Evening journal., 1907-10-23
Wednesday, October %, 1907.
PREVENTION OF STREAM POLLUTION

PREVENTION OF STREAM POLLUTION.
TN A discussion Of stream pollution, its preven-
4 ton and cure, which appears in the current
number Of Municipal Engineering Magazine,
Charles Carroll Brown, NJ. Am. Soc. c. T., states
that the pollution in a stream from what may be
termed general sources is due to the action OF the
stream as a drain for its watershed. 1t would re-
quire a certain amount of publication Of the water
TO render it absolutely safe for domestic use,
though, without city sewage and factory refuse,
it would not ordinarily be considered dangerous
1t places on the water plant however, the practi-
cal necessity of some expenditure of money in
constructing and operating some kind of filter
plant The general action of the stream as
drain for its district is ordinarily considered
natural one and there has been no serious ques-
tion Of the duty Of the water plant TO pay for such
publication as it may need. However, such in
dustrial pollution as straw board waste, some of
the effects Of which cannot be removed by fltra-
ton, has frequently been enjoned.
In the State of New York the State Board OF
Health is given power to make rules for the pro-
lection Of the watersheds Of streams used as water
supplies, which rules have been applied, mainly,
if not entirely, to streams appropriated wholly
for water supplies
Similar regulations are enforced on the water.
shed of the Boston water supply and the general
health laws of New Jersey, Ohio and Minnesota
give the State Board of Health power to prevent
similar pollution, without prescribing so fully the
method Of doing so. Up to the present time
Western States have not developed the state of
mind which the more thckly populated States
have reached, which makes them willing to sub
NIT to such sanitary restrictions as those named
1t NAV then be assumed that the pollution from
the ordinary general action Of the stream as a
drain for the country through which it runs must
be removed at its own expense by the city or
company desiring TO use it for water supply
Sanitarians are now practically unanimous in
their opinion that all surface water supplied
should be filtered. the amount of filtration depend
ing on the character and amount of the pollution.
The sewers OF cities and towns are the drains
OF the portion of the watershed which they serve
This drainage is capable of producing a nuisance
If the stream into which it discharges is small 1t
seriou ly affects the safety of the stream as a
source OF water supply for some distance, depend
ing on conditions. >If this sewer system is a new
one, it is probable that publication could be re-
qured by law if there is a water supply below
which would be affected. If it is an old one pur
in before the water supply was taken from the
river, the case is somewhat different Prescrpt-
i've rights-hrst in the ield--might have some
effect on the decision as to whether the water
supply should be purified at the expense Of its
owners or the sewage should be purified at the
expense of its city, Thus far most of the cases
settled have been on the basis OF publication of
sewage by the city producing it, although the Pas
saic river water supply Of Jersey City was con-
demned and ordered out rather than TO attempt TO
purify the river by purifying the sewage dis
charged into it. There is the probability Of nui-
sance in all but the largest rivers which fixes the
cost OF publication on the city predicting it, so
that the large cities will doubtless have the bur
den OF publication OF their sewage to carry. 1t is
very doubtful, however whether general order
to all cities to purify their sewage could be en-
forced, except where there was definite evidence
Of permanent and serious injury to interests
below, TO the health of communities
below through their water supplies or through
the nuisances produced. The problem is one of
Increasing importance, and States are gradually
falling into line and passing laws upon the sub
ject. These laws usually inefficient because
they passed without a thorough study of the
whole question, and so cover only some special
phase Of it, which has caused trouble to some one
with force enough to get law passed to attempt
to regulate it