40 Conservation Department 



c'onsidei-able food for the org-anisms upon which tlie fish feed. It 

 was thus found that by a pro])er handling and treatment the 

 wastes from milk plants may, under certain conditions, be allowed 

 to enter the stream without apparent deleterious effect upon 

 fish life. 



Anotlier example of milk i)ollution is that of a milk plant at 

 Lakeville which empties its wastes untreated into Conesus lake 

 outlet. This stream, although of considerable size, does not 

 ])ossess sufficient flow to take care of the large amount of raw 

 milk wastes and, therefore, becomes badly polluted. The fungus 

 growth is extremely abundant and for a considerable distance the 

 entire stream bed is literally covered with snails, planarians and 

 blood worms. A dam, about a mile below the outlet of the sewer, 

 backs up the water for a considerable distance and is in part 

 responsible for creating a septic condition in the stream. Numer- 

 ous tests Avere made in this stream and in each case the fish died 

 within a very short time after they had been introduced into the 

 ])olluted water. A chemical analysis showed the water to be 

 almost entirely devoid of oxygen and to contain a high percentage 

 of carbon dioxide. (Fig. 7.) 



It is imi)ossible to state the exact effect which milk wastes will 

 liave upon a stream for each case has to be studied individually, 

 but in general it would probably be much better if all milk waste 

 could be excluded from those streams which are suitable to the 

 ]:)roduction of food fish. Certain streams which are unsuited to 

 fish life might possibly be utilized for carrying off milk wastes, 

 provided a public nuisance was not thereby created and provided 

 the stream purified itself before it entered a fish stream. 



The various types of milk plants in the Genesee river valley 

 ])ollute, to a lesser or greater degree, a total of some 30 miles of 

 streams. 



Domestic Sewage. — Domestic sewage when em])tied inlo 

 streams ])roduces conditions very similar to those created by the 

 introduction of milk w^astes. Sewage fungus, snails, sludge worms, 

 blood worms, rat-tail maggots, blue-green algae and other foul 

 water organisms are indicators of this type of pollution and 

 wherever these organisms are found there is sufficient pollution 

 ))resent to endanger fish life. Domestic sewage usually contains 

 other ty])es of Avastes, and each case has to be studied individually 

 to determine just wliat effect it has upon the life in the stream. 

 A tyi)ical case of sewage ])ollution in the Genesee river is that 

 at Wellsville where tlie city sewer empties directly into the river. 

 A|)proximately 15 miles of stream become ])olluted by domestic 

 sewage in the Genesee valley. 



Cannery and Vinery Wastes. — Tlie wastes from canning fac- 

 tories and pea viiiei-ies find tlieir way into the streams in a number 

 of |)la('es and in sonic instances cause serious cases of ])ollution. 

 Especially vicious is llie seepage from the stacks of the ])ea 

 vinei-ics. 'i'liis substance is very rich in nitrogenous matter and 

 is so highly concent i-alcd that a small amount will pollute rela- 



