The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-11-14
RAISES BIC
PROBLEM IN
HAMMOND
Chicago Man Suggests Plan
For Sewage Disposal For
Entire District

Inside OF two years the Cle4SS
Hammond and Whiting will probably
be restrained from longer pollutng
the waters OF Lake Michigan with
sewage.
Such steps will be cought by the city
Of Chicago after the completion OF
the Calumet-Sag canal which will en-
able that city to go into court with
clean hands.
Up 10 this time Chicago has only
nartialIy prevented the contamination
Of the Lake Michigan water supply
BY means Of the Chicago drainage
canal and the Evanston branch
The Calumet river. emptying into
the lake at South Chicago. has until
now caused great contamination q
the water. But with the Calumet
Sag canal almost completed, pro-
4sct that will reverse the flow OF the
Calumet river. Just as the drainage
canal reversed the flow OF the Chlcaso
river; Chicago taxpayers VIII look
over the Indiana Illinois state line 10
the growing industrial cities in 1ndi-
ana that are still offending and there
is no question as to the result
RAISES BIG PROBLEM IN HAMMOND
Hammond and Whiting will be CO.
defendants IN q suit bAdt - ~ -
started and then one of two solutions
of the problem must be undertaken
/. Either costly sceptlc tanks and
filtration beds will have to be built for
the publication Of the sewage before
1t is dumped into the lake.
q Or an intercepting sewer must
be built to turn the sewage away from
the lake TO a. new outlet.
Obviously the first solution is not
feasible. Such a plant would cost
tremendous sum for construction and
maintenance. Besides land values are
so high in this section that the ques-
tion OF securing site would be
problem. People in Whiting and Rob
ertsdale would not stand for such
plant in such close proximity to their
homes and places Of business
CHICAGO MAN MAKES SUGGESTION
e. A. Shedd has for years owned
hundreds OF acres OF land in the Vi
cinity of Robey. between Robertsdale
and the Indiana-Illinois state line. 1t
is interesting TO know that this man,
q Chicago citizen. takes such a live
interest in the larger affairs OF Ham
mond that he has worked out plan
of sewage disposal for the entire dis
trict north of Lakes Wolf and George.
The unique thing about his plan is
that he proposes great intercepting
sewer that would extend east and
west on One Hundred and Fourteenth
street from Whiting and Robertsdale
to the Calumet river in that portion
Of Chicago known as East Side.
In short you have a sewer with It's
source In Whiting, Ind. and its mouth
in Chicago, Ill.
The first thing that would occur to
the average citizen would be the legal
complications that would result from
a single unit Improvement that would
have 10 be built in two states and paid
for by the taxpayers of three different
municipal corporations.
This objection does not worry Mr..
Shedd in the least. He thinks the
city of Hammond could make a con
tract with the city of Chicago and the
Chicago drainage district by means Of
which it would be guaranteed an out
let from the state line to the Chicago
river in return for a sum of money
that would represent a pro-rata por-
tion of the cost of the outlet so grant
cd. All rights would be granted in
perpetuity.
SUGGESTS PERMANENT SOLUTION
Then the city of Hammond and the
city of Whiting would commence the
constructing of joint intercepting
sewer of sufficient size and depth to
take care of all the sewage that could
possibly originate in that section for
the next hundred years.
According to Mr.. Shedd these i'm
portant result would be accomplished.
1. Whiting and Robertsdale would
be given an outlet for their sewage
that would save the pollution of Lake
Michigan; this outlet being the Chi
~ hd "a at g of
which would empty into the Chicago
drainage canal.
2. Chicago out according to Mr.
shedd. to be willing to permit or the
use OF It's great sewage disposal sys-
tenn for the reason that It should aid
Its neighboring cities in avoiding the
contamination OF the general water
supply.
In some detail this busy Chicago
business man, who takes the broad
far visioned view OF the situation. has
written out his suggestions az fol-
lows: With the city administration
contemplating the creation Of a city
plan commission; ali sugges ions Of
this sort are worthy of study and con
sideration:
1T is proposed to construct in 114th
street a main drainage. deep level, di-
version sewer, commencing at the
Calumet river. utilizing the old aban-
doned channel of the river in part for
sewer basin. to be constructed
there. from which the water will be
pumped out by electrical pumps, wilh
power furnished by the Sanitary Dis
trict of Chicago; which can be utilized
at such times as not required for 9TH
er uses. for this purpose. This low
level diversion sewer is to be extend
ed eastward along Hath street. and
its extensions TO the Pennsylvania
right of way and south easterly to
connect with the Robert sdale- Whiting |
deep sewer at that point. SO as 10
carry off into the Calumet River all
its waters. instead Of allowing them
TO be elected into Lake Michigan, poll |
luting the water supply of Hammond |
1Continued on Page Fiyel