NARRAGANSETT MARINE LABORATORY 

 SEA-WATER SYSTEM 



By Charles J. Fish, Director 



Narragansctt Marine Laboratory, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I. 



Abstract. — The stormproof sea- water supply and distribution system of the University 

 of Rhode Island's Narragansett Marine Laboratory comprises six intake wells along the 

 shoreline, a pump well, a pipeline to an elevated receiving tank, and a distributing pipe 

 system from tank to laboratories. The system delivers about 120 gallons a minute during 

 pumping periods. 



Installation of a salt-water supply and 

 distribution system on the Narragansett 

 Bay Campus of the University of Rhode 

 Island has been complicated by (1) its 

 easterly exposure which in the past neces- 

 sitated frequent storm damage repairs, 

 and (2) seaward runoflf of fresh ground 

 water in the upper bottom layer which pre- 

 cluded use of well-points for intake filtra- 

 tion. Filtration has been found necessary 

 in the bay to prevent fouling growth in the 

 pipes. 



To overcome these obstacles the present 

 stormproof system has been devised dur- 

 ing the past year and is now in successful 

 operation. Grateful acknowledgment is 

 made for the valuable services of Mr. Clar- 

 ence Ebaugh, Consulting Engineer, whose 

 examination of the beach fronting the 

 property established that an adequate sup- 

 ply of Bay water would percolate freely 

 through the sand and gravel bottom sedi- 

 ment to his recommended porous intake 

 pipe and well, and Mr. Walter Caccia, 

 University Hydraulic Engineer, who mod- 

 ified the original shoreline installation 

 plan, designed the balance of the system, 

 and supervised its installation. 



Contribution No. 7 from the Narragansett 

 Marine Laboratory of the University of Rhode 

 Island. 



As shown in figure 1, the system con- 

 sists of four major divisions, a unit of six 

 intake wells, a pump well, a Transite pipe- 

 line leading from the pump well to an ele- 

 vated receiving tank, and a distributing 

 pipe system from the tank to the labora- 

 tories. 



Each of the six intake wells (fig. 2) con- 

 sists of a cylindrical Transite pipe within 

 a larger pipe of the same material, with 

 the annular space between the two filled 

 with graded crushed stone to act as a filter. 

 The external piping is 36 inches in inside 

 diameter and perforated with 1-inch holes 

 on 3-inch centers. The inside piping is 10 

 inches inside diameter with %-inch per- 

 forations on 2-inch centers. This inner 

 pipe collects and conducts the water from 

 the crushed- stone filter to the manifold 

 leading to the pump chamber. 



In installing the intake wells the fol- 

 lowing steps were taken : ( 1 ) Building of 

 a seaward sand and gravel barrier dike 

 sufficiently offshore to permit dredging a 

 crater to a depth of 12 feet, (2) arranging 

 the work schedule to coincide with the 

 time of the falling tide and period of low 

 water, (3) providing sufficient pumping 

 capacity to drain the crater as fast or fast- 

 er than the fall of the tide, for mainte- 

 nance of a water- free excavation, and (4) 



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