180 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Table 12. — Current velocities December 1, 1929, at station E 1 
[Total depth 48 feet] 
1 Observations by member State fisheries staff. 
3 Above arbitrary zero. 
3 Approximate, below accurate range of current meter. 
1 No direction recorded by instrument. 
The concentrated liquor is heavier than sea water (specific gravity 1.05). When 
it is released, as on December 9, it sinks to the bottom as it cools and probably 
accumulates in the deep hole near the entrance to Oakland Bay. From there it 
must pass slowly up the bay with the bottom currents, and reach the upper end of 
the bay before any great amount of it has had a chance to become mixed with the 
water which leaves Oakland Bay on the ebb tide. For this reason it was possible to 
notice changes in the water over the oyster beds in a short time after a small amount 
(6,000 to 7,000 gallons) had been discharged at the mill. 
CONCENTRATION OF LIQUOR IN OAKLAND BAY 
Continued addition of waste liquor to the bay would cause a gradual increase 
in concentration until an equilibrium is reached. The concentration of liquor at 
equilibrium, or the maximum amount of liquor which would remain in the bay, is 
proportional to two factors: (1) The amount added daily, and (2) the proportion of 
water lost daily by tidal action. To illustrate : If 1 acre-foot of liquor be discharged 
daily at the mill, and one-twentieth of the water in the bay be renewed each 24 hours 
by tidal action, at equilibrium 20 acre-feet of liquor would be present in the bay. 
Assuming complete mixing of liquor and water, 1 acre-foot of liquor (1/20 of 20) 
would be lost each day, and the same amount would be added. Therefore, an ap- 
proximation of the amount of water lost each day from Oakland Bay will give us 
an index to the possible concentration of liquor in the bay. 
It was therefore necessary to determine the amount of water in Oakland Bay, 
and the amount lost on each tide. The volume of water in the bay at low tide was 
calculated from figures given by United States Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 
and tidal records. The areas of nine parallel cross sections were determined from 
figures given in Table 13 by reproducing the contour of the bottom of the bay be- 
tween the shores and calculating the area of water in each plane. (Fig. 50, Table 13.) 
The volume was determined in a similar way using the areas of the cross sections 
and the distance from the lower end of the bay as coordinates and calculating the 
