers in use in Clinton, Gardner and other places. The sewage of the tanneries now comes out of little sluice boxes, on the sides of the present buildings, which empty into long troughs and are thus carried into Hawes brook, the only available vehicle of drainage the tannery has had. The sewer now being constructed will do away with the pollution of this brook — much talked of in Norwood town meetings— and will convey the waste matter through large basins into gravel filter beds on the meadows.
It is expected that the brook will be kept entirely free from pollution and that the water finally deposited in the Neponset, will be as clear and pure as drinking water. The water and waste matter now collected from the various buildings is to be emptied from a big tank into a building provided with a large pump. From this tank the matter will be conducted through six enormous stone settling basins now being constructed under the direction of Contractor John Mutch. The bottom of these basins is covered with gravel. The dimensions are 100 by 25 feet and they are about 7 feet deep. In these settling basins the water carrying the waste will be partially purified. The solid matter will, it is thought, accumulate in the sluice gates of these settling basins and can be carted away by teams. The liquid matter will be carried by the force of gravity into gravel filter beds on the meadows at the back of the tannery and its impurities evaporated.
The solid matter carted away from the settling basins can be disposed of by fertilizing companies. The waste sumach from the tannery is now sold to such companies after going through a process of drying. By utilizing some of its sewage for fertilizers, the new system at the tannery will be made to partly pay for itself. The cost of installing the present plant will, it is thought, be between $10,000 and $15,000.
The work of construction is being carried out under the direction of Master Mechanic Charles Rich and Contractor John Mutch. The whole thing is, by far, the largest and most extensive system of drainage and sewerage ever established by a manufacturing plant in this town. The sewerage plant will cover at least six acres and when fully developed will cover eight acres. It is expected that the new system will be ready for partial use within a few months, but its complete development with filter beds covering the extensive meadows will, quite probably take a year. The general credit for devising the new system belongs to A. W. Randall.
There is a very good prospect that the system will prove entirely successful. If so it will prove a large and very valuable object lesson to a town now contemplating the introduction of sewerage and as an illustration of this it may be stated that it will be a sewer designed to take care of a much larger amount of water than the town in all probability uses or will use for some years to come. The tannery now uses a million and a half gallons of water a day. Of course, only a portion of this is polluted and the system does not contemplate purifying the other portion. It is figured that the filter beds will take care of between 500,000 and 600,000 gallons a day. There are many large towns which do not use more than 400,000 or 500,000 a day. The town of Andover, we believe, quite a large place, only uses 600,000 gallons a day.
A great many people traveling through Walpole Street, especially passengers on the electrics have seen the immense stone basims for the new system and have wondered what they were for. After reading this article they will probably know.
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)