No. 631] 



ANIMAL LIFE A XI) SEWAGE 



159 



Rochester was settled in 1812, incorporated as a vil- 

 lage in 1817, and as a city in 1834. The first sewers were 

 built about 1820. All of the city west of the river and 

 roughly everything within a mile east drained into the 

 river. A sewer 4 by 6 feet in diameter was in operation 

 in 1863. In 1896 nine main outfalls were in operation, 

 five on the west side and four on the east side. In 1897 

 the west side trunk sewer nine feet in diameter was put 

 in operation. Four of these sewer outfalls are below the 

 lower falls, two being above the point at which the mol- 

 luscan studies were made. 



Fourteen stormwater sewers overflow into the river 

 above the lower falls. Refuse and waste matter, both 

 liquid and solid, enter the stream from a tannery, gas 

 works, breweries, garbage disposal plants and some other 

 manufacturing plants. The breweries do not now con- 

 taminate the water as formerly. This additional pollu- 

 tion is sometimes more harmful to animal life than the 

 sewage itself. In March, 1917, the main (Irondequoit) 

 sewage disposal plant was put in operation on the shore 

 of Lake Ontario. The outfall to this plant intercepts the 

 dry weather flow of all of the sewer outlets mentioned 

 above, except the Lake Avenue or Dewey Avenue outlet 

 on the west side about 6,000 feet below the lower falls. 

 There is also a large outlet further north, down the river, 

 from the Eastman Kodak plant and adjacent territory. 

 The overflows from the east and west side trunk sewers 

 enter below the lower falls, as will also that from the 

 Lake Avenue sewer after the Maplewood plant is com- 

 pleted. The clarified effluent of the last mentioned plant 

 will also enter the river, but the major portion of the 

 solids (contained in the sludge) will be pumped across 



the river to th 

 In a report 

 consulting eii£ 



mation rnlntlr. 



Whipple, 

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