The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-24

The ratio of increase in population for
the lower Passaic district from 1880 to
desU IS placed by the engineers at 1872 per
ratio for the five years thus exceeding
that of the decade previous. The river
now now receives the sewage of the cities of
and the towns of East Orange. Blomo,
Held, Mcntclair, Harrison Kearny. East
Newark, and part of Rutherford. Sewer
age Iacllltles for other places are an ad-
mltted necessity of the early future. 1t
therefore appears beyond question that
the river pollution is sure to increa 81
enormously unless remedial measures be
taken. - ~
This part of the Investigation by lime
commissioners therefore denonstra led r
nat the daily discharge of 1000 600 gal
IONS IONS o. OF sewage into the Passaic River be-
yond ITS power to assimilate
That the pollution had become a nuisl
ance to residents along the banks. by
e9e stencil. and had caused depreciation
Ihat fisheries had been DESTROYED. n
ihal the river had ceased to be desir-
aple Tor pleasure purposes, boating. bath
values which so generous q strea ~ ~
should afford the large populations on IFS
banks. "a 10
That the use of the river for manufac-
of the pollution
IN snort, the pollution of the lower Pas
sac R1ver appeared to the Commissioners
10 ~ ps completely established as a pub
nc nuisance, an injury to health and an
increasing menace to property interests.
trJm ha5n1, tne beginning at the Great Falls to
MEASURES OF RELIEF
The Commissioners in consida1.ine ,,,o.s
ses ares ror tne relief of the Passaic River
from pollution, found themselves con
dronung problem which is occupying
a,,ni1iags NE snare OF engineering attention in
r1fA,.c
centres, and water supply, with its coroi-
lary, sewerage, exists. The great nroeress
MADE IN sanitary science of recent wears
mas mas. increased the demand for thorough
Iheenods OF disposing of sewage The sys-
TENS first adopted have proved made
quate in a majority of Instances. and II
mas been recognized in European count r;es
ana throughout the thickly settled parts of
tne United States, that methods of disnos
ing OF the discharge from houses and fac-
tories need care and thoroughness onfv
second to the requirements of furraisshinss,
1ne same population with water and food
The nrSt sewerage process in each case
seems to have been to convey the sewage
from the house or street to the nearest
river channel. The injurious effect llnon
the streams was soon perceived especial
y y wnere water supplies were effected, and
Ine necessity of making other provision
Tor an outlet of the discharge from cities
was soon recognized. Various methods
nave been tried with varying success. and
experiments have been and are still being
conducted by cities in this country ana
abroad, ITO effect the publication of the
sewage by precipitation and filtration 50
as TO preserve the streams in their natural
slate OF purity. Engineering skill of the
highest ability, and vast sums of money
nave been devoted to the object, and your
commissioners found abundant literature
available upon the subject The prece-
uents We're not. however, such as to
afford an dnfallible guide for any specjal
case, and the best authorities agreed thaf
the processes employed were, after All.
largely experimental in their character.
The commissioners made a visit to Bos-
ton, Mass, where the new Metropolifan
Sewerage system has lately been nut in
operation, and there gained an INSIGHT in
to problems connected with their own
work which was of much value. They AL
80 4nspected the chemical precipitation
land fatration system at Franningham.
Mass. and the intercepting sewer system
at Providence, r. l., where the purif1ca-
ton Of the rivers flowing through the city
most courteous assistance at all of these
places. The engineering, legal and finan-
cial problems in each of these cases DIFF
fers as widely as the size and import-
ance of the districts affected, and while
each has had embarrassments of ITS own,
none had more to encounter than appear
ed to exist i'm the case of the Passafc
River.
AS 10 Iil6 VdTS0 tIlltT5 III Ol0eT countries.
the Commissioners failed to discover that
the plans adopted had evnced much
greater foresight than in this country, and
failures, after success had been confident-
ly predicted, were not uncommon The me-
cessity for action, however, had pressed
the problems to solution, and large ex-
pendftures are being made in this and
foreign countries, first, for the disposal of
the sewage; and. second, for the purif1ca-
tion of rivers which had become contain
mated by inadequate measures.
The Commissioners found that in the
greater number of cases the conclusion of
engineers had been that the disposal of
sewage in the sea was to be preferred al
though large sums might have previously
been expended upon various methods Of
land disposal. The conclusion reached was
that whore the cost Of conducting the sew
age to tddal waters, which would afford
sufficient dilutdon, was not too great to