Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-24
TO ENFORCE
SEWAGE DISPOSAL
PACT IS FAVORED
Agreement Between Commission
and Federal Government
Made Public.
[From a stan Correspondent

1 A5 liz eR1oAN v III
Sewerage Commission and the United
States Government has been made pub
lie. Chandler W. Riker, representing
the commission. presented to the
House judiciary COMMITTEES a reso-
luton recitlng the terms OF the
agreement, which the commission re-
Gently adopted. 1t was signed by John
S. Gibson, secretary of the commission,
and it sets forth how the commission
proposes to bind itself in the undertake
ing to purify the Passaic river by the
construction of the trunk sewer that is
to discharge thirty or forty feet below
the surface of the lower bay, off Rob
bins reef.
Edlow Harrison, consulting engineer
for the commission, was with MIR. Riker
to urge the committee to report As
sembIyman Minard's bill giving the
commission authority to act in the
name of the people of the State in
entering into agreement with the Fed
eral government for the disposal of
the sewage.
Assemblyman Coleman E. Nissan,
City Counsel William A. Lord and
Councilman Joseph Birkholz, represent
ing Orange, opposed the bill, OF the
ground that 1t was delegating authority
to a board not held responsible by any
authority that, to enter into a contract
with the Federal government and pro-
coed with work would cost $12,-
900, 900 or more, and that the board so
far had failed to give definite facts as
to the cost Of the sewer.
The Orange representatives objected
- 4La hiv +,,nnol ndrnoaaryy RI GARRY
the sewage to Robbins Reef. They
thought it might be dumped into New
ark Bay.
The tunne will not cost as much as
we originally thought" replied Engi-
neer Harrison. 'It was estimated by
Davies g. Jacobs, the contractors for
the Hudson n Manhattan and Penn
sylvania railroad tubes. that u tunnel
for it's length of four or five miles could
be built for 5000 per foot Mr.. Forgie, an
expert, was in Newark yesterday, and
he believes it can be lone for 1920 a
foot. So there's a million off the orig
inal estimate of $4,000, 900 for the tun-
mel right there. Theoretically, New
York Bay takes in enough oxygen daily
to take care of the sewage of so, 1000, 900
people after it has been treated as
these plans provide. AS q practical
proposition every engineer in the
United States agrees that it can taxi
care of sewage of 25.00o, 900.
Newark Bay is a skimming dish.
with an average depth of five feet.
New York Bay is over 100 feet deep in
and around where we will end our tun-
mel. The United States would not let
us put our sewage in Newark Bay If
we wanted to-"
The bill will be reported.
Terms Of Agreement.
The agreement which the commission
seeks legislative authority to enter into
with the government is as follows:
First. The Passaic.V Valley Sewerag e Com
missioners agree with the United States
that the sewer system to which the suit
relates shall be constructed, maintained
and operated, il at all, in accordance with
the following requirements:
(a) Upon the line of the trunk sewer,
which it is proposed shall be constructed.
and at a point at or near the pumping
station TO be located on the Newark
Meadows near the Newark Bay, it is stip-
ulated and agreed that the sewage, waste
and other matter passing through the said
trunk W. shall first pass through coarse
screens to remove therefrom all large
floating matter, and after passing through
such coarse screens shall pass through a
grit basin or basins, where the heavy mat
ter therein shall be taken out as far as
practicable, from which basin or basins
the sewage and other matter shall pass
through self-cleansing mechanical screens
having clear openings or not over four
tenths of an inch.
tb) AS the sewage comes from the fine
screens it shall also pass through sedimen-
tation basins. Tn sewage after passing
through said grit basins and said self
cleansing mechanical screens shall enter
the sedimentation basins or settling tanks
consisting of a number of units, each APP
p~roximateiy 25 feet long and fifteen feet
e espacity Eo az not san less w than h i'sso.oo s nGTmsi
making an aggregate tank capacity sufi-
c1ert TO meet the requirements as stated
herein. The tank capacity shall always be
such as TO provide a detention period OF
not less than one hour at the maximum
rate Of flow of the sewage and a detention
period OF the daily average flow Of such
sewage for not less than one hour and
a half. TIL mean lineai velocities through
said tanks shall not he over % inch per
second for average flow, and 0.B inch per
second FOR the maximum flow. In add
ton 10 and In connection with these basins
scum boards shall be provided to retain the
floating matter, and proper and adequate
tanned scum and deposits from the settling
basins: drawings Of the general plan OF
aid setting tanks (sedimentation hasinD
attached as appendix A..
Co The sewage and waste thus screened
and settled ia then to flow into 9 pump
VN4tf NtttHNC - " 1C Pbi4RGo uhbti
pressure through a tunnel to a point in
the New York BAY. near Robbins Reef
Light, at which point it is agreed that the
matter passing through the said TUNE
shall be dispersed into the waters Of tba
New York Bay through a. series of outlets
discharging forty feet or more beneath
the surface Of the water at mean low tide.
From the end of the tunnel connections
shall he made with four or more discharge
pipes extending across the current. spaced
about 100 feet apart. laid in trenches on
the bottom of the bay. and of a size de-
creasing in diameter from about six feet
to two feet. On the top OF these discharge
pipes will be q series of not less than loo
tees OF a diameter not exceeding one foot,
and spaced approximately ten feet apart.
On each of these vertical tees shall be
placed outlets arranged to discharge hor-
izontally across the tidal current. and the
system of ortlet pipes shall cover at least
3.5 acres of the bottom Of the bay.
Second. The Passaic Valley Sewerage
Commissioners further agree with the
United states that in the operation OF said
sewer system at all times the following
results shall he secured. either through
compliance with the requirements of the
Immediately preceding paragraphs or
through requisite lawful additional ar
ranEements. viz:
Bay Of visible suspended particles coming
from the Passaic valley sewage
2. There will be absence OF denositsL OBJ
ieetionahle to the Secretary Of War OF the
United States in the New. York Bay COM
ing from the PaszBic Valley sewage.
8. There will he absence in the New York
Bay and It's vicinity OF doors due to tho
putrefsction Of organic matters contained