The New Water Pumping and Purification Works at Defiance, Ohio

Abstract

The water supply of Defiance, Ohio, has been taken up to the present time from the Maumee River and delivered without treatment to the consumers. It is not a satisfactory supply without treatment, and as a result there are many shallow private wells used in the city. The works were bought from a private company for $125,000 a few years ago and about $28,000 has since been spent on them. It was realized by the city officials that they must be improved and last year the author was retained to plan these improvements, upon which construction was recently started. The general problem of the supply and the unusual features of the works will be briefly described in this paper. The estimate of the amount of water to be provided was unusual in that the population of the city remained stationary from 1890 to 1910. It has recently begun to increase, however, and all indications are to the effect that it is about 8500 to 9000 and growing at the rate of about 3 per cent annually, which is the average rate of similar Ohio towns. In addition to this normal increase, about 3000 persons will be brought to the city by the development of an industrial establishment.