The New Toronto Filtration Plant and Other Extensions

Abstract

The existing water supply system of the City of Toronto and district covers an area of about 46 square miles. It is capable of supplying a demand averaged over all hours and seasons of 75 million gallons a day and a maximum at any time of 66 percent in excess of that amount. The reference herein to the gallon relates to the Imperial gallon which equals about one and one-fifth U. S. gallons. The extensions about to be carried out in accordance with the Acres-Gore report of May 15, 1926, provide for an ultimate additional supply of water of twice the existing supply and include intake, pumping, filtration and distribution systems among the largest on the Continent. The extensions are being designed so that construction work will be carried out in two stages providing in each stage for an additional average daily supply of 75 million gallons, but wherever it appears more economical to do so provision is made in the first construction for the complete scheme. Thus in the works about to be undertaken the intake tunnei, pumping stations, administration building, stores and supply building, main conduits, distribution feeders, reservoirs and tanks provision is made for an ultimate average daily supply of 150 million gallons, while in the remainder of the works including the filters and coagulating tanks provision is made only for an average daily supply of 75 million gallons. The extensions are shown in their relation to the existing works in figure 1. The area of supply stretches along the northern shore of Lake Ontario a distance of about 10 miles and to the north a distance of about 8 miles measured from the existing filtration plants on Toronto Island. The ground surfaces within the area of supply rise more or less gradually up country to a height of nearly 400 feet