ASCE 1193: The Water-Works And Sewerage Of Monterrey, N. L., Mexico Part 5

After the greater part of the roof was completed, the floor was laid in those sections where it was protected from the sun's rays. The concrete was placed in two 15-cm. thicknesses, and the work was carried on night and day, without any joints. The laying of the floor occupied 8 days, or an average of nearly 100 cu. m. daily.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE X, FIG. 1.--VIEW OF COMPLETED SECTION OF SOUTH RESERVOIR. EXPANSION JOINTS IN SIDE-WALL NOT YET FILLED.]

_Proportions of Concrete._--All the concrete work was brought to a smooth face by careful spading, no plastering being used throughout the reservoir, except in the superstructures. The work was kept well watered in every case for about 15 days. The whole of the concrete work in connection with the reservoir was completed in 5-1/2 months. The concrete for the columns and foundations was a 1:3:5 mixture, the aggregate consisting of equal parts of 19-mm. (3/4-in.) and 38-mm.

(1-1/2-in.) crushed stone. The remainder of the concrete, except that for the roof, was a 1:2:4 mixture, the aggregate also consisting of equal parts of 19-and 38-mm. stone. With the exception of a short length of the side-walls, the sand used was that manufactured by the Company.

When the crus.h.i.+ng plant was unable to produce all the sand required, the Hornos sand (see Table 3) was used in the side-walls in equal proportions with the crusher sand.

_Reservoir Outlet and Entrance Tower._--The outlet, 61 cm. (24 in.) in diameter, leads from a well in the center of the reservoir and pa.s.ses under the floor and embankment to an outside valve-pit, 89 m. from the center. This pipe was laid in a trench in a solid cutting before the construction of the embankment, and was encased in 1:4:8 concrete.

Where it pa.s.ses under the embankment a 1:2:4 concrete cut-off wall, 3.6 m. wide, 2.5 m. high, and 1 m. thick, was placed across it at right angles. The cast-iron pipe is curved upward in the central well, and has a bellmouth on which rests a movable circular copper screen.

Above the outlet well, and on the roof of the reservoir, there is a central tower, giving access to the interior by a steel stairway. This tower also serves as a main ventilating shaft, and in it are arranged the guide-screens and gearing for raising them for cleaning purposes. In addition to the ventilation provided in the tower, 20 circular openings, 30 cm. in diameter, are carried through the roof of the reservoir at the circ.u.mference and into the parapet walls.

_Inlet Gate-House, etc._--The inlet gate-house is above the reservoir and about 54-1/2 m. from its center. The conduit enters at 589.00 m.

above datum, and the gate-house contains the valves for controlling the inlet pipe to the reservoir, the by-pa.s.s, overflow, scour-out pipe, and the copper screens. The inlet, which is 45.7 cm. (18 in.) in diameter, is of cast-iron f.l.a.n.g.ed pipes, carried on iron hangers on the side-wall of the reservoir, and, at a point 90 cm. above the floor level, it is turned at right angles to the side-wall and carried on concrete piers to the center of the first row of columns. The end of the pipe is closed by a blank f.l.a.n.g.e, and the water is deflected at right angles through two 30-cm. (12-in.) branches, for the purpose of setting up a slight circular motion as it enters the reservoir.

The valve-pit is clear of the embankment, and in it are brought together the main supply and by-pa.s.s pipes on which are placed two 61-cm.

(24-in.) sluice-valves; and between them there is a 20-cm. (8-in.) scour-out pipe, for emptying the reservoir into an adjoining arroyo. The arrangement of the valves gives complete control over the contents of the reservoir.

_Venturi Meter-House._--Fig. 11 shows the arrangement of the Venturi meter and its automatic register in a house over the main supply pipe.

This house is designed to form a feature of the entrance gateway of the reservoir grounds, which cover an area of 12 hectares.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 11.--VENTURI METER-HOUSE.]

_General._--The roof of the reservoir has been laid out as a garden, and the embankments are turfed. The intention is to develop the Company's land as a public park, as it commands fine views of the city and the surrounding mountains. An inspector's house has been built, and a private telephone line provides for communication with the Estanzuela intake and also with the general offices in the city.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XVIII, FIG. 1.--VIEW OF SOUTH RESERVOIR, LOOKING TOWARD THE CITY.]

SAN GERONIMO GRAVITY SUPPLY.

_Provisional Supply._--It has already been stated that the Company began operations at San Geronimo in March, 1906, by sinking a well on the north bank of the Santa Catarina River at San Geronimo. At this point, a little later, a small steam pumping plant, sufficient to handle about 8,000 liters per min., was installed. The lowest depth to which this well was ultimately sunk in water-bearing strata, was 7 m., the normal level of the water during 1906 and 1907 never falling lower than 569 m.

above datum. Tests made from time to time during 1907-08, showed that this well was capable of supplying nearly 10,000,000 liters (264,000 gal.) of water daily.

The excellent supply yielded by this well made it desirable to adopt it immediately as a provisional measure, pending the completion of the larger works forming the western source of supply. To utilize the well to its fullest extent, a reinforced concrete reservoir, of 3,000,000 liters capacity, was constructed on the south bank of the river, the top water level being 585 m. above datum, that is, at the same elevation as the proposed reservoir for the Estanzuela supply. The reservoir is 53.80 m. long, 21 m. wide, and has a water depth of 3.25 m. at the overflow level. It is excavated on a steep hill slope, and has an earth embankment on the lower side. The lining is of concrete, 20 cm. thick, and the roof is of reinforced concrete composed of flat arches springing from beams carried on 46 by 35-cm. reinforced columns. There are 68 of these columns, and they are 3 m. apart longitudinally and 5 m. apart transversely. The roof was not constructed until October and November, 1907, and prior to that time the necessity of covering the reservoir was amply demonstrated by the growth, during hot weather, of considerable quant.i.ties of green algae, which had to be skimmed from the surface of the reservoir every few days.

The delivery pipe from the pumping plant was originally of riveted steel and was asphalted. It was 30 cm. in diameter, 2 mm. in thickness, with slip joints, and where it crossed the river it was encased in concrete.

This pipe was afterward replaced by a cast-iron pipe of the same diameter. The supply pipe to the city was also of sheet steel, 30 cm. in diameter. For a part of its length it was laid in the high ground of the south bank of the river, which it crossed near the western limits of the city, and was then connected to a 30-cm, cast-iron pipe in the distribution system. The total length of the pipe from the reservoir to the city distribution system was 2,850 m.

This provisional pipe continued in service from October, 1906, until August 27th, 1909, when the river portion was completely swept away, together with the provisional pump-house at San Geronimo, during the great flood in the Santa Catarina River. Fortunately, the permanent supply works were completed at the time, so that the destruction of this pipe line, which had already served its original purpose, had no effect on the supply of water to the city.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XI.--SECTION OF INFILTRATION GALLERY, SAN GERONIMO GRAVITY SUPPLY.]

_Infiltration Gallery._--The chief feature of the San Geronimo gravity supply is the infiltration gallery. By referring to the profile on Plate XI it will be seen that at this place there is a considerable area of what is undoubtedly water-bearing gravel. The main conditions were revealed by the borings previously carried across the valley, but the profile has been corrected to show the actual conditions as established at a subsequent date by shafts. Practically, the water-bearing strata are not limited merely to the sand and coa.r.s.e gravels, as the clay formation lying above and below them is full of small gravel deposits containing considerable volumes of water. The main direction of the underflow is toward the east, and the hydraulic gradient, which was established from wells sunk farther west, was found to be approximately 1%, or practically the same as the average surface of the bed of the river above the line of the infiltration gallery.

The general scheme for tapping this underflow was to drive a main gallery at the 560-m. level on a grade of 0.05%, which was sufficiently high to take the supply by gravity to the western reservoir, having a top water level at 558.75 m. above datum. This elevation is sufficient to give an excellent pressure over about 60% of the city, and a fair pressure to reach the upper stories of the highest houses, if required, over the whole supply district. From this gallery it was proposed to sink shafts at frequent intervals, for a total distance of 300 m., carrying them below the gallery level, to tap any water-bearing gravels there might be in the clay formation underlying the gravels and sands.

From the main gallery it was proposed to construct branch galleries up stream on a flat gradient, so as to obtain the advantage of an increased head due to the steep hydraulic gradient of the underflow water.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 12.--DIAGRAM SHOWING VARIATION IN WATER PLANE 1905 TO MARCH 1910 AT SAN GERONIMO.]

In investigations of this kind, it is of first importance to have a continuous record of the level of the water plane, and Fig. 12 has been plotted to show its variation at San Geronimo from the beginning of 1905 to March, 1910. From January, 1909, to March 31st, 1910, these levels are averages of daily readings taken in 9 shafts sunk along the proposed line of the infiltration gallery. In 1902 the water plane was standing at 570.18 m. above datum, but from that date until 1905 the writer has been unable to find any records. This diagram should be examined together with the rainfall diagram, Fig. 3, and it will be noticed that the fall in the water plane drops with the general scarcity of the rainfall during 1907-08, and until July, 1909. The year previous to July, 1909, is regarded, by many competent local observers to have been the longest period of extreme drought in 30 years in Nuevo Leon, and the evidence which the writer has been able to gather regarding stream flow in the neighborhood of Monterrey supports this view. The total rainfall at Monterrey for the year prior to July 1st, 1909, amounted to 9.98 in., or 4.16 in. less than the lowest record for any calender year since 1894, or, in other words, about 45% of the average annual rainfall.

The lowest point to which the water plane dropped was during June and July, 1909, when the levels stood slightly above 565.00 m., or 5 m.

above the level of the floor of the infiltration gallery. During this period pumping tests were made in the various wells, and from these it was quite clear that the infiltration gallery, if carried far enough to meet them all, would yield a supply of from 25,000,000 to 40,000,000 liters daily. During the great rainfall of August, 1909, the water levels rose very rapidly; the heavy precipitation between August 9th and 10th caused the level to rise to 568.00 m. in about 4 days, and 6 days after the great flood of August 27th, the water level, which had continued rising gradually, reached 571.40 m., and then fell gradually until at the end of March, 1910, it was practically the same as it had been from 1902 to 1905.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XII.--SAN GERONIMO GRAVITY SUPPLY.]

It should be noticed that the readings were taken in the shafts on the high ground to the west of the present river bed, and were independent of any flow there might be in the river. During times of ordinary floods in the river, it was very noticeable that, notwithstanding the fact that the river water might be turbid to an extreme degree, the well even in immediate proximity to the river bed did not show the least sign of discoloration.

_Design of Works._--Plate XII shows the general design of the gravity scheme, which consists of a main tunnel 550 m. long and a concrete aqueduct, 1.06 m. (42 in.) in internal diameter and 2,311 m. in length, discharging into a low-service distributing reservoir at the extreme western limits of the city. The tunnel and aqueduct were laid on a gradient of 0.05%, and the latter was designed to discharge 55,000,000 liters per day (22.8 cu. ft. per sec.) if flowing to its full capacity.

_Gravitation Tunnel._--This tunnel, shown on Plate XII and Fig. 13, was completed prior to driving the infiltration gallery into the water-bearing gravel, so that the water encountered in the gallery could be easily drained off by gravity, thus avoiding a heavy outlay for pumping. The tunnel pa.s.ses through various strata, the princ.i.p.al ones being calcareous shale, conglomerate, and gravels. The tunneling operations were carried on from 5 shafts, No. 1 being 23 m. deep, and the others varying from 20 to 10 m. The shafts in loose ground were timbered in the usual way, having clear inside dimensions of 2 m. Shaft No. 1, which was entirely in shale, was taken out approximately to 3.35 m. in diameter, so as to permit it to be lined with concrete having a finished internal diameter of 2.43 m.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 13.--GENERAL DETAILS SAN GERONIMO GRAVITY PIPE LINE.]

Fig. 13 shows the details of the tunnel, which was lined with concrete, the bottom and sides being approximately 23 cm. (9 in.) thick. The interior dimension is 0.91 m. at the invert level and 1.016 m. at a height of 1.22 m., the corners between the side-walls and the floor being slightly curved. The arch is formed of two rings of brickwork in cement mortar, this thickness being increased in some lengths to three rings. Where the rock was in good condition, and not likely to disintegrate easily, the arch, for a distance of 90 m., was left unlined. Of the total distance of 550 m., careful timbering was required for 300 m. In lining the timbered portion of the tunnel with concrete, all the timber was removed, except in loose ground, where the laggings were left in position.

While the tunnel was being driven, a start was made to drive the north end of the infiltration gallery, which was in rock for a distance of 44 m. Water appeared at about 35 m., and then the work was temporarily suspended until the gravitation tunnel was completed and a length of the aqueduct had been constructed far enough down stream on the north bank of the river to permit of draining direct to the river. This point was reached at 1,170 m. from Shaft No. 1, and there a temporary overflow chamber was constructed.

When the tunnel was completed, the two intermediate shafts were filled up, the remaining three being retained permanently. Shafts Nos. 2 and 3 were lined with concrete, 76 cm. (30 in.) in internal diameter, and 23 cm. thick. They were domed at the top to form circular openings to receive cast-iron covers. Progress on this tunnel was slow, taking from December, 1907, to November, 1908, to complete, owing chiefly to difficulties with an incompetent contractor. The contract was subsequently transferred to Mr. John Phillips, of Mexico City (who was also the contractor for the aqueduct), who completed it satisfactorily.

_Continuation of the Infiltration Gallery._--When the aqueduct (to be referred to again) was completed as far as 1,170 m. from Shaft No. 1, the driving of the infiltration gallery, which was 2 m. high and 1-1/2 m. wide, was continued until gravel was encountered in the roof, at 44 m. from the shaft. At this point the rock dipped at an angle of 45, and the gravels contained quant.i.ties of large boulders mixed with fine sand; immediately after encountering the gravel, a flow of about 90 liters per sec. was met, evidently coming through from a pot-hole in the shale. This quant.i.ty diminished in about 10 days to about one-fourth, but gradually increased again as the driving proceeded. The operations of driving the tunnel from 44 m. forward were begun in the dry season, in February, 1909, and the gravel was encountered for a distance of 24 m., or up to 68 m. from the shaft. The center of this gravel bed was about 30 m. south of the old river channel, which had been continuously dry at the surface for several years. Up to 68 m. the work was very difficult, owing to the upper part being of loose gravel and the lower in very contorted shale. The timbering of the tunnel in the full gravel section consisted of heavy square settings, 1 m. apart. At 68 m. the clay and gravel formation was met, and the rate of progress then was about 4 or 5 m. a week. A short branch gallery was also driven about 7 m. up stream near Shaft No. 2. The total distance the infiltration gallery was carried from Shaft No. 1, was 100 m., when the floods of August, 1909, caused its suspension.

During the progress of the gallery, attempts were made to sink a 3-1/2 by 2-m. shaft at a point along the line of the infiltration gallery, about 130 m. from Shaft No. 1, but water in such abundance was encountered that it was practically impossible to sink it in the ordinary way more than about 6 m. deep, the quant.i.ty of water to be dealt with amounting to about 20,000,000 liters daily. Seven shafts were then sunk in the high ground to the north of the river, five of these being on the line of the gallery and two 30 m. westward. They were sunk during the dry season prior to July, 1909. These were ordinary timbered shafts, 2 m. square between the walings, and were carried to the depths shown on Plate XI. In Shafts Nos. 5, 6, and 7 the water was flowing with considerable velocity, while Shaft No. 9 seemed to have penetrated a different water plane and one which was probably independent of that showing in any of the other shafts, in which the water was practically at a uniform level. The evidence obtained showed that if the gallery could be carried to Shafts Nos. 6 or 7 a great abundance of water would be intercepted. Owing to the difficulties of sinking ordinary shafts in the wide river channel, circular shafts were put down. These were 1.37 m. in internal diameter and 23 cm. thick, and were of concrete reinforced with No. 10 vertical rods, 19 mm. in diameter, tied together with No. 6 wire. These shafts were provided with steel cutting edges.

Shaft No. 2 was sunk to a depth of 1 m. below the infiltration gallery level, No. 3 within 2 m., and No. 4 within 4 m., before August, 1909.

The shafts were sunk by digging them out and loading them at the top, the top of the shafts being kept generally 3 m. out of the ground. Shaft No. 3 encountered great volumes of water, and, in order to enable sinking operations to proceed, a pumping shaft, 2-1/4 m. square, was sunk a little west of it to draw off the water. Notwithstanding the fact that the prolonged period of drought had lowered the general water plane in all the shafts to 565.00 m. above datum, the difficulties of handling the water even at that level were considerable. At the beginning of August the work was progressing very satisfactorily, but the extraordinary rainfall of that month caused the work to be shut down temporarily.

_Effect of the Floods in the Santa Catarina River._--The area of the water-shed of the Santa Catarina River above Monterrey is about 1,410 sq. km. (544 sq. miles), and its area at San Geronimo, owing to its configuration, is practically the same. Its general character has already been referred to. On the night of August 10th and early on the morning of August 11th, a big flood came down the river, flowing at its maximum about 1,130 cu. m. (40,000 cu. ft.) per sec., due to the heavy rainfall (Fig. 4). This flood carried away all the temporary staging around the shafts, seriously wrecking the temporary pumping station, as well as destroying the 30-cm. cast-iron pipe, notwithstanding the fact that it had been encased in a block of concrete 3 m. wide and 1-1/2 m.

thick right across the river; but no damage was done to the infiltration gallery or to the shafts in the river channel. The effect of the flood on this pipe is shown by Fig. 2, Plate x.x.xI.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE x.x.xI, FIG. 2.--PROFILE SKETCH, LOOKING UP STREAM ON LINE OF 24-INCH MAIN SUPPLY PIPE.]

Following this flood, which had caused the loss of 14 lives in the city, 3 miles below San Geronimo, there was practically no rain for 13 days.

Then, on August 25th the second heavy precipitation began and continued until August 29th, the details being shown on Fig. 4.

This precipitation, therefore, fell on a water-shed which was completely saturated, as it had already absorbed a large proportion of the 13.38 in. of rain which fell during August 10th and 11th; and at every point along the river, prior to August 25th, springs were issuing forth, and there had been very little evaporation during the intervening dry spell.

The writer has calculated that at Monterrey this flood reached the enormous quant.i.ty of 6,650 cu. m. (235,000 cu. ft.) per sec., a rate equal to 432 cu. ft. per sec. per sq. mile of water-shed.[6] The effect of this flood was to demolish completely about 1,200 "sillar" houses (without taking into consideration the numerous wooden houses) at Monterrey, and to cause a fearful loss of life, variously estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 persons; the lower figure the writer believes is approximately correct. At San Geronimo the original pumping station was carried away entirely, leaving practically no trace whatever.

[6] The writer, in a brief article contributed to _Engineering News_ soon after the flood (September 23d, 1909), gave this figure as 271,500, or approximately equal to a run-off of 500 cu. ft. per sec. per sq.

mile; but, from a later and more complete study of the conditions for many miles above Monterrey, he believes the above quant.i.ty to be approximately correct.

Shaft No. 2 was apparently destroyed, while No. 3 was turned at an angle of about 50 down stream and filled up completely with sand. The infiltration gallery, near Shaft No. 2, was completely blocked with fine sand and gravel, and access could only be obtained as far as 54 m. The profile, Plate XI, shows the change which had taken place in the river bed. The original course of the stream was changed to the north bank, 50 m. distant, the effect of the scouring action of the flood being to lower the general level at this point about 3.65 m., while the southern portion of the channel was slightly raised. At present (April, 1910), the end of the driven portion of the infiltration gallery is about 35 m.

from the center of the stream, which is still carrying about 2,270 liters (80 cu. ft.) per sec.

Immediately after the flood the flow in the gallery was 450 liters (16 cu. ft.) per sec., and this quant.i.ty has remained constant since that time. The probable effect of the flood was to disturb the whole subsurface above the infiltration gallery and put it in motion, completely cleaning the gravels of their surrounding clay, which would account for the large infiltration of water in so limited a distance.