The Sewerage of Sea Coast Towns

ss of any scheme of sewage disposal depends primarily upon the skill shown in this matter. The first step is to obtain a general idea of the tidal conditions, and to ex

ld not be in the vicinity of the bathing grounds, the pier, or parts of the shore where visitors mostly congregate; it should not be near oyster beds or lobster grounds. The prosperity-in fact, the very existence-of most seaside towns depe

e shore, scouring of the beach will inevitably take place on each side of it. The extreme end of the outfall should be below low-water mark of equinoctial tides, as it is very objectionable to have sewage running across the beach from the pipe to the water, and if the foul matter is deposited at the edge of the water it will probably be b

der consideration. It may be that the levels of the sewers are such that by the time they reach the shore they are below the level of low water, when, obviously, pumping or other methods of raising the sewage must be resorted to; if they ar

as the final selection of the type of scheme to be adopted will depend very largely on the results obtained and the proper interpretation of them, by estimating, and mentally eliminating, any disturbing influences, such as wind, etc. Care must also be taken in noting

the level of the highest low water which may occur in any ordinary circumstances. If the level of a single low water, given by a casual observation, is adopted without consideration of the governing conditions, it may easily be that the t

there would not be satisfactory at any stage of the tide unless the sewage were first partially or even wholly purified. If these results are considered in conjunction with the levels of the sewers definite alternative schemes, each of which would work satisfactory may be evolved, and after sett

, it may be possible, and necessary, when heavy rain occurs, to allow the diluted sewage to escape into the sea at any stage of the tide; and, while it is easy to contend that it will not then be more impure than storm water which is permitted to be discharged into inland streams during heavy rainfall, the aforesaid sentimentalists may conjure up many possibilities of serious results. As far as possible the records should indicate the course taken by floats starting from the outfall, at high water, and at each regular hour afterwards on the ebb tide, as well as at l

e, screening will be necessary before the sewage is discharged. The floats should be followed as long as possible, but at least until the turn of the current-that is to say, a float put in at or near high water should be fol

uared paper as shown on Fig. 10, which represents the result of observations taken near the estuary of a large river where the conditions would be somewhat different from those holding in the open sea.

ours before turn

ly taken. For instance, from the diagram given it can be seen that on a 20 ft tide the current will turn thirty minutes before the tide, or on a 15 ft tide the current will turn one hour before the tide. Some of the points lie at a considerable distance from

tly after the turn there is scarcely any movement, but the speed increases until it reaches a maxim

nt from time to time. It can be used in several ways, but as this necessitates the assumption that with tides of the same height the flow of the currents is absolutely identical along the coast in the vicinity of the outfall, the diagram should be checked as far as possible by any observations that may be taken at other states of tides of the same heights. Suppose we require to know how far a float will travel if started at two hours after high water on a 12 ft tide. From Fig. 10 we see that on a tide of

, say, at the turn of the current on a 12 ft tide, we see from Fig. 11 that the front of this body of water will have reached a point five-eighths of a mile away when the discharge ceases; so that there will be a virtual column of water of a total length of five-eighths of a mile, in which is contained all that remains of the noxious matters, travelling through the sea along the course of the current. We see, further, that at a distance of three miles away this column would only take thirty minutes to pass a

urs after turn of

the end, or four hours after the start of the current at which the discharge of the sewage must cease at the outfall in order that the rear part of the column can reach the required point before the current turns. As on this tide high water is about fifteen minutes after the current, the latest time for the two hours of discharge must be from one hour and three-quarters to three hours and three-quarters after high water. Similarly with the 12 ft tide having a total travel of four miles: three and a half from four leaves half a mile, and a vertical line from the half-mile intersection gives one hour and three-quarters after the start of the current as the time for discharge to cease. High water is two hours and a quarter after the current; therefore the latest time for the period of discharge would be from two hours and a half to half an hour before high water, but, as during the first quarter of an hour the movement of the current, though slight, would be in the opposite direction, it would be advi