Well its been a few weeks of hard work and organization, setting up interviews, doing back-ground readings, digging around in archives, researching new technology, and touring the water and waste water treatment facilities in Hamilton. All in a days work for the public historian!

Now for an update on the project:

At the outset of an oral history project there are two essential things that an interviewer needs to understand, Time and Terms. In this post I’m addressing the first of these Time.

Time is an interesting thing for historians, often the easiest way to think of it is in terms of a line, the old saying about history repeating itself may be true,but we seem to have been taught to think of history as a progression of events that are interrelated, rather than a repetition of events. Often we  frame history as a progressive thing – a moving forward – an improvement on the past. Of course we know this isn’t always true – and it’s important to try and leave that way of thinking behind at the outset of a project. While some things may improve with time, some may worsen. For example, when the process for creating wood pulp paper was developed our access toinexpesine reading material increased, but we also ahd to cut down trees causing environmental degradation.

All that aside, it is important to understand what has occurred over time as a background to an interview. The following is the time line that I have created for Hamilton’s water facilities, it begins in the 1920’s as this project is focused on the history that is not being interpreted by the HMST. It will probably be added to and changed as I conduct more research and as interviewees add their stories to it. Please let me know if you have anything to add to it.

1922

• Water intake pipe blocked with ice due to east wind

1926

• Report urging the City to consider the instilation of Waterworks filtrartyion and Purification plant (developed by Consulting Engineers, Messrs Gore, Nasimith and Storrie working with City Engineer Mr. W.L. McFaul)

1927

• Chlorination of Hamilton’s water begins
• The filtering basin (an early technology using sand as a pre filter for the water being drwan into the city) is abandoned

1930s

• Little training required to operate sewage disposal plants
• From 1930-50s the provincial government sought to improve the quality of all drinking water by requiring municipalities to seek approval for water supply and sewage treatment systems from the provincial board of health

1930

• Mountain Ave. reservoir constructed(with relief labour)
• James St. reservoir abandoned
• Barton reservoir retured to use
• New plant and lab built at Depew St.
• Improvments made to the Ferguson Ave. pumping station – including abandoment of old (Kiley) steam pumps and the instilation of three new electrically driven pumps

1931

• Work begins on waterworks filtration plant

“The addition of the foregoing improvments assed greatley to the           prestuige of the Hamilton Waterworks System and marked a turning point in its history in that the transition from the old to the new was now taking place.”  – W.A. Wheten

1933

• First section of filter basin built with 12 filter tanks, clear well #1 and sedimentation basin 1 & 2
• Capacity increased 40 MGD to 181.8 MLD

1936

• Additional watermain extended up mountain side

1938

• Gartshore pump taken off standby
• Council agreed to supply water to the lands of the Mountain Sanatorium (bosster pumping station to do this installed at south end of Emerson St. and Ainslie Ave.

1944

• New pumps oinstalled at Ferguson Ave. station

1946

• Elevated tank on mountain, south side of Fennel Ave at East 18th St. and a new watermain built
• Small tank at Jolley Cut abandoned

1950

• Legislative investigation into Ontario’s water supply infrastructure (select committee on conservation)
• 1950s report from International Joint Commission (IJC) reveals that bacteria levels in the great lakes had increased almost four fold since 1912 (this was attributed to industrial development and inadequate sewage treatment and disposal)
• Public Health Act amended removing the right of private citizens to sue for harm and nuisance caused by sewage treatment operations.
• Ontario Water Resources Commission Act passed

1951

• Highlift pump station constructed

1952

• A.E. Berry (Division of Sanitary Engineering Chair of PCBO)
• 600 foot horizontal tunnel shaft was bored into the side of the mountain (Escarpment) to connect another 220 foot vertical shaft connecting the upper and lower city’s storm and sanitary sewer systems.

1954

• Chlorine Building constructed – change from 150 lbs container to 1 ton cylinders

1955

• The ongoing fluoridation controversy peaks in Ontario
• All pumps modified to allow for hydro frequency change from 25 to 60 cycles

1956

• Creation of the Ontario Water Resources Commission (OWRC)

1957

• OWRC begins regular but random field inspections of Ontario water and sewage facilities – prior to this the Department of Health conducted infrequent inspections
• Second section of filter building including sedimentation basins 3 and 4 constructed
• Capacity increased 80 MGD to 363.7 MLD

1958

• The last year the Osbourne Kiley station pumped water (this building was eventually torn down but would have been on the east side of the Gartshore building)
• Kenilworth Ave. reservoir replaces the east Barton reservoir

1960s

• Historic pump buildings slated for demolition (saved because they were too expensive to tear down)
• Addition of computer system to high lift building (monitor the system for water distribution)

1962

• Fluoridation begins in Hamilton
• Construction of pumphouse, detritor building, primary clarifiers1-8, and south digester 1 and 2

1963

• Primary sewage treatment plant built on Woodward in Hamilton (designed by Proctor and Renfrew Toronto)

1964

• Wet well built

1965

• Low lift pumping station built
• Kenilworth pumping station built

1970’s

• Some educational programs and tours at Gartshore pumphouse (future HMST)

1970

• Stonechurch Garth reservoir constructed
• Construction of globe sphere for storage of Methane gas

1972

• Coagulation/Floculation tanks constructed
• Construction of North aeration rows A-H and North secondary clarifiers 1-8

1973

• Secondary treatment extension (also by Proctor and Renfrew) built in 1973 [this included activated sludge treatment, pressure flotation for activated sludge thickening, additional digester and filter capacity, sludge incineration and stand by power]
• Greenhill reservoir and 4B pump station built

1978

• “Hamilton’s Old Pump” by William and Evelyn James published

1979

• Construction of south aeration rows L-M and South secondary clarifiers 9-12

1980

• Reconstructionof South digesters 1 and 2

1982

• Official opening of Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology

1984

• Modification of Chlorination system
• Greenhill CSO tank constructed

1988

• Ferrous Chloride (also known as pickle liquor) (an industrial waste brought in from Stelco) is added to waste water to minimize phosphate levels as the water moves between wet well and head works (reducing the phosphorous count from 5 to 0.8 milligrams)

1992

• Surge tower built for excess water in storms and power failures
• Refurbishing of South digester 1 and 2
• Strachen St. CSO tank constructed
• Zebra Mussel control installed
• Fluoride system upgraded

1993

• James St. CSO tank constructed

1994

• Privatisation of water and waste water in Hamilton – Philips Utilities Management Corperataion (PUMC). The company will go through three different owners (Philips Service, Azurix, American Waste Water Services) durring the time it operates in Hamilton.

1995

• Main/King St. CSO tank constructed

1997

• Restoration of wood shed at HMST to gallery and meeting space

1999

• South secondary clarifiers added
• Traveling Bridge system replaced with endless chain and flights in waste water system
• 3 of Canadians still remain unserevd by sewage treatment (meaning they are still discharging directly into Canadian waters)

2000

• Filter media – anthracite coal replaced with granular activated charcoal
• SCADA computer system implemented making filter tables obsolete
• Construction of primary clarifiers 9-12
• Instillation of Moyno raw sludge pumps
• Instillation of 3 dewatering centrifuges
• Walkerton ecoli outbreak (in May)

2001

• Aeration tanks retrofitted
• Instillation of waste activated sludge thickening (GBT’s)
• Reconstruction of North secondary clarifiers 1-8
• Dundas plant upgraded to serve 10 million

2002

• Parshall Flume flow measurement replaced with Flodar ultrasonic sensor
• Construction of head works including bar screens and vortex separators
• Retrofit of aeration tanks to fine bubble diffusers
• Reconstruction of North digesters 3 and 4

2003

• Instillation of dewatering polymer make-up system
• Construction of primary bypass channel from head works

2004

• City takes over control of water and waste water
• Construction of waste haulers building

2005

• Binbrook water tower constructed
• Water plant control room refurbished
• 1st annual World Water Day Walkathon
• Greenhill CSO tank 2 constructed
• Dewatering reconstruction with 4 alfa laval centrifuges

2006

• Conversion from Anhydrous to Aqueous ammonia
• Filter building, North-east quadrant rebuilt
• Commissioning of the 1.6 MW per day cogeneration facility
• Wier expansionof South secondary clarifiers
• Ontario Water Operators Training Centre opened

2007

• Membrane bioreactor pilot study evaluation
• Leeds environmental laboratory and administration building constructed
• Major flooding forces city to discharge water into Harbour (December 1)

Today

• Water works operate under the Public Utilities Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, the Municipal Act, Ontario Municipal Board Act and the Local improvement Act
• On site improvements and construction  including instillation of a membrane bio-reactor and new truck filing station.
• Work continues on Hamilton’s waterfront improvement projects

As you can see this time line is quite full  – except for a lack of items in the 1940’s. The time line should help to develop a narrative for the project as well as identify the key events and changes that may have had an effect on the personal narratives of the current and past employees of Hamilton water and waste water.

As promised – and after a bit of a wait here is my presentation from the HAM ED peer learning circle on New Technologies + Social Relevance

Let me ask you a question – did you have a glass of water today? Did you think about the technology behind that glass of water? What made it safe for you to drink? How is it that by simply turning on a tap you unlike millions of people around the world have access to clean water? When most of us turn on the tap we seldom stop to consider where the water comes from, we take for granted that it will be there, and it will be clean and safe for us to drink.

The Project

This summer I will be working on an oral history project for the Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology. Investigating the history behind that glass of water you had.

My task is to gather the oral histories of the people who have worked at the Hamilton waterworks.

The oral interviews I gather will be analyzed for common themes and narratives. I will then use my analysis to identify artifacts, photographs and textual documents that compliment these histories. The oral interviews will be gathered in two formats through a multi stage process involving both audio and video data. The use of digital media will eventually allow the data to be accessed through the Internet creating a valuable resource for the public.

As the 150^th anniversary of the Hamilton waterworks approaches this project will help to create renewed interest and pride in local history, and will serve as the building block for future projects including an exhibit and publication. I also hope that it will give people a greater appreciation of a resource that we as Canadians have often taken for granted.

So, gathering and disseminating these oral histories is my main goal, but secondary to that I would like to be able to show people what goes into the making of history, I feel that it is important for communities to understand and be part of how their histories are shaped. Fortunately this to can also be accomplished through the use of new technologies, my work will be followed by the blog “a drop of history” I hope to create an on line environment where people can comment on my research adding their own stories or asking new questions, thereby allowing the community to help shape the history that I am developing.

I would like to take a moment now to talk about why it is important to present sound recordings of oral histories.

The Importance of Hearing Oral History

In the past oral histories have often been done a great disservice by researchers. In his article the Peculiarities of Oral History Alessandro Portelli comments that “Scholars are willing to admit that the actual document is the recorded tape, but almost all go on to work on the transcripts and it is only the transcripts that are published.” Although this article was published in 1981 it addresses some of the same issues we are encountering today. We have been slow to change, many digital history projects still use only the transcripts of interviews, but we have the technology to provide the sound records and it is important to do so.

Anyone who has ever conducted an oral interview understands the frustration of trying to capture the rich structure of storytelling on paper. There is no doubt that some of the the most important information is lost along the way, pauses can indicate many things, however without the context of the narrator’s voice it is difficult to tell if the interviewee is gathering their thoughts or avoiding a difficult subject. Reading a transcript does little to acknowledge the humor, or sadness in the voice of an interviewee. These audio cues provide meaning and context for narratives, they also make the history alive, it is one thing to read history but to hear it told by someone who was there creates an intimate connection to that story.

Finally it is important to acknowledge the role we play in the dissemination of this history – how do our transcriptions affect the narrative, are they truly capturing the spirit of the interview, what disservice are we doing to our audience as well as our subjects?

So theories and projects aside how do we dive into the digital world and harness it’s power to enhance our oral histories? Well there is no one answer to that and I am by no means a computer expert but here is what I have learned in preparing for my own project.

The Technology

Making Files

One of the first steps in research that relies on oral history is creating recordings, there are many different types of digital recorders available on the market, all have different features, but the best for digital projects are those that can record in MP3 format. MP3s are high quality and universally compatible.

Once you have made the recording some editing may be necessary it is always a good idea at this stage to create a master recording, which should remain unedited. All new recording can be developed from the master file.

To edit your recordings you need editing software,I would suggest Audacity as it is a well known open source programing that is basic enough to be user friendly and is compatible with both MacOS and Windows.

What Platform Will You Use?

The next step in the process is choosing a web platform which will allow your recording to be accessed on-line. It is important to decide how much programing you want to do or learn and if you want to spend money on developing your platform. blogs and wikis are free and require little programing knowledge they also have the added benefit of being part of pre-established networks which can create extra traffic to your site. If you do have a good knowledge of programing both can be edited to create a unique design and style. Of course many museums already have existing websites, if this is the case you can enhance your site by creating digital oral exhibits or adding sound to existing exhibits.

All three platforms may require you to invest in an on-line hosting service, however there are free options available for this such as You Tube and Google video. Finally if you have a website you should make sure your provider can support the type and amount of media you want to have.

Streaming vs Download

The next step is deciding how you want people to access your information will you provide streaming or downloading? Depending on your preference there are a few different options for your site.

Pod casts which can be video or audio are already a popular method used by museums to create guided tours and on-line lecture series. Pod cast can use both streaming and downloading. If user subscribes to your podcast it will be downloaded regularly by their media player, many websites also provide users with the option of streaming the podcast media without downloading it.

The majority of Pod casts use RSS feeds allowing users to subscribe to their cast and receive regular updates without having to visit your site. Setting up an RSS feed does require some programing in HTML if you are using it on a website, most blog sites will guide you through the process without requiring you to do any programing.

As was previously mentioned You Tube and Google videos are another option for including oral histories on your chosen web platform. You Tube and Google videos can be embedded into most websites and blogs, and this is a good method for those with little knowledge of programing as most blog providers guide you through the process. With the video option you can also add photos you your recording creating a slide show of sorts to accompany the oral history. For those concerned about copyright You Tube and Google video are good options as neither require you to give up your copyright, however be warned that you are responsible for monitoring the use of your video and neither site accepts any responsibility if your copyright is infringed.

A third popular option for those who have more time to learn some basic HTML programing is a stand alone media player usually this consists of a window to display video or just a control bar for audio, these include the usual set of play stop and pause buttons. There are many open source customizable media players available and most organizations provide you with the correct HTML code to install their player. If you want to go with a widely recognized media player you can use widows media player, real player or quick time, all three play MP3 format, and the plug-ins are free for your visitors to download, however all three also cost you, the producer money.

Getting Noticed

Once you’ve gone through all the hard work of creating your website or blog and making your research accessible it is a good idea to promote your site, this can be done through traditional methods such as news letters or posters. However some options that are both free and sure to attract a wide audience include: free directories for blogs and podcasts; adding your podcast to itunes; and links with other sites which creates more traffic and higher Google rating.

Copyright and the Creative Commons

A final issue that should be addressed in presenting oral history on-line is copyright. In any oral history research it is good practice to inform your interviewee of the ways in which their information will be used. However when it comes to copyright things become a bit complicated.

Canadian Copyright protects the rights of the maker of sound recordings under section 18. It defines the maker of a sound recording under section 2 as “the person by whom the arrangements necessary for the first fixation of the sounds are undertaken” This means that copyright either belongs to the researcher or the institution that hired the researcher depending on the type of agreement that they have.

Of course on the Internet it is difficult to control how your work is used, and I believe, as do many digital history scholars that copyright when followed too strictly can do more harm than good, especially in the case of research materials. Although the researcher or institution may wish to retain ownership of their work, knowledge is best used when shared as widely as possible. Fortunately the development of the Creative Commons License has allowed researchers and institutions to license their work in new ways, requiring users to give the researcher or institutions credit for their work and at the same time defining the acceptable uses of this work. In any case it is always good to include some sort of disclaimer for your users asking them to reference you when using any part of your work.

Conclusion

I realize this is a lot of information to present in 15 minutes but it is important to ensure that oral histories are accessible as they were originally recorded and not solely through transcriptions. The emergence of new technologies has provided a wealth of options for this.

I must reiterate I am no more a computer expert than any of you. I should confess that 8 months ago I hated computers and I was absolutely sure that I could never grasp any of the concepts I have spoken about to you today. However I have come to appreciate all that they can do for those of us working in heritage and culture.

I firmly believe that researchers have an obligation to make their research accessible to the members of the communities they are working with. I also believe that in the case of oral history digital technologies provide one of the best means for doing this.

Welcome to A Drop of History, please find more about this project in About. Currently Heather is hard at work on a grant application to fund the research for this project, as well as developing a presentation for the HAM-ED Peer Learning Circle on New Technologies + Social Relevance on April 27th at the Burlington Art Centre.

Thanks for visiting, and following the progress of this project, more updates to come!