METROPOLITAN WATER AND SEWERAGE BOARD.

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled.

The Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board, established under the provisions of chapter 168 of the Acts of the year 1901, has already presented to your Honorable Body an abstract of the account of its doings, receipts, expenditures, disbursements, assets and liabilities for the fiscal year ending on November 30, 1907, and now, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 235 of the Acts of the year 1906, it presents a detailed statement of its doings for the calendar year ending on December 31, 1907, being its

SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT

made since the consolidation of the Metropolitan Water Board and the Board of Metropolitan Sewerage Commissioners on March 20, 1901.

I. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.

(1) BOARD, OFFICERS AND EMPLOYÉS.

The term of office of James A. Bailey, Jr., expired on March 21, 1907, and he was reappointed for the three years next succeeding. The membership of the Board has consequently remained as in the preceding year: Henry H. Sprague, chairman, Henry P. Walcott, M.D., and James A. Bailey, Jr. William N. Davenport has continued as secretary and in charge of the auditing department. Alfred F. Bridgman has been the purchasing agent, and Miss Bertha M. Briggs the book-keeper.

There are also employed in the administrative office a paymaster, an assistant in auditing, two general clerks, three stenographers and clerks, a telephone operator, a messenger, and a janitor with two assistants, one of whom acts as watchman.

George D. Bigelow has been in charge of the conveyancing work, and he has been assisted by Miss Alline E. Marcy, title examiner. They have performed such general conveyancing work, and such further investigation of real estate titles in the different counties as has been called for during the year.

Frederic P. Stearns continued to hold the position of Chief Engineer of the Board until February 1, 1907, although, on account of being unable to give more than a part of his time to the Board, much of the active supervision had devolved upon Dexter Brackett, the Engineer of the Sudbury and Distribution departments. On that date Mr. Stearns' resignation as Chief Engineer was accepted.

In recognition of his services, the Board caused the following entry to be made upon its records:

The members of the Board, in regretfully accepting the resignation of Mr. Stearns as Chief Engineer, desire to express and record their appreciation of the value and excellence of his service in connection with the Metropolitan Water Works. Having assisted as Engineer of the State Board of Health in the inception of the scheme for securing to the District an additional water supply, he entered upon his service with a ripe experience; he displayed rare foresight and wisdom in the maturing of the plans for carrying out the undertaking; and he prosecuted the details of construction with zeal and fidelity until the greater works contemplated for the earlier period, which has now elapsed, have been successfully completed. For the intelligence, skill and devotion which he constantly exercised, and for the thoroughness, economy and efficiency which he achieved, the Commonwealth owes him a deep obligation.

Mr. Stearns was at the same time made a consulting engineer of the Board, and is retained with Joseph P. Davis and Hiram F. Mills for consultation in such matters as may arise requiring consideration.

Dexter Brackett was appointed Chief Engineer of Water Works, with supervision of the various departments. William E. Foss and Alfred O. Doane have continued as Division Engineers, Benjamin F. Hancox as Assistant in charge of the Drafting Department, and Samuel E. Killam as Office Assistant.

There has been a slight reduction in the engineering force employed in construction upon the Water Works, but some addition has been required in the number employed upon the maintenance and operation of works. The average force in construction and maintenance during the year has included, in addition to the Chief Engineer, 5 division

engineers, 6 assistant engineers, and 36 others in various engineering capacities and as sanitary inspectors, clerks, stenographers and messengers, the total force numbering 47. The maximum engineering force employed at any one time during the year on both construction and maintenance was 50.

A maintenance force, in addition to those engaged in engineering capacities as above mentioned, numbering upon the average during the year 234, has been required at the pumping stations and upon the reservoirs, aqueducts, pipe lines and other works. At the end of the year this force numbered 203.

Day laborers have in addition been employed from time to time in connection with the regular force as their services were required.

William M. Brown has continued in charge of both construction and maintenance of the Sewerage Works during the year. On February 1, 1907, his title was changed to that of Chief Engineer of Sewerage Works. He has been assisted during the year by Frank I. Capen, Seth Peterson, Frederick D. Smith and Frank A. Emery (part of the year), division engineers, who have been in supervision of both construction and maintenance departments, by 5 assistant engineers and 22 others employed in various engineering capacities, and by one clerk and stenographer.

The maximum engineering force employed at any one time during the year on construction and maintenance of Sewerage Works was 28. The regular maintenance force required in addition for the operation of the pumping stations, the care and inspection of the sewers and for other parts of the Sewerage Works, exclusive of the engineers and day-labor forces, has upon the average numbered 140.

The whole regular force of the Sewerage Department at the end of the year numbered 168, of whom the Chief Engineer and 27 assistants and draftsmen were engaged in general upon the works, and, of the remainder, 83 were employed upon the North System and 57 upon the South System.

Day-labor forces under the supervision of the engineers and the immediate direction of foremen have been employed in the construction of the pneumatic tunnel on Section 80 of the High-level Sewer extension in West Roxbury and in the construction of a rock and earth tunnel in Brighton on Section 85.

The maximum number of men employed upon contracts and upon day-labor construction on the Sewerage Works during the year was for the week ending August 10, when the number amounted to 468.

(2) OFFICES AND BUILDINGS.

The offices of the Board and of the secretary, the auditing and conveyancing departments, and the main engineering offices of both Water Works and Sewerage Works are located in the buildings numbered 1 and 3 Ashburton Place, at the corner of Somerset Street.

A branch office for the Wachusett Department of the Water Works is maintained at Clinton, and for the Sudbury Department at South Framingham. Headquarters of the maintenance force of the Water Works for the northern part of the Metropolitan District are maintained in the Glenwood pipe yard in Medford, where there are offices, shops, store-rooms and stables; and the maintenance force for the southern part of the District has headquarters in like buildings at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

Branch headquarters of the maintenance and repair forces of the Sewerage Works are maintained for the North Metropolitan System near the East Boston pumping station, and for the South Metropolitan System at the Ward Street pumping station and at the storage yard at Hough's Neck.

(3) CONVEYANCING.

The conveyancing work required for the Water and Sewerage Works has occupied but a part of the time of the conveyancer and his assistant.

The settlements made by the Board affecting real estate were 52 in number, and have called for the revision and bringing up to date of the titles involved and the preparation of the various papers which have been required. Of these settlements, 17 were on account of lands and easements acquired by the Board, and these affected a total area of 46.58 acres.

Examination of the titles of 19.10 acres of additional land acquired during the year has been required, and besides 12 instruments of taking have been drafted and recorded. Of these takings, 7 were

for the Water Works and covered land which had been previously acquired by deed, amounting in all to about 347.62 acres. The 5 takings of land for the Sewerage Works were for the High-level Sewer extension in Brookline, and they amounted in fee and in easements to 12.66 acres, none of which had been previously acquired.

II. METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT.

The Metropolitan Water District now comprises the cities of Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy and Somerville, and the towns of Arlington, Belmont, Hyde Park, Lexington, Milton, Nahant, Revere, Stoneham, Watertown and Winthrop, in all, 9 cities and 10 towns. The District has an area of 171.7 square miles, and its population, as of the date of July 1, 1907, the date upon which calculations for the Water Works are based, is estimated at 980,900.

The town of Swampscott, having an estimated population of 5,510, although it is outside of the Metropolitan Water District, is supplied with water by a special arrangement made with the Board.

The city of Newton and the town of Hyde Park, however, though belonging to the District, do not take water from the Metropolitan sources, but still depend upon their own sources of supply.

CONSTRUCTION.

III. METROPOLITAN WATER WORKS The total amount expended for construction, including real estate acquired and payment of claims on account of the Water Works, during the calendar year 1907, was $188,631.02. Of this amount, $99,592.35 was expended on account of the Wachusett Dam and Reservoir; $3,359.13 on account of the Weston Aqueduct and Reservoir; $19,370.72 for the improvement of the Wachusett watershed; $3,391.30 on account of the diversion of the waters of the South Branch of the Nashua River; $56,199.06 for construction in the Distribution Department; and the remainder, $6,718.46, for administration and other expenses. The total amount expended on account of construction since the beginning of the Water Works in the year 1895 has been $40,467,508.04.