The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-25
3-sIg7 SEWAGE INTO FRESH WATER STREAMS
 AND RIVERS
(By Hon. zaImon GoodselD

Bridgeport can easily reason that the following conditions do not apply to our city.
 Surgeon Leslie M Lunsden of the Public Health service told the Senate comInittee that with-s in 24 hours travel from Wash ington D. G. he could find 100 cities and towns drinking water from their own sewers
 The Econdition Of these 100 cities and towns whose ressd epts are drinling water from tl1eir own sewers, applies sto cities and towns sb ordering ons inland fresh wafer streams and rIvers The, rseid denfH Of hese cities and towns. since their first settle ment decade es of years ago, have continually used these fresh wa ter streams and rivers for drink ins purposes. and also naturally they have used these same streams ana rivers for the dispos- al of sewage. The pollution of these streams and rivers at the commencement of the settle naent of these cities and towns was not noticeable because the oxygen in air currents. sunlight. darkness. copious and local rain falls were at work all the time purifyfng these partially pollut Cd streams and rivers. But the natural growth of population largely ancreased the pollution of these streams and rivers to greater extent than could be al together purified by the acts of nature. when these conditions became known to residents Of these separafe cities and towns. different plans for seware dis posal were tried in the line of exper ation for relnee ying as far as possible the pollution of these inland streams and rivers
 n some ca4es. chemicals were mixed with vatsr, and introduced into the main sewers to purify g the sewage, and deposit the same into sedlmentat1o tanks. where the soiias in the sewage settled to the bottom of the tanks, and the voIuabIe or lighter sewage was allowed to flow back into the same streams and rivers. partially purified. Tn other cases, septic. tanks were introduced where the organic matter Is 1ianihed by septic action, that is, fermenta- ton and digestion In other cases, gravel sand pits and large acreage of grounds are used for sewage filtration pur poses.
 Among other experimental sewage disposal plans, for these inland cities and towns bordering on fresh water streams and rfv- s CTS. the double sewer system was proposed for the separating of
 
 house sewage from rain fall. claiming by this method to purify house sewage with better results than could be accoanpIished with large duantities of rain water passing through a single sewer system AS far assI can learn. this system of double sewers, one sewer system for rain water, and one sewer system for house sew age, have not shown sufficfent benefits to warrant the greatly increased expense needed to build this expeFinent sewer system 2 W1IAs 1te su9aDt6 fS&aes n k7fs sa II E lne streets of our cities. which cities already have ample sewer sys- tems in use
 Rain falls are very uncertain. Tn some months Of the year. no rain falls. in others there may be number of rain falls, which keep the single sewer system thoroughly washed out whereas the separate sanitary sewers for sewage purposes only under the double sewer systen, would new CT be thoToughly cleansed ol made sanitary by copious rain
 falls, as these sanitary sewers are simply provided with snaf
 flushing tanks at the head ol - each separate sewer line fol
 flushing purposes only with pur-
 chased water of small quantity
 in force or fall when used fol
 cleaning said sanitary sewers