The Harris Centennial
Harris --The past 100 Years
The Water System
Page 26
Harris Installed Water System 1904
The Harris water system was installed about 1904. Louis Mack was mayor at the time. The system is somewhat unique in that it is a closed system, being of a pressure tank type, and has been in operation successfully for 60 years.
The first well was approximately 60 feet deep and the power to the pump was furnished by a “Waterloo Boy” gas engine, which was replaced by an electric motor with the advent of electricity, but the air compressor, built by the New York Air Compressor Company, was still driven by the “Waterloo Boy”, until in the 1930’s, when it was replaced by an electric motor.
Artery mains were laid at first and were extended to all parts of town in 1937.
Four wells were dug in the period up to 1936, when a new well was bored to the depth of 75 feet. A turbine pump was installed in this well in 1948, but because of the hardness of the water and the high iron content, it was necessary to replace it two years later with a jet pump. In 1960, the well pumped dry and a new well was drilled 90 feet deep. The complete water system was changed by the installation of a submersible pump, capable of pumping large quantities of water against greater pressure than here-to-fore. The present system is still of the pressure tank type and a new air compressor, much smaller than the old New York Compressor, was installed; this, of course, being automatic control while the old one was manual.
The well and pumping system served the town very adequately.
In recent water tests the water was found to have a natural fluoride content recommended by the American Dental Association. The present sewage system was installed in about 1920, and is still adequate for the town’s needs.
-Written by Robert Robertson