PAPERS ON GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 177 



river or stream connected with or the waters of which 

 discharge into any navigable lake, river or stream of 

 this State or upon the borders thereof, or any water- 

 course whatsoever." The drainage district for Chicago 

 and the Desplaines river are made exceptions. 



It was also provided by the Fifty-second General As- 

 sembly that it is necessary to submit plans and obtain a 

 joermit from the Division of Waterways before any work 

 can be done legally toward the construction of a sewer 

 outlet for the discharge of sewage into a lake, stream 

 or water course of the State. 



In all this I have been trying to show: 



First — That under the present methods, ground sup j 

 plies are not adequate the year around. 



Second — That the usability of our surface waters rep- 

 resented by our streams is lessened by their pollution 

 by sewage and factory waste. 



Third — That the available supply could be increased 

 by the suppression of such pollution and the enforcement 

 of a law that would compel cities or permit them to pro- 

 vide for the disposal of sewage and waste. For the good 

 of all, municipalities must be taught to observe sanitary 

 law. 



Fourth — That sewage and waste pollution of the 

 streams is a menace to health, a source of disease, and 

 renders water unfit for use, and constitutes a public nuis- 

 ance, besides killing aquatic animal life and making the 

 water a possible source of disease to domestic animals, 

 which may communicate it to man. 



Fifth — That conservation, checking flood waste, would 

 probably carry the supply through the heated season and 

 save much expense and trouble. 



Sixth — That the uncertainty attending the life of deep 

 well supplies makes the saving of surface supplies all 

 the more important. 



It seems to me that it would be well for us to urge the 

 legislature to provide the State Water Board with an 

 appropriation sufficient to enable it to make a compre- 

 hensive survey of the extent of pollution of Illinois 

 streams and to formulate the most practical remedies. 

 In the meantime, I believe that the systematic education 



