58 New York State 



the character of the discharge will be so modified as to eliminate 

 the undesirable conditions. Pending the completion of these 

 installations no final judgment should be pa.ssed on the situation, 



A trip was made to Gloversville to examine the results of dis- 

 charging into the stream there the wastes of a highly concentrated 

 industry. The results of this examination were made the subject 

 of special oral and written reports. Here only general conditions 

 need be stated. The amount of industrial wastes is large and is 

 discharged directly into the city sewage system. An extensive 

 treating plant has been installed to handle the city sewage and 

 should do so well, but becomes clogged because settling tanks at 

 the individual factories are not kept in operation, As a result 

 excessive amounts of solids matted with hair hold up the 

 functioning of the sedimentation tanks at that city plant and a 

 by-pass is opened at intervals to relieve the situation. This trans- 

 mits untreated materials to the stream, and the situation is further 

 aggravated by the wastes discharged into the creek directly from 

 a few plants not connected to the city system. At the time of the 

 visit the condition of the creek was very bad, as nothing but 

 pollution organisms could live in it anywhere. 



On the Susquehanna river which has long been famous for its 

 fishing, is located in New York state only one large city, namely, 

 Binghamton. A short distance down stream are located several 

 large manufacturing interests which have turned their wastes into 

 the river. The conditions below this point have been recognized 

 to be verv undesirable and some discussion has arisen as to whether 

 the cause should be attributed to the city sewage discharged into 

 the stream or to the wastes from the industrial plants mentioned. 

 The character of the stream is excellent to enable it to purify itself 

 in the minimum time and with maximum success. It is broad 

 and relatively shallow, thus exposing considerable surface to the 

 air. The flow is rapid and broken by stones and shallow bars over 

 which the water ripples. Multitudes of small currents thoroughly 

 mix the water in different parts of the stream and turn it back 

 and forth from one shore to the other. At the various points 

 where the large sewers of the city empty into the stream the 

 polluting effects are very noticeable and the mixture of sewage 

 and river water can be followed by the eye for some distance. 

 Where this is no longer possible by observation from the shore, 

 because of the changes in the color of the water, it is still easy to 

 determine from a boat that the water carries an abundance of fine 



