The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-07-02
SEWERAGE
MATTERS
Views Of DR.. Moriarta, Of Sar-
atoga Springs, on Sand
Filtration System.
COST OF MAINTENANCE SMALL

z Whatever may be the outcome Of the
appeal to the State Sewer Commission
in regard to the disposal bed, the beds
must be placed somewhere. In conse-
quence of the objections made by the
interested parties there is a growing
opinion that the disposal plant will be
a serious detriment to any location in
which it may be placed. The extracts
printed from the report of an engineer
recently sent to Saratoga are so at va
rance with the findings of the Board
of Sewerage when they visited the
plant, that we wrote to DR.. MOriarta,
whose name was mentioned, enclosing
the slip, and asking for information,
and have received the following reply :
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y,
June 27, 1907.
/. r. P1ERsoN, Editor Chronicle, Nor
ristown, n j.:
Dear Sir: Your favor of June 18th
is at hand and | hasten to reply at
some length.
First, concerning the report of the
engineer sent to Saratoga, which you
quote as being in different strain,
and give the credit of the good feat
ureS of our plant to the fact that 1t
was in charge of DIR. Moriarta, who
conducts an experimental station there
with chemist as an assistant. The
Judgment of the engineer, as we'll as
the facts that he deduced, are abSo-
lutely at variance with the conditions
and facts. First, the engineer never
came to see me to find out the facts :
secondly, we have had an experimental
station at the Saratoga plant for only
a few months, in fact have barely got
it started +; Thirdly, the experimental
station was placed at Saratoga by New
York State after the plant had been
running three years successfully by
the local commissioners, because OF its
success, so that we might be in a posi-
tion to teach or show those who had
this work to do
And, finally, the only true conclu-
sion that your engineer reached is that
it has been under my personal charge.
This is so, but it has been no special
charge or care to me, and when l first
took up the study was entirely ignOr-
ant of the problem.
The secret of the sewage disposal
problem is a thorough knowledge of
the local conditions, and proper con-
Struction so that bacterial action can
occur with sewage that is free from
manufacturing waste.
At Saratoga we have absolutely no
local nuiSanceS. nor can there be any
at any plant where ordinary Intelligent
care is taken.
1t would seem to me that the engin-
eer whom you sent here is absolutely
incompetent on the sewage problem
from the statements he made, If they
represent his conclusions.
/ am sending you under separate cover
monograph, as we'll as copy OF report
that l made at PlattSburg before their
people who were about to install sew
age disposal plant as you are at Nor
town and wanted me to come there
and talk to them. The people in the
adjacent neighDOrhoOd need have no
fears concerning nuisances if the plant
is properly managed, even if living
within one hundred yards.
The plant is a success in every par
ticular, and can be duplicated ii local
conditions permit. We pump about
100000 gallons daily, and the entire
expense-p0Wer, care, house and labor
about $1,000 per annum.
You may make such use of this let
ter as you care to.
Yours, truly,
d. q. MoRIARTA.
From the address at Plattsburg we
quotes
I" 1.-THE lSaratogal plant has been In
continuous operation for three and one
half years, and there has peeu an aver
age of one and one-half million gallons
of sewage discharged into the tanks
daily: these would contain, according
TO the estimate OF our engineer, dur
ing the three and one-half years men,
toned, approximately 2,500,00 pounds
of dry Sludge, and by the same esti-
mate there are about 100000 pounds
in the tanks. Thus over 1900, 900
pounds of the solid constituents of the
sewage has passed out onto the sand
filter beds in a condition so modified
that there is scarcely deposit on the
surface OF the beds.
Thus far we have been absolutely
free from all local nuiSances. There is
a residence on the west 100 feet from
the beds, another on the north 6O0feeU
away. Visitors are frequent and never
ucU6CU dllJ uulodllCC duV WOl1OOI dU lUo
absence. The average of solid matter
in the tanks remains about the same,
though gradually diminishing being
about 40 per cent. less by measurement
now than in the winter OF 1904, when
the plant had been in operation only
six months. The solids in the septic
tank slre divided, the heavier settling
to ,llc COTTON in which the aeroblc
bacteria tilriveS; while the lighter
product comes to the surface in the
tank and forms the scum in which
aerObIc bacteria act.
- The cost OF maintenance of the
Saratoga sewage disposal plant, since
its inceptioii, has been so small that III
is worthy vi your careful attention {:
part icularly as This item in the past at
other disposal plants, has been large |;
The usual cost vi maintaining an utter
nit; IL sand filtration plant ~ llady
rinle5 greatel thae the comDinal ioiA
method ifslaiea ;lU saratoga, D.causc G
10 the SUf;lighl I'D tiltru oiOn ..cneAle
tue sewage d. Oo rcS~sve PR liminl'
~ trSatns "a tic .pslc I'd |, Ia
aeraLJr, tl 4. 80 pro. 70 tlC.i OF ~
solids III tall 81 W,Aet az Linulate Oh UllC
surf, &C OF tLs bNa Id hGvS to b. re-
moved. Ii you WIZ lecali the fsct that
the eptic sillS aU Uiie SatatUsa fiiLer
beds have have lakCn e,sre Of the solids
from 30 J, 9a''UDs of sewage daily
for tin ,elltI oclGslf years; and that
if we hlu not tVl0duced the septic