New-York tribune., 1902-04-27
NEwEREY TOWNS ARE HANDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION MIGHTY ST
HUGE TRUNK SEWERS.
NEW JERSEY TO WINS UNITE IN
PLANNING FOR THEIR
CONSTRUCTION.
ONE TO EXTEND FROM MORRIS PLAINS
TO STATEN ISLAND SOUND TO
HAVE A CAPACITY OF TWENTY
MILLION GALLONS A DAY.

MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
For the first time in the history of New-Jersey
a dozen cities and towns have Joined forces without
mandatory legislative action for the construction
of great public Improvement The big trunk sewer
which will result from this combination is the
largest and longest its kind in that State. Its
total length exclusive Of the branch sewers OF the
several towns, is twenty-five miles
Actual work the improvement began the other
6av on the shore of Staten Island Sound near
Elizabeth. where the mouth Of the sewer will be-
II is to be completed within year and half and
the total Will be nearly 81 0o00oA The expense
will be apportoned among the towns which VIII
heneht by the Improvement Newark. Elizabeth.
Alfliburn. South Orange, West Orange, lrVington,
yafsburg Summit Morristown, Morris Plains and
Roselle Park have already entered the combination
Chatham and Madison. two other towns on the
route OF the sewer, will probably fall into line
After twelve years OF contemplation, discussion
and the making and breaking Of plans, IN whlch
time most of the towns have been without sewer
srsterns the construction Of the sewer is now as
s,,-ed The plans drawn by Alexander Potter. con-
smiling engineer of this city have been approved
by the various municipalities, the State Board OF
Health and other bodies concerned The bhlleo
states Government has made objection TO
Staten Island Sound an outlet. That the Wcrh
might go on without delay the legislature OF New
Jersey has passed q law which prevents the owners
pf land along the line Of the sewer from hoIdlfg
,u The work if they refuse to accept reaSonapte
and the matter of compensation will be settled ny
1ha courts The work has been divided into SIX
sections. which will be undertaken by different
contractors
The history OF sewerage in this part OF New
Jersey goes back years when the lo"A VI
s,-nnit installed a sewage disposal plant Soutn
Orange bought property in the township OF Mill
burn on which it proposed to erect Z system oi
8isposal beds MilIburn objected to becoming tle
dumping ground for South Orange, and look lle
TWO years South Orange lost the hsht the ue-
cision being that town could NOT construct us
rosal beds outside Of its corporate limits without
the consent OF the other town a few DAYS ago
the Elizabeth Water Company bought the property.
intending TO sink wells add to its water supply
South Orange was rapidly oulldng up anu 'ie
eewerase question became vital The cl'l2ehs puI1'
fine houses with all the modern inpro' eiiiei-ls
s,cept in the way Of sewerage When II came ~
,h.- ,bev had 10 fall back upon cesspools Inc
town was willing to provide a sewer system d
soon as the question Of disposal was ai4s" 60 01
The expense involved prohibited South orange i'0ii
t,,ilding a sewer tideweter They coUIu iio'
discharge their sewage into the ftahNa9 oI ue
Fgizabetb River because several towns crew 'her
water supply from these streams Delo" Inc pi'-
posed dumping point .: ,or,
In 1855 South Orange entered INTO q lel'oli' -.
,,a+ion with Vailsburg and Irvington to construct
o- 20 +i5eyvater with an outlet in q small
cres, north Of Elizabeth The plans "eie ~.
deuned by the State Board OF HeaIth altei -. -
rru a
rrbsn there was more talking for year VI W. W.
- 1eoc fa-,e,,- through the efforts Of r. o. SIN
.,.4- NJ South Orange, the three towns succeeueu
9, interesting Newark (Which desired 10 seNei nc
80 ~ the city draining toward the
p.-,a-, NsilIhurn and West oianSe in a hoe"a.ei
A' 80 A committee was appointed 10 take
- ~ question and intrusted to ALEXANDER I o'tei
.be responsibility of solving the FfoO4ei1i " on
1af, m him the ,appertonmenl OF Inc cOe' "
4,,,,3or among the various nunlclpallues-
y1aa 2
.-.nAT tro system which had satisfied summit
for number Of years. II drained INTO INC i ose'.
p4e- ,nurh 10 the disgust Of Paterson, fassdle
na towns lower down Consequently SUNNI
ranned for admission TO the ne" coiiioiii 80
tcIi1abeth had been struggling along with an III
different system for years Ihe street =.
discharged into the Elizabeth River "hich 'iieS -
disappear in midsummer. and SO neaFt;g he
bs fhe odor from the sewers is most t
consequently. Elizabet we5eosn Of its construc-
SIon Recentlv Aiorristown and Morris RAINS 80
cured III te or towns and an extension Of the sewer
will be pushed out in their olrscLo5; M xrth an
9depeqoe1 oeen1strucfig disposal plant Of its own
aRa has mot yet of edsP'ea a fuR nhe viii
gallons day At the mouth THIS us Varv from
- inches at Summit TO Is inches at other & ggttf ~
5;te dEete 1s IN staten Island Sound and there is
current four miles an hour at d neaIg y M The nIfer
edge Of the dock line. The cost Of the system has
eeen glf tanks These are placed where the ground
,Sefs faII off rapidly During ceitain hours OF the
S.S the H1W in the sewer is three times greater
hsn the average If it not for these a storage aG
tanks TIE entire sewer would nave 70 p ooiiI "P'
q scaie Sufficient TO accommodate TINS nov"
The contractors expect TO nave c0nslu dfnpS
.-onhle with uuicksand at different points 1iolIs
.iil he 1Ised where sand interferes with the WORK
THE most difficult problem Of constr ls d ~
mile tunnel under the of summit Inc tulilei
will yrerd under the Passaic River ana IL VIII De
ne neTr Ten or fifteen years. when the actual now
of sewage will be considerably less thah the I'd
en- ,bese davs of advanced sanitary science,
it might be questioned whether il is wise to dump
the crude sewage from such a large TERRITORY aS
will be covered by this sewer directly into the SO
without some previous treatment The volume OF
changing on account of the capacity OF the tldal
currents and the Objectionable parts OF the sewage,
two in a thousand are transported over a large
largest percentage OF them become lOOu
for fish and all forms Of sea me Inc innef3i III
Won Of the solids OF sewage can be removed from
The waterways by dredging at one hfueth the ex-
rense Of interceptng them by sewage purlhcauon
methods ..s, .,.os
can only he objectionable when the volume of now
Of sewage is great and the body of water INTO
which II is discharged particularly stagnant Inc
reason WHY the sewage of the city or NeW-A ork
has with impunty been dischareed for SO loAs
time into the North and East rivers is that the
raptdtty OF the currents carries the sewage over
large area and thus produces as efncisnt puriaca-
ton as is secured most of the so-caed purinca-
sewage is Internationally helping to fill up the
bay but the city of New-York can better afrord 70
pay for dredging out this deposit than TO prevent
its reaching the waterways. What would cost the
city by dredging 81 would COST IL py any other
method OF disposal 800