Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-20
MAY BAR SEWAGE
 FROM THE SOUND
Federal Government is Investigating
 Pollution of Waters.

Will the federal government order Connecticut, county by county, along the Sound shore, to stop enptying sewage into the Sound? This question is being asked by powers-that-b in many parts of the state That the government may issue such an order is very much within the range of pos- abilities.
 Just now the government is busy cleaning up the Hudson river, Vest chester county is the latest to get hit, the war department ordering the county to built filtration plant i'm mediateIy. It was only Monday that Deputy United States Marshal James s. Meng of Manhattan served a notice from Secretary of War Newton D. Baker on Chairman Charles D. Mil land and members of the Westchester county board of supervisors and Man ager John J. Brown of the Bronx Valley trunk sewer commission, to the effect that the United States gov crnment would bring suit to force the removal of the sewage pipes in the Hudson river at Yonkers unless the county built a filtration plant.
 The secretary of war set forth that in 1912. when the government brought suit against the Bronx Val ley sewer commissioners, the action was dismissed upon the signing of a stipulation that the commission would purify the sewage before it reached the Hudson river.
 For many weeks federal employees, physicians and chemists of the public health service have been making a study of the Sounds waters. The force expects to spend perhaps, an- other year here. and it may spend two years. At any time another force is expected here to study the upland waters. such as the Thames, Connecti- cut and Housatonic.
 These surveys of coastal waters l extent to which the filth of the town effects shellf1sh- int waters close to shore. The job is being done thor ouphly. Samples of water are taken 10 laboratories put at the health ser vices disposal by Yale university, and Shellf1sh are taken from the sewage infected waters and the pollution ef- feet is studied on both cooked and raw shellfish.
 All this information is being tabu- lated and recorded and in time will get into the hands of an absolute au- thority. Then, it is likely, some def mite order may result, perhaps similar to that affecting the Hudson river just handed to Westchester county.
 This federal survey started in the Gulf of Mexico and has been working up the coast. The whole north shore of the Sound will be studied form now on. A party has already started sinai- lar work in Rhode Island waters and presently will work Narragansett bay.
 A meeting is to be held at New Ha- ven on Friday of this week of public health service doctors, representatives of the oyster growers of this state and of the state sheIlfish commission, and of the state board of health. It had been expected that ths meeting would result in some recommendation as to the use of shellfish taken from New Haven harbor. But that issue is to be side-stepped temporarily. it is under stood and in it's stead recommenda- tions will be made as to the oyster shucking houses along the harbor. These may be made to apply to all shucking houses in the state. The eff feet on Connecticut's great oyster in- dustry may not be severe, inamuch ready giving the question a great deal of study and have been at all times in touch with state and federal of f1cials.
 But it is said to be apparent that the sewage question cannot be lodged for a great while longer. New Haven a1- ready has a commission at work on it's share in the great problem of clean ing up Long Island sound. The rec ommendation has been made already that a basin be dredged at each of the five big sewer outlets on the water front. These, it is expected, will cause the sewage to enter the water at a great depth force it's dissoIu- ton before it reaches the shellfish.
 This plan has many opportunities. There are those who, claim that the sewage will rise to the surface and float away the same as it always has done Others say it will move under so rningle more thoroughly than ever with the oysters in their beds,