The Jersey City news., 1899-03-02
TO PROTECT
THE PASSAIC.
Pollution Commissioners
Make an Extensive Re-
port to the Legislature.
PROMPT SEWAGE REMOVAL
Bill Introduced in Senate
to Garry Out the
Recommendations.
PROMPT SEWAGE REMOVAL
Recommendations,
Especial to .-rhe Jersey city News."l

port OF the COMMISSIONERS oPPo
ed a year a go to consider the SUD-
ject of the pollution of the streams ana
rivers within the State and to provide
remedy was presented to the Legislature
yesterday. The act authorizing their APP
pointment empowered an expenditure OF
s25, 600 to be appropriated as tax on the
municipalities benefited but upon organ
Szation of the commission the time had
passed for levying the taxes on those
municipalities. The Commissioners were
thus handicapped. but they went ahead
with the work on their own account, and,
the results are satisfactory. In their re-
port the Commissioners say
ALTHOUGH the law is general in its
scope, and it was soon ascertained tnat
the necessity of action to prevent the
pollution of the waters of the State was
not limited to any bne section of New
Jersey, the Commissioners recognized
that the most prominent offence existed
in the Passaic River, and special atten-
ton was Immediately directed TO that
stream. After extended investigation of
the conditions prevailing in that river. 1T
was unanimously agreed that the lower
Passaic River was so seriously polluted
shed as to constitute a nuisance. The evil
conditions were regarded as having peeh
sufficiently demonstrated, and the ques-
tion that remained was the choice Oh
remedies Subsequently inquiry as to
other cases of pollution in New Jersey
convinced the Commissioners that sys-
tematic legislation to prevent ana TO
remedy the pollution of the water OF the
State was needed with out delay. lnspec-
tions were made of sewerage systems at
Boston, Worcester, Framingham and
Brockton, Mass, and at Providence X. l.
1.-THE Commissioners desire to express
their profound conviction that immediate
action to remedy and prevent the sewage
pollrtion of the waters of New Jersey is
imperatively required. Dangers which
were only remotely feared few years
ago now Immediately imperil large popu-
lations, and the cry for relief can no
longer be ignored. Two suits in Chan
Gerry are pending with reference 10 the
Passaic River, in which citizens assert
their losses and injuries to be such as TO
warrant the interference of the courts
against he municipalities of Paterson and
Jersey City, and whatever the result of
these cases it is apparent that claim 10
the protection of the courts from evil ef-
fects of using rivers as dumping places
for sewage can eventually be sustained
by owners of property. 1t is clear, there
fore, that the protection and guidance OF
the municipalities in the disposal OF their
sewage is needed, as well as protection Tor
those injuriously affected.
"To delay action will be to enormously
increase the difficulties and the cost, and
remedies which are now practicable would
not be efficient if further neglect were
permitted 1t has therefore, been thought
best to provide for the immediate estab-
lishment of a means of meeting the evils
which exist and to provide for those
which arise. A separate State Commits
sion, permanent and fully authorized, IS
suggested and for actual sewerage works
that may be necessary for given districts.
an elective Board is provided
meanwhile, the condition of the Passaie
River has been getting worse, and during
the last summer the conditions were even
more intolerable than during the drought
of 1895. AT the same time complaints OF
other localities were heard, and there
were also serious difficulties encountered
in the protection of the water supplies OF
the cities of Newark, Paterson and Jersey
City. drawn from above sources of the
poIlution of the lower Passac. 1t was
evident that a law which would reach
this difficulty was also NECESSARY, and
such measures as are required, beyond
the provisions of tthe act accompanying
this report. are respectfully urged for the
consideration of your honorable body. In
this connection, it may be well to direct
ho nG n P9SSaiC
River water by the city of Newark te
supplement its supply of pure water which
fell short in the cold weather. 1t is ar
illustration of the fact which has beer
repeatedly impressed upon your Commits
sioners, that large body of polluted
: water adjacent to great populations CON
stitutes a peril. and that emergencies viii
arise by which the filth will be dissent
mated. no matter how careful the pre-
cautions may have been.
ssWhile the present Commissioners have
not had the engineering advice which
would enable them to make specific
recommendations for any of the severa
cases of pollution which exist state
ment of a few apparent facts may b,
desirable The trunk sewer system pro
posed for the Lower Passaic district b,
In6 IOTIQ6E COiiuiiSSAoh VIZ ASoeA- -
practicable, and the estimated cost is no
prohibitory.
.4The conclusion of the Commissioner
may be summarized as follows
.aThat the condition Of the lower Pas
sale River requires the immediate re
moyal of the sewage pollution.
THAT the waters of the State shoult
be protected from sewage pollution
present and future.
"That the local governments shoul'
pay the cost.
s'That State authority should supervis
the work and its maintenance, boar'
to be established permanently and witt
liberal powers.
.'That actual work should be performe'
under local control subject to the su
pervision indicated and that the loca
board should be elective.
"rhat there should be constant examin
alton of the Subject of river pollution
with the purpose of adopting the pes
remedies as they are developed
.That the adoption of systematic actio
by the State now will prevent great los
and difficulty in future
.srhat the proposed act should be pass
AREMEDy FOR THE GRlpP|