New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-16
TO PURIFY THE PASSAIC
COMMISSION APPOINTED BY THE COVER
NOR MEETS IN JERSEY CITY.
WELCOME BIZ MAYOR wANsER-Nn vERMErfS
EXPLAINS THE DIFFICULTIES or THE IN
ponrAxr pEonIEu ro nE soLvEp.

4
suggest remedies at the next meeting Of the ISIS
laturs visited Jersey Ciiy yesterday afternoon lacy
sat in the Aidermanlc Chamber. The three Com-
nissioners ". II. Hunt ard Or. c. IL. Hcfoi'' o.
Newark. and L. j. Marsh. OF Paterson were pres
| ent. with ". G. Scott their secretary Sa,o'
Wan.er OF Jersey city: corp )rat.on Counsel "'ar'
Stree; and Water Commissioners Bolt"ooi' bro"n'
Kase- and Harding ard a delegation Of the Jersey
city Board Of Trade were present Mayor "@hse'
in welcoming The Commission s1.d:
In behalf OF the city beg 70 ihans your NM NJ
and FOR yonf Invita- 70 The c,y ofe'ai. and 20
investigation By you 70 aid you ~ co-opers.lon ana
suggestion. Since the reoep, OK your co'amG; 80
Conference have invited The board OF Trade 70 CO
operate With the officials IN extending 10 your -
yosr iabors The street and witcr Hoard in cont
pliance With my Suggestion. have requ>sted ther
Consulting engineer. q Z. Vermeule. 10 lay before
you our views in the matter 81 cesnsins ., 80
en- cheering problems which have confronted tns
city in CONNECTION herewith 70 iiIa, /. : no, my
the Problem with the Investigation OF which 20,
are charged and It not ths a.rn'.Sn , Ss om
mission to any large extent with The exception y
entire case, so 10 speak as orteny ana .sSA.y a.
place all the data and suggestions hs has 10 make
at the disposal OF your Commission. and to assist
am sure that it is the sense Of all the Jersey
City officials. who have closely FOLLOWED the . ss.
your appointment that you are endsa'o ar,s 20
make the work OF your Coinmssi9n o as arc ~ -
congratulated upon the manner IN ~nien 20" p az
Sale River has been for years the bugbear With
which the city OF Jersey City has been harassed ~
supply The solution OF the problem OF good drink
ing water for Jersey City has been Intimately "a.
ISOLATED WIN ,hf poaaI Or has BEEN con,ensed
that our city, under the terms OF the a., ot INC
between Acquannock and BelevIlle, a source
for It's water supply. was entitled 70 pure s'0
When was confronted with the water question.
I went into The question OF our rights IN tne risev
luton OF the Passaic to great extern. before com
hitting myself or the city 10 the policy OF aoaHdon-
OF supply. was convinced and am opinioned
now, that whatever rights the city bad 70 a pure
and wholesome water supply from the Pascal.
River between the points mentioned by virtue OF
the grant OF the Legislature nave eith"r been ior.
rights during the forty year. precedlnl ny a..
cession to ONCE. or that they were onset py tns
the cities and towns along the river IN the way OF
making II an outlet FOR their sewage systems
1t appeared 10 that while the ars, cost OF q
large the cost OF maintenance would y snyh, IA
and forever disposing OF the sewage now emDtisd
into the river. which at best would o. n'os' ~
pensive and uncertain In It's results. believe that
il should be the policy OF State 10 protect IN
the fullest sense OF that term the waters of this
State. The day is not far distant when The de-
mands upon those waters FOR sources OF water
supply for our cities and towns VIII exceed ne
supply II your Commission had been created ana
the agitation concerning This matter developer
some years ago. Jersey city would not now ha.s
had water supply problem to settle i'e that as u
may the fact remains thar you have been APPOINT
ed TO deal with this question ara are mere 70
aid you in your Iabors have now the pleasure Of
presenting Mr.. Vermeuie
MR. vERMEUI.E's PLAN
c. G. Ver1neue. who X the consulting eng1ners -
the Street ana Water Board IN the matter Of Q ~
water supply called attention 70 me r~cestty fn1
comprehensive treatment Of a problem which y
necessarily somewhat Involved" lie said The
waters OF a stream derived from t,ss whole q
IT'S tributary watershed There Is sons pooulAs
misconcep,ion this point. and prone 70
work at the head waters alone as the source !
have proven at least 10 my own satisfaction. ~
extensive observations. that every square nile VI
drainage area yields It's due propori.ca Of vascT y
It's source and shall obtnn the best concsprton
Of the Pass",c as whole and n ir pars BY Ca.
drained by the river numbers s4a square miles. ssd
this may be af,tdea into ,'irse diasrsnt par.s
which, he said. drain is2 sNare miles OF. country
ana Of WITCH more thsn Il 1' i Z. crs
Exclusive OF four or five villages, tie Iorula ION
in 1850 You viii ses. Mr vermsu. said -thsS
this portion OF the watershed must Necessarily fur
is S y 9s Is I * With 'n osa a. S
points sufrern Hiliburn ard Tux~io. On the Ram
apo in NsT p,n a9d pgysr ana hoeAa~ay. on tn,
The next division Of the watershed he consti.
w tween ft the ee orahre sn9 tSs
the area being 80 square milss Il hai population
Of l22 per square mile in 1850 which had Increased 70
l42 in 1850. and Is Increasing about Is per
decade. The purity Of the streams" he ssit IL
Chatham. Summit Boonton Butler, Ponp'on ard
many smaller c.nrrs~ Mne ssr TIE Pre,ss, oS,
streams which offer them gravity supplies and
prevent the pollution Of the tsme is 10, wy remote
when the whole passaic River down 10 I@ttls FAILS
With water Il is now The particular business ot 10
one 10 look after this part Of the sHean and prs-
serve It's purity"
DECREASING IN VOLUME
Tho natural flow OF the river during the sune
mer months" he said has already been and muA
continue to be steadily decreascd by the diversion
OF branches. Its flow IN summer Is only lA.@).1o
gallons daily and 100000 gallons OF sewage -
daily discharged into II. and the volume o, sewage
is increasing 1T the rate OF 40 per ceat every tsa
by 1900" he said "nS. close at hard the ssr..I
di,ions are allowed TO continue. I need not urge
upon you tie aet on that d, m. a nat, q sr e:
Of river scenery IN this vicinity thing 70 b.
q s1. ana n the
Sir. yermeue's purpose he said. was 20 rrss
ps,erTed to growth OF popuatoS Of 4:
these Highland streams will not remain long un-
utilized II the Highland branches diverted
the streams feeding the river would have Inferior
water even II every vestige ~ sewage should dis
appear. He said It would be wisdom and economy
for Jerpcy City TO abandon It's Bellevue station
He suggested the conveyance OF the sewage OF
Paterson by gravity 20 the flats. 10 be treated by
intermittent filtration. and that large part OF the
/ sewage OF the rest OF the district should be &C..
livered 10 the fats south OF Newark by gravity BY
means OF an !nicrrep;ing sewer; and where, ne
district is too low. pump ng should be resorts! 20
He said he did not believe II possible 20 purity the
river to make II a safe source o, supply for
jersey CITY
Joseph A. Dean OF the Board OF Trade. objected
10 the position taken by the Mayor that the CITY
had concluded 70 abandon Its claim % a pure wates
supply from the Passaic. ard said filtration was
+, being considered
". Condict said he believed the Commission
would adopt plan by which the river could ~
saved.