Proceedings of Sixth Annual Meeting 35 



in kind in this vicinity. These swamps become more or less con- 

 nected when the Passaic River overflows its banks during spring 

 freshets. Reference to the "Report on Water Supply" shows that 

 the Great Piece Meadow and other low lying lands along the Pas- 

 saic River are flooded on the average, six weeks each year. During 

 the month of June, 1918, enormous numbers of mosquito larvae 

 were found in Hatfield Swamp and Great Piece Meadow {sylves- 

 tris, anopheles, subcantans and territans.) 



A great part of this land could be reclaimed for agricultural uses. 

 Drainage works were started in this part of New Jersey by the 

 Dutch settlers more than 150 years ago, but the most comprehensive 

 plan was that based on the surveys made by George W. Howell in 

 1868. This plan was adopted in a modified form by drainage com- 

 missioners appointed under an Act of the Legislature in 1871, and 

 a large part of the work of improving the channel of the Passaic 

 River was done during the years 1890 and 1892. The financial 

 panic of 1903 lead to a suppression of the undertaking and it has 

 not been resumed. 



. Both the mosquito Commissions of Morris and Essex Counties 

 recognize the necessity of having these large mosquito breeding 

 areas eliminated as far as possible. They also recognize that any 

 plan of reclamntion is beyond their jurisdiction. They have, how- 

 ever, taken steps to have the former Passaic Valley reclamation plan 

 revived. They believe the land reclaimed will be of great financial 

 value, and if the plan is carried out, it will so reduce the mosquito 

 breeding in this area as to make "absolute control" certain. In the 

 event of the failure to revive it, the Essex County Commission is 

 determined to inaugurate some plan to ameliorate existing condi- 

 tions. 



President Engle: Union County, by Mr. Louis J. Richards, 

 Consulting Engineer, County Commission, Elizabeth. 



Union County 



BY RUSSEL W. GIES, SUPERINTENDENT 



Mr. Chairman, I have just heard that Mr. Richards has the in- 

 fluenza, so that L'l'nion County will not have any regular paper. All 

 I can give you is really a resume of something I know very little 

 of at first hand, because I have just gotten back within the last few 

 days. 



