Stream Pollution 59 



materials characteristic of city sewage, and the bottom deposit 

 shows these to some extent at least in many places. Yet even here 

 one finds considerable amounts of plant and animal life and the 

 situation is much improved before the industrial wastes are added 

 below the city. 



These wastes enter in considerable volume at various points and 

 exercise an influence on the stream which is very marked even on 

 casual observation from the bank. The color of the water is 

 modified considerably and deposits on the bottom extend over large 

 areas within which they have a thickness so considerable as to 

 render them conspicuous even from a distance. When one examines 

 the stream from the height of the bridge crossing the river at 

 Endicott, one gets a good general idea of i\e conditions that 

 prevail. The water has an opaque milky appearance, the bed of 

 the stream is distinctly tinged with deposits, and the patches of 

 green plants are localized, limited in area and not vigorous in 

 growth. Areas are also visible which ajre over-'grown by the 

 organisms that inhabit polluted waters. Even here, however, the 

 wastes are not thoroughly mixed with the stream, and there are 

 regions in which the water is fairly clear and its life, while not 

 abundant, still of the types that belong to unpolluted streams. On 

 studying the water some distance further down stream, a distinct 

 change was apparent. The water was crossed and recrossed in a 

 small boat, thus giving a good opportunity to examine both shores, 

 the small shallow areas and islands in the stream and the general 

 character of the open water and bottom. This study was made 

 on the same day that the stream was examined in similar fashion 

 above Endicott, so that the volume was not modified by weather 

 conditions nor were other factors present to render the comparison 

 inyalid or even open to question. The contrast of conditions in the 

 two locations was very great. 



Above Endicott one could distinctly see some of the fine floating 

 material that indicated the sewage contamination of the city of 

 Binghamton, but the water was fairly clear and one could see the 

 bottom almost all the way across. There were present plant life 

 and animal organisms of the fresh water types; some small fish 

 and one or two large ones were also observed. The stream was 

 by no means in perfect condition and yet it was not seriously ill. 

 Below Endicott the contrast was marked. The shores were covered 

 with a slimy deposit consisting of decaying organic material and 

 containing organisms characteristic of such an environment, The 



