A plant for aeration by compressed air in accordance with the Leeds patent was put into operation on the water works of Norfolk, Virginia in July of 1888. It was installed by the National Water Purifying Company in place of filters that had been recommended. The water supply was from impounding reservoirs, the bottoms of which were not stripped before flooded. When the reservoirs were drawn down, vegetable growths occurred, followed by tastes and odors. Aeration helped to eliminated the odors in the water. As first operated compressed air was delivered through outlets from a pipe paralleling the inside of the reservoir. The installation consisted of an air pressure and perforated pipe system which aerated the water in the pump suction and basin. It was operated intermittently until 1896 when a connection was made form the compressor to the delivery main.
Writing in 1895, Professor Leeds stated that on his recommendation combined aeration and filtration was adopted in 1887 for the 2 million gallon per day water supply in Long Branch. The object of aeration there was to charge the water itself with oxygen to maximum then allow this oxygenated water to purify the filter bed. The Hyatt filters of 1888 were operated by gravity up until the year 1929, when a clear water basin was installed.