Report of the Division of Sewerage and Water Supplies.

FRANCIS E. DANIELS, A. M., Chief.

The Board of Health of the State of New Jersey:

GENTLEMEN-I have the honor to submit the following report of the work of the Division of Sewerage and Water Supplies for the year ending October 31st, 1911.

The work during the year has been continued along the same lines as in the past, and all matters pertaining to sewerage have been kept, as far as possible, separate from matters pertaining to water-supplies. Regular meetings of the technical staff are held, however, and problems relating to both sewage and water are freely discussed. In this way each one is kept in touch with the work of the whole division and all work in harmony.

The Division endeavors to see that the laws regarding the purity of the waters of the State are enforced, thereby preventing pollution on the one hand, and compelling purification on the other. Our inspectors are constantly patrolling the watersheds and streams, searching out sources of pollution. The offenders are reported, and usually after notices are served, abatements follow. In some instances, abatements do not occur. These cases are referred to the Attorney-General for prosecution and, in a large percentage, abatements occur before suits are brought.

Another feature of prevention of pollution is the work of sewage treatment and disposal. This work is increasing rapidly throughout the State. In October, 1908, there were 39 sewage disposal plants; 1909, there were 63; in 1910, there were 82, and at the present writing, October 31st, 1911, there are 105 plants in operation and six more under construction.

These plants exhibit all of the standard methods of sewage treatment from broad irrigation to the Imhoff tank, and there is a project on foot to install a plant for the treatment of sewage by means of ozone.

The methods of enforcing the laws leading to the installation of sewage disposal plants have been explained in former reports, so that it is only necessary to mention that practically every sewerage system in the State except those in the Passaic valley and near vicinity and a few systems along the Hudson river are "under orders." The municipalities owning these sewerage systems are rapidly taking steps toward the establishment of disposal plants except a few that are awaiting the outcome of the Phillipsburg suit. This case has proceeded as far as the summing up and argument. This was set for September 15th, 1911, but was postponed to await a decision of one of the upper courts.

The following table shows the status of the various municipalities "under orders":

The following places have had plans for sewage disposal plants approved without having been placed under orders:

In the detailed report of the sewage disposal plants will be found descriptions of plants not described in previous reports and a short statement of the present conditions of each one inspected. As stated above, there are many types and combinations of processes with varied results. In many cases the results are highly satisfactory while in others they are deplorable. In every case poor results are easily explained. Some plants have become hopelessly overloaded on account of rapid increase of population served, while others are simply suffering for the want of proper management and systematic attention. To remedy overloading, enlargement of the plant is necessary, and the present financial conditions of some towns has caused their sewage disposal plants to suffer. However, it is the intention of this Division to use every effort to have overloaded plants rebuilt or enlarged. Haddonfield has recently put into operation the new sprinkling filter, which takes the place of part of its old plant. There are several other plants which should be enlarged at once. Many times poor results and local nuisances obtain through lack of care or from improper management. It is certainly not

to the credit of engineers when they build complicated disposal plants to go away without instructing the persons who are to take charge as to how the plants should be managed, and yet this very thing has happened several times during the present year. The plants were built and sewage turned on without instructing the attendant what to do. In a few days, complaints from the neighborhood came to our attention and the troubles were remedied in short order.

The Board has recently authorized this Division to send a man to any sewage disposal or water filtration plant needing attention and have him remain there long enough to put it in shape and to instruct the attendant by example, as well as by precept, the proper methods of management. A reference to the report on Haddon Heights will illustrate this point.

Some of our sewage disposal plants discharge their effluents into water-supplies, while others have been installed to protect the shell-fish industry and bathing beaches. These points have been dealt with in former reports.

A few plants have been installed to care for industrial wastes either by themselves or mixed with domestic sewage.

What the results of the proposed ozone process will be, remains to be seen. A private company has offered to install a unit to treat 1,000,000 gallons per day of the sewage of Trenton, and the results of this trial are eagerly awaited by the writer.

Considerable work has been done during the year in regard to water-supplies throughout the State.

There are in the State of New Jersey 188 plants supplying water to 366 towns. Of these towns, 142 receive a treated water, either filtered or disinfected. In 11 cases the water is filtered for the removal of iron; of these, 9 use rapid sand filters (5 pressure and 4 gravity), and 2 use slow sand filters. In 23 towns surface water is filtered for the removal of color and bacteria. Of these, 18 plants use rapid sand filters (4 pressure and 14 gravity), and 5 plants use slow sand filters. Five plants treat surface water with calcium hypochlorite.

In many cases the plants are well managed and in good shape, while in others a combination of poor equipment and bad management has given poor results. It is now the policy of this Division to have a man instruct the attendant how his plant should be