Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1912-06-06
NO MORE ARTESIAN WELLS
City Counsel Thinks it a Useless Ex-
! fpense. Public Meeting Not a
~ Fair Expression III

be $500, and majority of the Coun-
cilmen think and are positive that
the present Woodbury. water is all
that could possibly be desired.
Mr.. Batten, in company with Mr..
Heaton, said that yesterday he had
inspected the watershed. / took par
ticular notice of the places where
the worst pollution is said to exist.
/ failed to see where there is any bad
pollution of that stream The worst
place is at the electric light plant
where there is a little color in the
water
1t is generally admitted, said Mr..
Batten, that there is no pollution in
the three mile stretch from the pond
to the pumping station. If by any
chance a little pollution should be in
/ the water when it left the pond, in
that three-mile run, the water would
fbe areated and cleansed of all de-
leterious foreign matter. If the
germs were not all removed then,
filter would absolutely remove any
/ that might have remained in the wat
| er thus far. I am surprised at what
saw. The reported sources of con-
tamination are too far away to pol
lutte the water. If l was ever in fav-
or of keeping our present water sup
ply, am now.
If the city of Woodbury. wants to
abandon their plant, / am willing to
| form a company and buy it. After
! the public meeting last evening, a
prominent physician told me there
had been no case of disease in fif-
| teen years that could be traced to
Woodbury. water. All I hear is that
we should keep what we have. / was
disappointed in the lack of interest
last night-from the people who own
their honest was not a free ex-
ipression of opinion. Don't bother
| with any more wells. From the dam
down the country is fine, and if the
water is not clear when it reaches
the pumping station, filtration will
clear it.
| Mr.. Heaton, who had made the trip
with Mr.. Batten, said that he was
agreeably surprised at what he saw.
/ The water looked very nice and Il
seems a shame to abandon the present
[ plant. It is doubtful if we want to
/ abandon the present plant. Old resi-
dents in the vicinity of the works
think we will regret it if We do. We
should settle the question now.
1 Mr.. Batten: 1t is a useless ex-
tpense to sink more wells unless we
Eintend to use artesian water. If con-
fSditions as i saw them today had been
different, I should be in favor of
abandoning our plant. -
Mr.. Rayer: | base my opinion Tin
| favor of sinking more test wells) on
what an expert says. Mr.. Board
man says that country is phosphated
and manured and in case any person
there had typhoid, /. it might inoculate
the whole town. Let's settle it one
way or the other; the best is none
! too good.
Mr.. Burkett: The more wells we
bore, the more money we are vast
ling.
II Mr.. Batten: There is little doubt
THAT if artesian water were adopted,
1--WE should have to filter it. That be-
ling so, why not filter the water we
1 have There are $32, 900 water bonds
now outstanding; it will take Is years
| to mature them. If we put in $15,-
/ 600 filter plant it would give good
! water for ten years In the mean
/ e.. w
bonds and have $4,000 of the others
paid off. If we sink wells and get
filter, that will mean much money,
and possibly, as side issue, the
water rates would have to be in
creased.
II Mr.. Coombs: In regard to another
|Vtest we'll on the Griscom property,
and two at the pumping station, cam
not see the wisdom of it. Three g.
inch wells would cost $500 apiece,
4 and I don't believe we should spend
$500 for something we don't believe
will pan OUT Last nights vote was
! not a fair expression of sentiment
| so persons did not vote. Today, for
/ every person who advised sinking arr
tesian wells in conservation with me,
/ there have been rs persons who said
we ought to be kicked out of office
Iif we do tit is throwing money
away. Doctors say our water is fine
and no disease. Nine persons out OF
| ten ask what is the matter with the
| water. In his report, Mr.. Board
man said that if we should decide to
use artesian water we should test 1t
out. thoroughly, but advised filter
4 if we should retain the present plant.
No man in this room would spend
/ $500 or Is cents for those three new
wells or contemplate change-lt is
not business proposition.
why throw money away on the
Griscom property? 1t is not large
enough and Mr.. Boardman says so.
The leaders in the agitation for ar
tesian water are for it no matter how
! bad it may be, and insist on aband-
oning our present water no matter
4 how good it is.
A vote was taken on Mr.. Bayer's
! motion made at the beginning of the
meeting, said motion being that Coun-
ell should have another test well on
i the Griscom property and two drilled
at the pumping station. The motion
was lost Mr.. Bayer alone voting
for the motion. Mr. Martin was not
present.
On motion Of Mr.. Burkett, the or
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