New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-10-17
SEWAGE IN NEW YORK BAY.

The New York suit against New Jersey to
prevent the discharge Of Passaic Valley sew
age through a tunnel into the centre OF New
York Bay IS on the whole to be welcomed, for the
reason that it promises to mark an important
step toward the abatement of nuisance which
is widespread IN scope. which is peculiarly
offensive. injurious and costly, and which
should by every civilized community be re
garded as intolerabe. We refer to the general
practice of discharging crude sewage into
streams bays. lakes or other waters, which Is
really the fundamental issue in this suit The
other phases of the matter may be briefly dis
missed The argument that under an old
agreement New Jersey relinquished control
OF land under water in New York Bay may
or may not be valid, but is not Of prime inn
portance for. while 1t is technically the ground
for this action everybody knows that that
agreement would not be likely TO restrain New
Jersey from an inOffensive use Of that part of
the bay. and also that, entirely aside from such
agreement one state might have a good case
against the other for abatement of q nuisance
on the Iatter's side of the boundary line.
The question Of pollution is therefore really
fundamental, and upon it much is to be said
on both sides. The common argument in New
Jersey is that the state is not polluting and
will not pollute the water nearly much as
New York; which is quite true. Another is
that the New Jersey sewage is already poured
into the bay, and the new tunnel will not in
crease its volume. third is that it will
actually be less offensive and less likely to
pollute the water and the shores 10 have the
New Jersey sewage poured through subter-
ranean tunnel into the deep and swift middle
waters Of the bay than as at present. to have
it flow through an open drain into the com
paratively shallow and sluggish waters of the
Is * al Sn I1rCpd that while ALI F'sQ1
sewage enters the kills and the bay entrtiy
crude IN the trunk sewer system il will be
partly purified all the solid matter being
taken out and only the liquid being permitted
to enter the bay. On these grounds there Is
really reason for thinking that execution Of
the New Jersey plans would not increase but
possibly would somewhat decrease. the pres
ent pollution Of the waters of the harbor.
On the other hand. it is argued that all poi
luton OF the harbor waters with sewage should
he stopped, for both economic and sanitary
reasons. and that in undertaking the vast.
costly and permanent work which New Jcr-
sey now has in view a more enlightened sys-
TEN should he adopted and not the old one,
which is doomed in the near future 10 general
abandonment. The State of New Jersey it
self as we pointed out only the other day, Is
at this very moment engaged i'm proceedings
10 prevent some of its own communities from
polluting streams with sewage While It is
fighting 10 prevent the pollution of the Della
ware or 10 compel pollution OF that stream to
cease it cannot consistently fight 10 continue
pollution of the Hudson to prevent the puri
fication of that stream. 1t is also suggested
on plausfble grounds that it would actually
he cheaper and easier for New Jersey to estah
lisb publication plants for treating its sewage.
so that only limpid and innocuous water would
escape from its sewer into the bay, than t.
follow it's present plan of driving huge tun-
mel under the Bergen peninsula TO the middle
of the bay.
Whatever may be the result of the suit we