New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-12-06
WATERSHEDS MENACED
O'BRIEN SHOWS DANGER.
Charter Reuisers Urged to Grant
Posrer to Stop Pollution.

Commissioner John H o'Brien OF the Depart
,nent Of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity and
his chief engineer. / NJ. De yarona are urging
s,a charter Revision Conr.1isson to fully en-
,ourer the CITY to protect the Croton watershed
nom nollution This was q danger to the heaIlh
Of dwellers in the boroughs Of The Bronx ana
Manhattan, especially at this time when the
reservoirs were low and the far reaches SUBJECT
90 stagnation-
This officials furnished statistics to show that
there were cases on the books reported nNe
years ago. and the nuisances were sun UNI
sbs.ed Under the present acts of the Legls-
Is,,,-e the boards OF health Of this city and the
email communities in the watershed were pow
s-leso 10 urnish those who refused to obey the
o-5.rs Of the authorities. No nuisances were
ahated under compulsion. Notices to aoate are
sent but are not needed, unless the person
sa-ved Is public spirited enough to act OF ms
own free will .
TO the Legislature, as soon as II meets u 60
TIRE city direct control OF the watershed Inc
present situation is regarded as so grave lnaI -
hs< besn determined 10 leave nothing unoone TO
Get relief. MI O'Rrien and Mr. De Narona are
especiaIly exasperated now because OF a faliure
TO compel the abatement OF a dangerous Nu'
sance on the road between Mount hlsco anu
Bedford Village. The overflow from d i0I g
country home it Is said runs into Broad brooh'
q feeder Of the Croton-
A, insnector reported this last June = copy
c< the report was sent to DR.. Eugene h Porter
president OF the state Board Of Health he SEM
word that he had no power to act ana auNiseo
NJ o,R-ien to go ahead. The man who owned
.ra ,,-or,erty said that he would build sewer as
soon as his house was unoccupied. he hVeo
there in summer only, and did not care 10 nave
the work done at that time. 50 serious Was Ills
nuisance said to be. owing TO the great orouth'
that the inspector was instructed TO lei the oe-
,,s-tr,ent know when the house was VacdIeu 81
THAT the owner could be urged to act at 'he
earliest possible time. The report came neatly
10 months ago trat the house was vacant No
stems have, apparently. been taken to pulIo the
sewer nor has tli. owner of the place answered
-. ,,-san+ apDeaIs q the department 1t has
tean determined to exhaust every means pos
sghle 10 compel obedience TO the order OF the ue-
na-.nent without recourse to the courts unoer
1be present laws. MI De Varona again eaHeo
Mr.. O'Brien's attention TO the Broad BROOK Poi-
luton last month
Or Porter, OF the State Board OF f7eAIlh'
called on Mr.. De VarOna recently and the latter
urged Dr. Porter 10 do what he could toward
ba,-ins the law SO changed to make 1t eff
fective DR.. Porter refused TO act saying that
he thought DIR O'Briens department should
81. the Initiative The act Of the Legislature
under which the nuisances are handled at pres
ent is Chapter G6l. Laws OF 1875 Seclioh 81
After defeating the power to inspect water
shed and empowering the officer board OF cor
poration 20 send notice Of the. existing nui-
sance TO the alleged responsible person, the act
says:
Il the person served does not Immediately
= I'm the rule or regulation violated, such
offirer board or corporation shau nolIy the
StaTe hoard Of the violation; and II such person
IS found by the state boarC 70 nave aolua--!