New-York tribune., 1907-06-30
TUcKAHoE DISPOSAL PLANT.

NJ REILLY. secretary OF the Newark Board OF
Trade, to 4 Tribune reporter. There IS no desire
10 transfer our nuisance to anyone else. though
do not believe that the emptying of the sewage
into the deep waters of the Upper Bay would
add 10 the pollution Of the harbor. 1t has been
found. however, that the interest upon the amount
or money necessary for the construction Of the
force mains across Newark Bay and the Bayonne
neck and the cost of the outlet pipes In New
York Bay would nearly pay for the treatment Of
the sewage upon the Newark meadows. If this
plan Ia adopted, and IL is being considered
seriously by the sewage commission. a particle
or our sewage Will find its way into the harbor at
all. except the purified efluent which will be run
off into Newark Bay. The work of constructing
the sewage system IS going ahead all right
Whether the new plan OF disposal Will be adopted
by the commission I do know but 1t has
advocates among the commissioners themselves''
This whole question Of the pollution Of the har
Dor the city Of New York will have to face one
oi THESE Gays. said Louis l. TFlbus. Commits
, sioner Of Public Works for Staten Island speak
Ing to a Tribune reporter The disposal OF sewage
IN any other manner than that employed
would OF course. be a most costly matter. espe-
clally for the city OF New York. There are many
remedies that could be employed but to my mind
the best way would be TO take all sewage out
sea. That could be done without destroying the
beaches. by means Of huge connecting sewer tun-
nels with a screening and pumping plant at tho
points where the outlet pipes the ocean. The
outlet pipes would go far enough and would
be sufficiently submerged 10 warrant the absolute
disappearance OF all shore pollution 1t would cost
lot OF money. and that Is the why the
question has never been faced.
Even present method Of disposal is not be-
ing employed to the best advantage in lessenng the
polluting effect of the discharge OF enormous
volume Of sewage into the waters OF the harbor.
Every sewer outlet Manhattan Island and the
other shores well. should be extended at least
out TO the pierheads and properly submerged.
Much Of the nuisance which is created IS due
20 the fact that the outlets not sub
merged deep enough and at the bulkheads in
stead OF out at the pierheads. This would b. only
an Improvement. and not q remedy. but it would
make lot OF difference
Twenty years ago I reported TO the New York
City authorities" said Rudolph Herring. sani-
tary engineer that the ultimate solution OF the
harbor pollution problem would be the taking OF
all the sewage from the communities adjacent %
the waters OF the harbor out TO That could
bo done then by OF large sewer
tunnels and pumping and screening plants With
outlet pipes. fifteen miles from the shore Nns,
properly submerged not a trace - sewage woult
be found along the beaches. Such (heme would
cost in the neighborhood of $780, Nv>GS IL could
be done for that, and well dot
In the mean time fully -~0GNinced that the
waters of the harbor Will be atle dispose OF all
the sewage that will be drained into properly
by population Of twenty million, without any
rious nuisance being created. and without any
menace 10 the public health. OF course do not
mean under the methods which now adopt
ed for discharging sewage into the harbOr by New
York CITY for instance. where the outflow OF hun
dreds of IS allowed to float out almost upon
the surface OF the water close to the bulk Ieads.
The trouble is that are not making the use
we might OF the movement of the waters N tho
harbor to dispose of our sewage effectively"