The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-28
657-659 BROAD ST.. NEWARK. N. ].

erty and the public health would be endan-
gered thereby.
In speaking of the evils which the whole
Upper Passaic Valley now endures from
floods and stagnant water, and the benefits
which would accrue from good drainage the
report says:-''If a heavy freshet occurs in
midsummer, the dirty water from the up
lands covers the grass with grit, and the
food subsidies so slowly chat all the crop is
either spoiled or greatly damaged. The
To these must also be added the injury to
health from a condition so favorable to ma
laria. o.
1.-THE large quantities of stagnant water
are unsightly, the smell of decaying vegeta-
ton IS disagreeable and the whole country
is brought into disrepute by these unneces-
sary influences.
9Th upland is light and mellow, of good
quality and easy cultivation and the sur
rounding country, but for these drawbacks,
would be charming for its scenery Il loca-
ton. The land is needed for a craving pop
ulation. If well drained most of it could be
cultivated and all could be made to grow the
best of cultivated grasses and pasture. Its
salubrity would be assured and it would be-
come desirable as a place of residence for
those seeking the country for home while
doing business in the cities"
EXPENSE OF THE PLAN.
The expense incurred to date in the drain
age WIN la OOCl1 i W 1OSh n
ton at Little Falls, and leaves nothing to be
desired in respect to the delivery of water
below the dam. After heavy rains the
waters discharged into the Passaic by the
Pompton River soon exceed in amount the
capacity of the river channel, between its
mouth and Little Falls. and accumulate to
considerable depth over a large part of the
area of the great Piece Meadow, reversing
the current of the Passaic and temporarily
~impounding the flood waters collected upon
the Whippany bottoms above their outlet at
Pine Brook.
.The obvious means gof minimizing this
difficulty, +" the report says, sis by materially
charging the channel between Little Falls
and Two Bridges. Its present carrying
capacity at the full bank stage Is estimated
as 1000 cubic feet per second, which, it is
roughly computed, will be increased so per
cent. by the intended removal of the in
CAPABILITIES in the bottom. We are of the
opinion that its capacity should be increased
to from 5000 to $4,000 cubic feet per
second"
In dealing with the proposed plan of open
ing a new channel for the river from Pine
Brock to Deepayaal, q distance of little more
than three miles, while the distance by the
river is from ten to twelve miles, the report
says that the cut off, in the committees
Judgment, will enable the Troy and Whip
pany meadows and Hatfield Swamp to be
relieved of their flood waters almost or quite
as rapidly as the Great Piece Meadow.
eve have satisfied ourselves" the com
mittee continues, that the movement Of
flood water away from this area downstream
through or over the Great Piece Meadow is
extremely sluggish, and as a result these
lands remain inundated OF saturated by
freshet waters for periods that render them
very prejudicial to health"
In conclusion the report urges the neces-
sity of such drainage works as, during the
wetter months of the year, although there
be no extraordinary accumulation of water,
shall serve to so reduce the level of the water
in the streams which intersect these low
lands as to cure their present almost com
slant saturation.
The report will be further discussed and
acted upon at the next meeting Of the board.