The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-16
POLLUTED PAsSAIc,


CONTINUED from first pageo
dlfferent parts. First, we hays the High
lands h~eadwaters, which draiH 4s SQUARE
miies Of country. lying at a general elszz.
E ya5 ct 1000 feet and upward the undeFy
which mere than three-foufths Of 4he.
surface Is covered by forests OF 4he
ether quarter, a very small part is cul-.
entire population in 1880 was Sspe squaraI
mile. and exclusive OF villages, about SCI
per SQUARE mile. This population has
Excluding four or fve Villages. ii de-
creases about Is per cent each ten years
LIS not 80 large today as 1t was in
t tSn YOU yin see that TINS portion q
very pure water, yet, even this typical
gathering ground is threatened with poll
Luton at points such as suffern; Hin
| York and Dover and Rockaway on the
IN New Jersey When, as in
ne case OF the P~eQuannock. any one Of
tied drainage area is segregated 10 the
use Of a single city, that community
may pe, trusted in these days to see that
KS poliqti0n Is ssopped but where We
the whole stream, or where the streams
| nave not yet been taken up for use, 1t is
the particular business of no one to pre-
vent pollution. and one after another our
munity.
The next division Of the watershed is
known as the Central Valley, comprising
the portion between the Orange Noun
tains and the Highlands, the area being
2so square miles and the population 122
creased to 142 in 1890. and is still increas-
ing about 16 per cent. per decade, 80 that
by 1900 it wlal each 14 per square mile.
dnls district is At present largely agri-
orange Mountains is becoming rapidly
taken up. it has already become a sab
urban residence district. For this pur-
pose this beautiful valley Is well adapted,
and We find the purity of its streams now
seriously threatened by Morristown. Mad
lson, Chatham, Summit, Boonton, Butler,
Pompton n many smaller centres.
While, for the present. our own and other
towns naturally look TO the highland
streams which offer them gravity sup
pIies. and Watersheds not too large for
ton OF, the time is not very remote when
Inc whole Passaic river down to Little
rams will be needed to supply our north
eastern cities with water. It IS now the
particular business of no one to look after
TINS part Of the stream and preserve its
purity.
Below Little Falls, to the mouth Of tbe
river, we have 17s square miles Of drain
age area, the population Of which in 1885,
was 1850 per square mile. II he'd In
creased to 2.10o in 1880 and will be nearly
3,oe0 per square mile In 1900. Within this
area there are several large cities, and tbs
most dangerous feature of the situation
is that we ave concentrated in 81 square
bered S40,00 or 200 per square mile. and
was then discharging forty million gal
Ions OF sewage daily into the Passaie
River. AS for weeks together during the
summer, and even months together, the
flow of this stream is only 120 million gal
Ions daily, 1t will be seen tina II was Their
one-fhird sewage during the dry uinm
months The natural flow of the river
4 dining tho dtfr ,4n+h1 har .1-no|~
been and must continue to be steadily de.
creased by the diversion of branches for
the supply of n~eighboring cities, while the
sewage IS increasing at the rate Of over
40 per cent. each 10 years. BY 1900, now
close at hand the stream will. during These
months, be one-half sewage, and by 1921
not less than two-thirds. if the present.
conditions are allowed to continue.
need not urge upon YOU the fact tina this
state of affairs has already rendered one
Of the most beautiful bits of river seen
and has very seriously impaired the vaius
of a large amount of abuttiRg property
MY immediate purpose Is to urge tina
this terrible abuse is about 10 be repeated
m~endaticns and the subsequent actor
shall so beyond a mere remedy for the
existing pollution. To make this more
clear we have only to turn 70 lsa2s wher
cur present water works were installed
at Befleyille. Then the total pollution il
the district. which is now causing the bad
condition CT streams did not exceed 1000
people, or about 500 per square mile, New
ark was the only place in the district
which then had q water supply, n tbs
total amount furnished was less thar
ONE million gallons daily, less than one
! fiftieth of the present amount No sewer:
emptied into the stream. and the pres
emf conditions We're got dreamed of. II
requires no stretch of imagination to say
that the danger of pollution appeared a.
thai time far more remote to our city
than It now appears to be on the stream
above Little Falls. 1t seems to me thai
the moral is that the State should charge
some bureau already organized, or SONS
commission, with the permanent duty OF
guarding this and other streams of the
State, from sewage pollution. Where sc
large a watershed. and so many points OF
danger are involved, the task IS TOO great
for one single town. Then, too. there are
many streams In which no one, at pres
emf, has any immediate interest; bui
which should be preserved for the future
use and enjoyment Of our rapidly grow
ing State.
You appreciate the fact tina the great
est interest of Jersey City II this cues
ton arises in connection with her water
supply problem. Whether We retain ouI
present source Of supply at Bellevue 81
abandon it for some other. will make 9
very material difference in the solution Of
the problem which is before you, and
believe 1t can be shown that there is
perhaps. no way in which we can. more
effectually aid you than by abandoning
the Belleville supply Let me call you,
attention for a moment to reasons which
seem to US TO make this step imperative
and later to the manner In which II viii
/ have already shown you, that about
one-half of the Passaic watershed is II
the Highlands. These streams, the Ram
apo, Wanaque. Pequannoek n Rock2.
way, I have repeatedly pointed out 10 be
ideal gathering grounds, and the logioa
source of supply for our northeastern
cities. These and the highland branches
4 of tha parftapE and IfpIq Na ~ will SfinEly