09-19-40 Special
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COUNC IL CHAtv'BER
SEPTEMBER 19,1940'
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THE COUNC IL MET IN SPECIAL SESS ION AT 7:30 P.M., ON ROLL CALL
OF THE MAVOR, TO FURTHER OISCUSS WITH MR. SCHWEITZER OF THE LAVNE-
ATLANTIC COMPANY THE PROPOSEO IRON REMOVAL PLAN WHICH HIS COMPANY
RECOMMENOS FOR DELRAV BEACH.
ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITV COUNCIL ANO J. W. NOWLIN, CITV ATTORNEV,
WERE PRESENT.
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MR. SCHWEITZER REPORTED HAVING MET WITH G. F. CATLETT, CHIEF
ENGINEER FOR THE STATE B~ARD OF HEALTH ON THE PREVIOUS DAV, AND HAVING
SPENT ALL AFTERNOON WITH HIM IN DISCUSSION OF DELRAV BEACH'S WATER
SITUATION. HE HAD FOUND THAT THE OBJECTION RAISED BV THE BOARD WAS NOT
TO HIS COMPANY'S PLANT BUT TO THE CITV'S WELLS, WHICH MR. CATLETT FELT
WERE PROBABLV INADEQUATELV PROTECTED. THE CITV'S PRESENT WELLS WHICH
AVERAGE FROM 68 TO 74 FEET IN DEPTH, MR. CATLETT CLASSEO AS SHALLOW
WELLS, BEING UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THESE DID NDT PENETRATE BEVOND
SURFACE SANDS, WHE'REAS MR. SCHWEITZER SAID THE WELLS SHDULD NOT BE CLASSED
AS SUCH, SINCE THEV UNDERLIE AN" IMPERVIOUS ROCK STRATA, (THE USUAL DEFININ-
ATION FOR DEEP WELLS). MR. CATLE~T DOUBTED, ALSO, IF THEV WERE CASED PROPERL
FOR PROTECTION FROM SURFACE CONTAMINATION, AND IF NOT HE WOULD DEMAND THAT
SUCH PROTECTION BE PROVIDED EITHER AT THE WELLS OR AT THE AFFLUENT. MR. :,
SCHWEITZER DID NOT BELIEVE THE BOARD OF HEALTH WOULD PASS ON ANYTHING UNTIL
THE CITY'S WELL SUPPLY HAO BEEN LOO,KED INTO, TO SEE JUST HOW THE WELLS WERE
PROTECTED. (HE SAID HE UNOERSTOOD THE KLEARWATER COMPANY WAS GETTING rTS SUPP
LV FROM ABOUT A 140-FOOT LEVEL, AND THAT IT WAS OF A SOMEWHAT BETTER ~U~LJTY
ANO ALSO BELl EVED THEV WERE IN SOME WAY P~RT IALLV TREATING THEI R WATER. J
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HE SAID MR. CATLETT AND HE HAD DISCUSSED THE RELATIVE MERITS OF
THE VARIOUS PLANTS AND THAT'MR. CATLETT HAD NOTHING AGAINST HIS 'PLANT AS
A PURELY IRON REMOVAL PLANT, AND AOMITTED THEV WERE AWAV AHEAD OF OTHER
CONCERNS IN THEIR METHODS OF IRON REMOVAL.
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( MR. LOT SMITH, WHO AS CHAIRMAN OF THE WATER COMMITTEE HAD WORKED
WITH THE CONTRACTORS AT THE TIME THE CITV'S PRESENT WELLS WERE DUG, WAS
PRESENT AND STATED HE BELIEVED A TH IN LAVER OF ROCK HAD BEEN PENETRATED
ABOUT 10 OR 12 FEET DOWN, THEN A HARD STRATA AT ABOUT THE 35-FOOT LEVEL
AND DOWN FURTHER IT WAS ALL OF OPEN POROUS FORMATION.)
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MR. SCHWEITZER SAIO IN THE EVENT THE PRESENT WELLS WERE DISA-
PPROVED OF BV MR. CATLETT IT WOULD BE NECESSARV TO EITHER PUT IN A FILTER PL~
OR DRILL NEW WELLS WITH ADEQUATELV CEMENTED-IN CAStiNGS. HE SAID IF THIS WA!
NECESSARV, HE WAS VERY MUCH I NCL I NED TO TELL THE COUNC IL THAT HE WOULD
PUT THESE WELLS I N AT COST.
HE SAID MR. CATLETT HAD BROUGHT OUT THE FACT THAT THE CITV'S
WEAKEST POINT WAS PROBABLV IN ITS WELL CONSTRUCTION.
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MR. CROMER HERE ENQUIRED OF MR. SCHWEITZER IF HE BELIEVED
THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH WOULD BE SATISFIED WITH THE PROPOSED PLANT
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ICOUNCIL CHAMBER - SEPTEMBER 19, 1940
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IF CIfLORINAT ION WAS ADDED, AND MR. SCHWEITZER SAID "No", THAT MR.
CA~LETT WANTED THE WELLS PROTECTED, ANO WOULD ASK FOR A CHLORINATION
TOO, ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT CLAIM THAT HE HAD AUTHORITY TO COMPEL IT. MR.
SCHWEITZER STATED MR. RICHHEIMER'S STATEMENT TO THE EFFECT THAT HIS
COMPANY WAS JUST A PACKAGE PLANT CONCERN LIKE DOZENS OF OTHERS IN THE
COUNTRY WAS A GROSS UNTRUTH; THAT THERE WAS NOT ANOTHER FIRM IN THE
UNITED STATES THAT WOULD PUT A PILOT PLANT IN HERE TO SEE HOW IT WILL
WORK.
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MR. BRADSHAW SAID IT LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY WERE TRYING TO FORCE
THE CITY TO PUT IN CHLORINATION AND TO CEMENT I N THE WELLS; THAT IN THE
FIRST REPORT NOTHING HAD BEEN MENTIONED AS TO THE WELL PROTECTION BEING
NEEDED AND THAT HE WAS FRANKLY OPPOSED TO WHAT LDOKED TO HIM, LIKE A
POLITICAL SET-UP. HE SAID THE WATER HAD ALWAYS BEEN CONS IDEREO GOOD AND
ALL WE WERE TRYING TO DO WAS TO INCREASE THE CAPACI TY AND GIVE THE PEOPLE
CLEARER WATER By TAKING THE IRON OUT OF IT. THIS IRON DEPOSIT IN THE
MAINS HE DECLARED TO BE THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, AS IT WAS REDUCING THE
CAPACITY OF THE PIPES AND WOULD COST THE CITY 28% OF THE ORIGINAL INSTALL-
ATION SOMETIME, FOR ITS REMOVAL.
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MR. SCHWEITZER SUGGESTED THAT HE BE PERMITTED TO MAKE AN
EXMAI/I NATION, WITH MR. CROMER OF THE WELLS AND COND ITIONS SURROUNDI NG THEM,
SO THAT THE CITY ENGINEER MIGHT REPORT THIS TO THE, STATE BOARD OF HEALTH,
WHICH HE THOUGHT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST STEP TO BE TAKEN, IN FAMILIARISING
MR. CATLETT WITH THE TRUE STATUS OF THE WELLS ANO OBTAINING HIS APPROVAL.
HE RECOMMENDED THAT THE COUNCIL'THEN HAVE MR. CROMER AND WHOEVER IS
GOING TO SIGN THE CITY'S PLANS, AS REGISTERED ENGINEER, WRITE TO THE
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH IN JACKSONVILLE EXPLA INING OUR WELL'S, AND THE ROCK
STRATA THAT HAD BEEN PENETRATED IN DIGG ING THEM, TELLING H 1M THAT WE
PROPOSE TO CEMENT THESE CASINGS OOWN AT ABOUT TEN FEET, AND ASK HIM
FOR HIS APPROVAL ON IT. UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES HE COULD SEE NO
POSSIBLE REASON FOR REFUSAL. HE WOULD CEMENT TI€SE CASINGS IN WITHOUT
EXTRA CHARGE, HE SAID. HE SAID,HOWEVER,THAT SOME DAY SURFACE POLLUTION
MIGHT CREEP INTO THE SYSTEM AND THEN THE CITY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO
INSTALL A FIL TER.
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MR. LOT SMITH ASKED IF WE WENT INTO THIS EXPENDITURE FOR A
WATER TREATMENT PLANT WOULD THE QUESTION BE SUBMITTED TO A VOTE OF THE
PEOPLE AND MR. BRADSHAW SAID THIS WAS NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE CITY
CHARTER INASMUCH AS WATER REVENUE BONDS COULD BE ISSUED TO.PAY FOR
THE IN ST&LLAT I ON.
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MR. L. C. HAND SAID THAT SINCE HE HAD GIVEN CONSIDER~BLE
PUBLICITY TO MR. BLACK'S ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION, HE WOULD BE GLAD,
IN FAIRNESS TO THE LAYNE COMPANY, TO ALLOW SPACE FOR PUBLICATION OF
COMPLETE DETAILS ON ITS PROPOSAL, IN ORDER THAT THE PUBL IC MIGHT BE
AQUAINTED WITH THE FACTS; THAT HE WAS PERSONALLY INTERESTED IN GOOD
WATER AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PLANT INSTALLED THAT WAS BEST ADAPTED
TO DELRAY'S NEED.
( ASKED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY AS TO THE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE LAYNE-ATLANTIC COMPANY, MR. SCHWEITZER REPLIED THAT THEY HAD
GIVEN PERFORMANCE BONDS FOR AS MUCH AS THREE MILLION DOLLARS,)
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COUNCIL CHAMBER - SEPTEMBER 19, 1940
MR. BRADSHAW REQUESTED THAT THE MEMBERS COME TO DECISION
IN THE MATTER, AND SAID THAT IF MR. CATLETT WOULD APPROVE THE
PLANS WHEN SUBMITTED, HE, FOR ONE, WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF PUTTING
IN MR. SCHWEITZER'S PLANT.
IT WAS FINALLY MOVED BY MR, CREGO THAT THE CITY CLERK
WRITE MR. CATLETT, .STATlNG THAT IT WAS THE WISH OF THIS COUNCIL
THAT HE COME TO DEL RAY AT AS EARLY A DATE AS POSS I BLE TO HAVE
AUDIENCE WITH THE CITY COUNCI L ON THIS MATTER. MR. MILLER
SECONDED THE MOTION AND ON ROLL CALL THE VOTE WAS AS RlLLOWS;
MR, BRADSHAW YES, MR. CREGO YES, MR. HILL YES, MR. JACOBS YES,
MR. MILLER YES, THE MOTION CARRIED,
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IT WAS REGULARLY MOVED, SECONDED ANO CARRIED THAT
COUNCIL ADJOURN,
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CITY CLERK
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