Chemical Treatment of the Kansas City, Missouri, Water Supply

Abstract

The Kansas City, Missouri, water department takes its supply from the Missouri River, a highly polluted surface supply, carrying a large amount of suspended matter. This suspended matter varies over a wide range, both in parts per million and in coefficient of fineness. The turbidity of this stream varies from 15 p. in the winter, when the river is frozen over, to 18,000 in the spring, when the ice breaks up. The coefficient of fineness of suspended matter varies from 0.8 to 1.5, based on the American Public Health Association standard. The concentration of dissolved solids also fluctuates, varying from 300 in the spring when the river is high, due to snow water from the upper watershed and spring rains over the lower portion, to 540 p.p.m. when the river is at its lowest level in the winter. The Missouri River watershed covers approximately 430,360 square miles. Very little dissolved coloring matter appears and at no time of the year is it a factor in computing the required chemical dose. Ours is a comparably hard surface supply, the total hardness varying from 148 to 296 p.p.m., expressed in terms of calcium carbonate. The average total hardness for the past year was 219, of which 148 were due to calcium and magnesium bicarbonate, and 70 p. p.m. to calcium and magnesium sulphates. The B. coli index of the Missouri River is very high at Kansas City, ranging from 50 to 100,000 per 100 cc. completely confirmed.