Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-11
CONDEMNS SEWAGE.
DISPOSAL PLANTS.
Engineer Shows Defects of Va
rious Systems at Public
Meeting.
BLOOMFIELD, BELLEVILLE,
NUTLEY OFFICIALS PRESENT
Cheering Words from Orange
Councilman in Opposition
to Imhoff Scheme.

result of his inspections of sewage
disposal plants the members of the
Joint committee of officials represent
ing Belleville, Bloomfield and Nutley,
which is fighting the proposed loca-
ton of an Imhoff sewage disposal
plant In Soho, were more than ever
convinced last night that their efforts
would be rewarded. More than 100
officials of the three towns were
present at the meeting. which was
held in the Bloomfield Town Council
chamber. Officials from Orange, East
Orange Montclair and Glen Ridge
were guests.
1t was the sentiment of the meet
ing that effort would be made to pre-
vent Montclair, Orange and East Or
ange from carrying out. the plan OF
locating the. sewage plant in Belle
7 VILE near the border lines of Bloom
field and Nutley
MAYOR William Hauser, of Bloom
field, presided, and in opening the
\ meeting said he hoped the contingent
from the Oranges and Montclair
would listen to the lecture as mol
yiduals, as we'll as representatives,
realizing that Bloomfield, Nutley and
Belleville have no knives up their
sleeves. but are simply fighting IN
self-defense. The fight, however, he
said, will be kept up until 1t is clearly
demonstrated that the most perfect
sewage disposal plant is a menace Or
If not. that Montclair, East Orange
and Orange can very nicely keep II
In their own back yard"
Explains General system.
Mr.. Potter opened his lecture by
explaining the general working sys-
tenn of all plants for treating sewage,
pointing out the places where defects
almost always arise. He outlined
the unsatisfactory results obtained
from the disposal works at Batavia,
n. Y, which he has studied and in
vestigated.
The work of purifying the sewage
is so interesting, he said, that it goes
long way toward abolishing the
antipathy generally felt. I'm my in
ycstigations at Batavia I found that
at certain times the gates We're left
open to relieve the heavy load. and
the sewage is dumped directly into
the river"
Mr.. Potter said he was stating
facts, and not criticizing, although
he spoke somewhat disparagingly OF
the plant at Columbus, o., and the
Chatham Madison plant On his
second visit to the Batavia plant, Mr..
Potter said, he found it shut down
and the sewage passing directly into
the river, steadily without any puri-
Acation whatever; shut down because
the concrete wall was rotting away
and had to be repaired, said the man
In charge of the works.
Break-down Serious.
"Where there is feeling that a
sewage disposal plant is objection
able" he said, "a breakdown is LA
BILE to cause serious and even pos
,tively injurious results when such
conditions become known. The en-
gineers guaranteed the city of Co
lunbus. O., 80 per cent. degree
of bacterial publication, but they do
not. get it," Mr. Potter claimed. AL
though $4,000 was spent on expert
nents,. the Columbus plant is even
now unsatisfactory" he asserted,
and notifications are still being
made. eight years after it's construc-
ton.
Let us admit, for the sake of ar
pilment," he continued, that the I'M
hoff tank is vast Improvement over
the old septic tank and would have
obviated the defects of the Columbus
works. But the newer plants have
also proved unsatisfactory. The
works at Chatham and Madison have
not given. the results desired, and IT
is said that irjunctions are being
brought against the municipalities for
the pollution of the water supply of
various neighboring communities by
reason of the inability of this lm-
hoff publication, system to do the
work expected of it and for which 1t
was designed.
zone of the greatest troubles in all
these plants is the lack of respon-
sibility when things go wrong. Once
the plant is established it is very
& difficult to enforce proper care of its
operation, and time and again the
sewage will be directly discharged in
spite of all efforts"
Applaud Orange Official.
After the lecture Mr.. Potter an
swered questions. In reply to
query from William Douglas Moore,
former member of the Bloomfield
Town Council, Mr.. Potter said that
where any alternative is possible a
disposal plant scheme should not be
considered.
Alderman p Allen Smith, of Or
ange. brought forth round of APP
planse by announcing that he would
not vote for such a plant in Orange.
Neither would he vote for it in Belle
VILE. Bloomfield or Nutley, he added.
Mr.. Smith announced that there
would be a public meeting held in
Orange within few weeks for the
+ general discussion of this subject. He
invited all present to attend and ex-
press their views.
The lecture was supplemented with
stereopticon pictures of the Batavia
9 plant, showing the corroding brick
work. disintegrating concrete and
general defects of the works
1. The Nutley High School baseball
+ team viii meet the Kearny High
+ ,-,.t .aa,,, tI,ic .ffarpoon IN fhs