The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-06-03

DUNDEE DAM PROBLEM.
Will the Removal Of the
Barrier Improve the
Polluted River.
sELFISHNESS OF PATERSON
President Phillips Of the Passaic
Valley Protective Association
on Relief Schemes.
SELFISHNESS OF PATTERSON

no longer a problem. How shall 1t be
purified, disinrected and redeemed, is a
problem that still remains to be solved.
Several plans and theories nave already
been submitted.
For q general system of sewage dis
posal. the recommendation of the Sew
age Commission" seems to be the wisest
that could be made. 1t would seem very
nnwise under the present condition Of the
les in SCIENCE for some better. cheaper
and more effective" system.
made a recent discovery for the purifca-
tion Of Passaic River that demands at
tention as follows:-.If the commission
Dundee DAM. it will probably do all that
is Immediately necessary for removing
the ~stagnation and pollution of the Pas
that will be done in that direction for the
next fifty years.
The removes Of Dundee Dam would af-
ford more immediate and permanent re-
lief to the taxpayers of the city of Pat
erson, than 1t would to the Inhabitants
Of the adjoining counties. The residents
mutual protection OF the inhabitants of
the Passaic Valley, and on moral princi-
pies they would not attempt, to rid Them
on to some other community. This would
be a heinous crime and SHOULD be dealt
with as such. our object is to protect
power from this terrible nuisance caused
by river pollution. Our platform is broad
f eheug Bas g tak Va II every Ins1,,aInp Ne alorg
ana Jersey City, and we hereby
extend to them our right hand of
Christian fellowship and cordially invite
them to join issue with US in this great
battle for human rights, and we will
stand by them until we meet with VIC
tory or defeat. But We are not going to
Senator Williams is Chairman of the
Legislative Committee and informs us
that his constituents are largely com
0OSl6 nf faynlUarS and that fhnir roaoffnr
is safe in his hands. The removal of
Dundee Dam is no doubt intended as a
substitute for the trunk sewer and would
relieve the taxpayers of Paterson of over
a million dollars. We will leave that mat
ter in the hands of the Legislative Com
mfttee for serious consideration. We be-
lieve that the removal of the Dundee Dam
would be the creates calamity that could
happen to the residents of the Passaic
Valley. 1t would be a serious h~indrance
to any further progress whatever for the
publication of the Passaic River for the
next fifty years as Is intimated, and for
this very reason I have no doubt that the
inhabitants of the Passaic Valley will be
unanimous in their opposition to this ne
farious scheme. It would not only be
property in the immediate vicinity. but
with the accumulation of several feet in
depth of solid sewage in the bed of the
lake exposed to the atmosphere would be
almost certain to cause an epidemic.
With the daily discharge of seventy
million gallons of sewage in the Passaic
ll1NcI, Will the CdTcdSSSS OF cats. QOSS.
hogs and other offensive matter floating
along its shores, with the East Jersey
Water Company in the entire control of
the watersheds, draining the river daily
of millions of gallons of water tina is
really needed by the Inhabitants along
the. valley for domestic purposes, and
with no means of relief from the Legis-
lature whatever, except the removal of
the Dundee Dam for the purpose of maxi
ing the river q veritable sewer, there
would seem to be no further use of the
once beautiful Passaie'' than that of a
death breeding pestilence, from the Pas
sale Falls to Newark Bay. And this ter
rible " condition" we are told, is the re-
suit of the growth and prosperity of the
municipalities that sewer in the river. Is
there any reason then whatever why
these municipalities should not provide a
complete and effective remedy, when it
is within their power to DO so? Our peo-
pie are not likely to get any relief from
peal at the extra session, with the final
conclusion that all our efforts in that
direction will be f~ruitless as long as the
East Jersey Water Company exists and
the present political status of the State
remains unchanged. This is really a serl-
Gus matter indeed for there is no doubt
hat the water syndicate is our greatest
foe. If we succeed in preventing the
municipal and private corporations from
sewering the river It will be an easy mat
ter to prevent pollution from other sources
sufficient to make the water safe to use for
domestic urposes and there would then
be no further necessity for Newark and
lily " dIdW tACl WdlCt Supply
from the East Jersey Water Company.
1t really seems that the water syndicate
has a direct interest in keeping the river
foul and polluted below the falls at Pat
erson; and l do not think l am very far
from the truth in my conclusions.
The. report of the case of the Newark
Passaic to restrain the latter from emp I
tying sewage into the Passaic River
gives us a clear idea Of the effect that
the water syndicate had had upon the
natural flow of the Passaic River since
hat date, February 19, 1891. The follow
ing is from Chief Engineer Edlow w.
Harrison, OF the Hudson County Boule-
THE volume of water rolling over the
Dundee Dam every twenty four hours"
said Mr.. Harrison, lis eleven million three
Ions. This flow meets the rising tide just
below Newark's intake and the salt water
from the bay is prevented from going
further up the stream. TIL force given
the volume of fresh water by the fall over
the dam is all that prevents the salt tide
from carrying the sewage and filth up
the dam itself. I nave ascertained by
means Of floats, that in five months Of
the year the salt tide goes a little higher
than the Newark intake, while during the
other seven months it does not get up
to that point
On Characterization by Senator
Griggs, Mr.. Harrison said, that years ago
a dam was to have been built just below
the Dundee Dam to throw the fresh water
nv y u n - LkSk WIZ A93 otlo llS plO-
posed dam to supply Jersey City was to
have been tapped by pipes. Another pur-
pose of the dam was 20 keep Newarx's
sewage from being swept up the river by
high tides" 1t is also stated that the
water shed contained an area of 9S1
square miles and the proposed drainage
of a large section above Mountain View
then being built by the East Jersey Water
Company, would not materially change
the volume of the Passaic Ricer. When
asked his opinion in regard to the con-
struction of reservoirs IN the Pequannock
water shed, Mr.. Harrison said the effect
would be to impound the water during the
wet season, SO that in dry weather none
would come below the Pequannock. The
general result, however, he thought
would be to keep up the average flow of
the river. Now what has been the actual
result of the drainage of the water sheds
upon, .the volume of water and the
average flow of the river since that time?
The writer has been a resident of the
immediate vicinity of the Dundee Dam
for the past five years nnd can say from
personal observation that during two
a drop OF water running over the dam.
The Dundee Dam and Water Power
Company Ut is said on good authority
consumes daily about three hundred mil
lion gallons and that is about the average
flow of the Passaic River during two
thirds of the season or has been for the
past Ave years since my residence here.
From the foregoing observation we
base our conclusions as follows
That the pollution OF Passaic River is
caused by the sewage and other offensive
ton IL caused through the drainage of
fha wafer ahadc diminishing fhn vnl1srnn