Some Recent Developments in Water Works Practice

Nothing in water works practice seems too sacrosanct for the water works iconoclast to attack. The trend is to develop something new, something different, and, it is hoped, something better in every department. The situation may be attributed, in part, to the "depression" which created the necessities to mother today's inventions. Some of today's inventions may become tomorrow's standards. For example: changes in rates of water consumption are indicated by increasing demands for air conditioning; methods for the prevention of the silting of reservoirs and the construction of earth and rock-fill dams are receiving special attention; in securing ground water the trend is towards the gravel-packed well equipped with a centrifugal pump; methods are being developed in arid regions for securing water from the air; much attention is being given to the diesel engine in the pumping of water; problems in the hydraulics of flow in intricate network distribution systems can now be solved with precision; in the study of corrosion more attention is being paid to its prevention than to its cause; in rapid sand filtration new coagulants, new and coarser filtering materials, and increasingly high rates of filtration are being used; municipal water softening plants, iron removal plants, and manganese removal plants are attracting increased attention, the processes sometimes being combined in one plant; interesting "gadgets" are being produced in the laboratory; and, "Standard Methods" is being subjected to close scrutiny, particularly in such determinations as hardness, residual chlorine, and dissolved oxygen. The results of the "depression" are especially evident in the increased interest in public affairs, financial policies, and in economic security for the water works employee. All is activity. There is no stagnation.