soil, collected from test pits on the proposed filtration area, to be analyzed.

The

The plans show that it is feasible to collect the sewage from practically all of the village, and deliver it by gravity upon the filtration area. exclusion of storm water from the sewers, as proposed, is very desirable, since smaller sewers will be required, and the quantity of sewage to be purified will be much less than if storm water should be admitted. The proposition to place underdrains beneath the sewers should also be carried out, for the same reason.

The area proposed for the disposal of the sewage appears to be the most suitable one which it is practicable to use for the purpose without pumping, and its location is satisfactory from a sanitary point of view. Examinations of the ground where the filter beds are to be located, by means of test pits, have shown that beneath a layer of loam and soil at the surface there is a layer of sand from 2 to 3 feet in thickness, which, if properly underdrained, is suitable for the purification of sewage by filtration. The depth of the material is less than is necessary for the proper filtration of the sewage, but it is feasible to increase the depth, as proposed in the plans submitted, to about four feet, by removing the soil from the present surface and replacing it with good filtering material from higher land in the vicinity, where suitable material is found. The depth of the filters will be somewhat less than is desirable, but the quality of the filtering material is such that a well-purified effluent can be obtained from the proposed beds with reasonable care in their management.

According to the plan, about 2.2 acres of filter beds can be prepared here, and a further area of a little over an acre situated near the river bank can be utilized by means of trenches, if necessary, though the quantity of sewage that can be disposed of in this way would be considerably less per acre than upon the filter beds. It is proposed to prepare in the beginning four of the filter beds shown upon the plan, aggregating about 1.5 acres in area, and this area should provide for the diposal of the sewage of the present village for several years after sewers are introduced.

On account of the comparatively small elevation of the filter beds above the level of the water in the river, their operation may be interfered with occasionally by freshets; but no serious trouble is to be anticipated from this cause if no change is made such as would permanently raise the level of the water in the river above its level as found at the time of the surveys.

TAUNTON. The Board received an application from the sewer commissioners of Taunton, Nov. 5, 1895, for advice relative to the disposal of the sewage of Taunton into the Taunton River without purification.

On March 5 a hearing was held at the office of the State Board of Health pursuant to a notice, at which the authorities of the city of Taunton and of the towns of Berkley, Dighton and Somerset were represented, the latter being opposed to the disposal of crude sewage of the city into the Taunton River. The hearing was continued and concluded on March 20, and on March 24 the Board sent the following reply to the sewer commissioners of Taunton :

BOSTON, March 24, 1896.

The State Board of Health has considered your application with reference to the disposal of the sewage of the city of Taunton, and, before advising you definitely with reference to the most appropriate method of disposing of the sewage of the city, requests that you furnish an alternative plan for the disposal of the sewage by filtration through sand upon a suitable area available for the purpose.

On May 11 the sewer commissioners replied, suggesting the purchase of a certain tract or tracts of land in Berkley, near the Taunton River, for the purpose of using them as filtration areas for the sewage of the city. To this application the Board replied as follows:

BOSTON, June 6, 1896.

In response to a request of this Board, dated March 24, 1896, that you submit a plan providing for the disposal of the sewage of Taunton on land, thus completing the plan of sewage disposal as proposed in the report accompanying your original application, this Board received from you, on May 11, a communication stating that you proposed to use land bordering on the Taunton River, opposite Blake's landing, and subsequently received from you a plan of the land, showing its outline and general elevation. above high water in the river.

The Board has carefully considered the plan submitted, and has caused an examination of the land to be made by its engineers, and samples of the soil from a limited number of test pits located in various parts of the area to be analyzed.

These examinations indicate that there is an area of about 55 acres here having a sandy soil, which is situated at a sufficient elevation above average high water in the river to allow for underdrainage.

The information furnished by the limited number of test pits indicates that the soil of this area is generally very fine, and is composed of layers

of varying degrees of fineness, a condition which would be unfavorable to the thorough aeration of the filter beds. A portion of the area, amounting to perhaps a third of the whole, contains a somewhat coarser sand, which is much better adapted to the purification of sewage.

The area as a whole will require a very large amount of preparation in order to bring it into suitable condition for the disposal of the sewage of Taunton by intermittent filtration. There is a considerable depth of loam upon the surface, which it will be necessary to remove, and a thorough system of underdrainage will be required. With thorough preparation and proper care of the filter beds, however, it is possible that the sewage of the city could be disposed of here for a time, unless there is a more rapid extension of the sewerage system than you now anticipate; but the cost of preparing the filter beds would be very large, as compared with the cost of preparing beds for this purpose where the material is coarse and porous; and, moreover, it does not appear that there is any considerable area of land in the immediate vicinity that can be utilized when an additional area becomes necessary. The material found in test pits dug in the smaller lots south of this area, plans of which were subsequently submitted, was found to be extremely fine, indicating that no considerable amount of sewage could be disposed of by filtration upon these lots.

There being much doubt as to the capacity of the proposed filtration area for the disposal of the sewage of the city of Taunton for a reasonable time in the future, and considering the large probable cost of properly preparing the filter beds, it seems very desirable that a much more thorough investigation be made of that part of your proposed plan which relates to the disposal of the sewage of the city upon land.

In view of all the circumstances, the Board does not, at present, approve of the proposed plan for the disposal of the sewage of Taunton, but advises a further investigation of the subject. In making these investigations, it is desirable that you determine, first, whether there is not some suitable area within the limits of the city of Taunton upon which it may be feasible to dispose of the sewage by intermittent filtration at a reasonable cost. If such an area cannot be found within the limits of the city, territory outside of the city limits should be considered, with a view to discovering some area suitable for the disposal of the sewage, which would not be objectionable if used for this purpose.

Should one or more suitable areas be found, a careful estimate should be made of the probable cost of preparing filter beds and disposing of the sewage upon them.

The Board will assist you, so far as it can, in these investigations, if you desire, and will make such examinations of filtering materials as may be necessary.

The sewer commissioners, on June 25, submitted a further plan for filtering the sewage of the city on land above the city and near the Taunton River. The Board replied to this communication as follows:

BOSTON, July 6, 1896.

The State Board of Health received from you, on June 26, a communication setting forth in a general way a proposed system of sewerage and sewage disposal for the city of Taunton, accompanied by a plan showing a location for a pumping station on the north-easterly side of the New Bedford branch of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, between Ingell Street and the Taunton River, and a line of force main leading from the pumping station to a filtration area situated near the Taunton River, about a mile above the filter basin and pumping station of your water works.

A plan of the proposed filtration area was also received, showing an area of 65 acres, situated on the left or southerly bank of the river, just below the point where it is joined by the Cotley River. Other areas in the vicinity which might be made available for sewage-disposal purposes were indicated by your engineer.

By the present plan, it is understood that it is feasible to collect at the proposed pumping station the sewage from all of the thickly settled portions of the city, including the low districts near the river, which were omitted from the system proposed by the previous plan.

The Board has caused an examination of the proposed filtration area to be made, and samples of material taken from test pits in various parts of the area to be analyzed. The results of these examinations show that the material is for the most part well suited for the disposal of sewage by intermittent filtration, and there are other areas of land in the vicinity which also appear to be composed of porous material, judging from the appearance of the surface, which could be used for sewage-disposal purposes if necessary, so that it appears that a sufficient area of suitable land could probably be made available in this vicinity for the disposal of the sewage of the city of Taunton; but the situation of the proposed filtration area near the river, a short distance above the filter basin of the Taunton water works, is such that this Board cannot approve of the use of this area for sewage-disposal purposes so long as the effluent mingled with river water may be drawn through the filter basin of the water works for supplying the city with drinking water.

On August 18 the sewer commissioners again wrote to the Board, proposing to build a drain to convey the effluent away from the

water works to a point farther down the river, and to construct an impervious dam between the filtration area and the river. To this communication the Board replied as follows:

BOSTON, Sept. 10, 1896.

The State Board of Health received from you, August 20, a communication stating that you have made a more thorough examination of the proposed filtration area near Williams Street, and that you are satisfied that you can construct filter beds in such a manner that, by building a drain from the filtration area to the Taunton River, about 2 miles below the water works pumping station, you can be sure that none of the effluent can possibly reach the basin of the water works. You propose to construct the beds and to dispose of all of the drainage from the filtration area in this way. You state that an examination of the materials near the bank of the river along the filtration area shows that you can construct an impervious dam at this place.

Plans showing contour lines upon the proposed filtration area and the proposed line of the drain from the area to the Taunton River, with profile, were received with the application.

The Board has considered this plan, and concludes that, if all of the effluent can be removed from the proposed filtration field to a point of discharge in the Taunton River sufficiently below the water works filter basin to insure that no effluent can be drawn into the basin, and if the proposed dam can be so constructed as to prevent effluent or unfiltered sewage from entering the river otherwise than through the proposed drain, the sewage of the city of Taunton might be satisfactorily disposed of upon the area proposed; but no plans are furnished to show the method by which it is proposed to prevent the effluent from reaching the river opposite the filter beds. The Board, therefore, requests that you submit sufficient details of the scheme to show the character of the layers of material at the site of the proposed dam, and how you propose to construct the dam to make it impervious, and what method will be adopted to prevent accidental overflow of the sewage from the filtration area into the river above the water works filter basin. It is desirable also that you show the character of the layers of material underlying the proposed filter beds and the plan of the proposed underdrain system.

VAN CHOATE ELECTRIC COMPANY (FOXBOROUGH). The Van Choate Electric Company of Foxborough submitted to the Board. for its approval, March 7, 1896, a plan of sewage disposal for their factory, having an outlet into a tributary of Mumford River. The Board replied to this application as follows: