existing laws has usually been found sufficient for its purpose, and very few communities have been found to persist in supplying polluted water to the public after the danger has been pointed out. If the protection to the public health afforded by the statutes and by the care of its public water supply exercised by nearly every community in the State is to be efficient, the practice of supplying polluted water in any community after the fact is known should not be tolerated.

Water Supply of the City of Lynn.

The badly polluted condition of much of the water supply of the city of Lynn was first brought to the attention of the Legislature in January, 1906, and an act was then passed (chapter 509 of the acts of the year 1906) directing the State Board of Health and the water board of the city of Lynn to investigate plans for enlarging and improving the water supply of the city. The results of this investigation were presented to the Legislature in January, 1907. At this session. an act was passed (chapter 479 of the Acts of the year 1907) authorizing the city of Lynn to enlarge and improve its water supply, and requiring that the construction of works be begun by the city, acting through its public water board, within one year and completed within three years after the date of the passage of the act (June 6, 1907). The act also provided for further investigation of various methods of enlarging and improving the water supply of the city. Nothing was done, however, toward constructing the works required by the act, but the city petitioned the Legislature of 1908 for an extension of time within which to begin the work, which was granted, and an act passed (chapter 610 of the Acts of the year 1908) entitled "An Act to extend the time within which the city of Lynn shall enlarge and improve its water supply," by the provisions of which the time for beginning the construction of works was extended to the first day of January in the year 1909, and the time of completion thereof to the first day of January in the year 1911. Again nothing was done by the city toward the construction of the works required by the act, and the matter again came up in the Legislature of 1909, when another act was passed still again extending for another year the time within which the construction of works for the enlargement and improvement of the water supply of the city of Lynn should be begun; i.e., to the first day of January in the year 1910. The time for the completion of the works was extended to the first day of October in the year 1912.

Further delay on the part of the city of Lynn in providing a safe public water supply is wholly unnecessary, since it is thoroughly well known that the water supply of that city can be efficiently purified by

methods which have been in use in other cities for many years, at an expense which the city of Lynn is entirely able to incur without adding anything to the tax levy or increasing the water rates.

Other Water Supplies.

The conditions affecting the water supply of the towns of Abington and Rockland illustrate a danger to which a number of water supplies are rapidly becoming exposed. The water used by these towns has been taken for many years from Big Sandy Pond in Pembroke, the water of which in natural quality is among the best of surface waters. For many years after the works were introduced the watershed of this source contained but very few dwelling houses, and the pond and its main tributary, at the head of which is Little Sandy Pond, were visited occasionally by hunters and fishermen, but were exposed so little to pollution that danger of contamination could be guarded against by a very limited supervision.

In recent years cottages have been built in large numbers all about the shores of the ponds, and a large area of cranberry bogs has been constructed near the upper end of Big Sandy Pond and along its principal tributary. The water supplied through this tributary is derived largely from Little Sandy Pond, on the shores of which, in addition to numerous cottages, there is a large picnic ground with extensive provisions for boating and bathing, a resort for great numbers of persons in summer.

The danger of the pollution of the water under these conditions has been brought to the attention of the authorities of the towns, but it is deemed impracticable now to purchase the land about the ponds and thus secure adequate protection of the purity of the water. There is little reason to doubt, however, that an adequate supply of ground water could be obtained in this region at a very reasonable cost, and the use of water from Big Sandy Pond discontinued; but, though the Board has called the attention of the town authorities to the danger involved in the continued use of Big Sandy Pond under present conditions, the town authorities decline to take action toward protecting the public health in this matter, and have not even sought to ascertain definitely the probable cost of obtaining a new and safe source of water supply.

Attention has previously been called to the unsafe condition of the water supply of Great Barrington, where no action has yet been taken toward providing safe drinking water, and there are other places where the conditions are not satisfactory. In most of the latter cases, however, the towns are making progress in the matter of securing adequate sanitary protection.

Rules and Regulations for the Sanitary Protection of Public Water

Supplies.

Under authority of chapter 75, section 113, of the Revised Laws, authorizing the State Board of Health to make rules and regulations for the sanitary protection of public water supplies, the Board during the year 1909 established rules and regulations for the protection of the water supplies of Pittsfield (Onota Lake) and Winchester (north, south and middle reservoirs).

Examination of Sewer Outlets.

There are at the present time 116 cities and towns in the State which are provided with complete or partial systems of sewers. Of these, 26 cities and towns lying about the city of Boston are connected with the metropolitan sewerage systems, the sewage from which is disposed of by discharging it into the sea. The sewage of the main portion of the city of Boston is discharged at Moon Island, that of the north metropolitan system near Deer Island, and that of the south metropolitan system near Peddock's Island. These outlets have been examined as usual during the year, and no important change has taken place at either outlet since the conditions were reported to the Legislature of 1908. The sewage at Deer Island, which flows out at all stages of the tide, is rarely traceable at a distance of a mile from the outlet; while at Peddock's Island, where the discharge is also continuous, the sewage has very little effect upon the harbor water, and is noticeable only in the immediate neighborhood of the outlet. At Moon Island the conditions remain about the same as in past years.

In addition to the city of Boston and the cities and towns included in the metropolitan systems, there are 14 cities and towns which discharge their sewage either directly into the sea or into tidal estuaries connected therewith. The main sewer outlet of the city of Salem and town of Peabody discharging into Salem harbor has been the subject of careful observation during the year, and observations have also been made upon the effect of the disposal of sewage from the Beverly sewers, the outlet of which discharges into Beverly harbor. Much of the sewage and manufacturing waste which was formerly discharged into the North River is now disposed of by means of the sewers of Salem and Peabody, but the condition of that stream remained objectionable during much of the year. Measures have recently been taken by the authorities of the city of Salem to prevent the further pollution of the stream by manufacturing waste.

There has been a considerable growth of the tanning industry in the

adjacent town of Danvers, and tannery refuse discharged into tidal. estuaries in that town is creating a considerable nuisance.

Of the main sewers discharging into the sea, the most objectionable, as noted in previous reports, are the outlets of the cities of Lynn and New Bedford. The sewage of the city of Lynn is discharged at all stages of the tide into a small branch of the harbor channel, where there is no strong current to remove the sewage. In consequence, in calm weather, or when the wind is east or south, the sewage remains near the outlet or is carried toward the shore, and solid matters from the sewage are deposited on the bottom of the harbor and along the shores in the neighborhood. There are wide areas of flats exposed at low water in this region which are now covered with a deep deposit of sewage sludge, and the conditions all about this outlet are very offensive during much of the year. This matter was brought to the attention of the Legislature last year, and it was stated by representatives of the city of Lynn that investigations were then to be made with a view to a proper disposal of the sewage. It is understood that these plans have been completed, but no action appears to have been taken as yet by the city.

At New Bedford the sewage of about two-thirds of the city is discharged at numerous outlets along the shores of the harbor and in the Acushnet River, while the sewage of the remaining third is discharged at the head of Clark's Cove. Nuisances are created at several points, the most serious of which is found in Clark's Cove, where there is no strong current for the removal of the sewage, and the prevailing winds in summer cause it to collect near the upper end of the cove, where it creates a very offensive nuisance in a thickly populated neighborhood. A plan for relieving the nuisance was submitted to the Board for its consideration during the year, but the plan was not satisfactory, and the city is now making an investigation of plans for the collection of the sewage from the present outlets and disposing of it by discharging it into the sea at a main outlet off Clark's Point south of the city.

The remaining sewer outlets have been considered in connection with the examination of rivers.

Pollution of Rivers.

The effect of the pollution of the rivers of the State by sewage and foul drainage from manufacturing establishments has increased greatly in the past few years, and during the past year numerous complaints have been made of serious nuisances caused by the pollution of various rivers.

The first action by the Legislature dealing with the general subject of stream pollution appears to have been taken in 1872, when an order was

adopted directing the State Board of Health to collect information concerning the disposal of sewage, the pollution of streams and of the water. supplies of towns, and make a report at its next session; and, in compliance with this direction, the Board, after investigation, made a report on the subject to the Legislature of 1873.

The condition of the various rivers was subsequently reported in detail from time to time. Finally, the whole question of dealing with the prevention of the pollution of streams in Massachusetts was submitted to a commission known as the Massachusetts Drainage Commission, appointed in 1884 to consider especially a general system of drainage for the relief of the Mystic, Blackstone and Charles rivers, and, further, to consider and report upon the needs of other portions of the Commonwealth regarding water supply and sewerage. The recommendations of this commission, so far as they relate to the prevention of the pollution of streams, were in part as follows:

We think it would be well, then, for the Legislature to designate some one or more persons to look after the public interests in this direction. Let these guardians of inland waters be charged to acquaint themselves with the actual condition of all waters within the State as respects their pollution or purity, and to inform themselves particularly as to the relation which that condition bears to the health and well-being of any part of the people of the Commonwealth. Let them do away, as far as possible, with all remediable pollution, and use every means in their power to prevent further vitiation. Let them make it their business to advise and assist cities or towns desiring a supply of water or a system of sewerage. They shall put themselves at the disposal of manufactories and others using rivers, streams or ponds, or in any way misusing them, to suggest the best means of minimizing the amount of dirt in their effluent, and to experiment upon methods of reducing or avoiding pollution. They shall warn the persistent violator of all reasonable regulation in the management of water of the consequences of his acts. In a word, it shall be their especial function to guard the public interest and the public health in its relation with water, whether pure or defiled, with the ultimate hope, which must never be abandoned, that sooner or later ways may be found to redeem and preserve all the waters of the State. We propose to clothe the Board with no other power than the power to examine, advise and report, except in cases of violation of the statutes. Such cases, if persisted in after notice, are to be referred to the Attorney-General for action. Other than this, its decisions must look for their sanction to their own intrinsic sense and soundness. Its last protest against wilful and obstinate defilement will be to the General Court. To that tribunal it shall report all the facts, leaving to its supreme discretion the final disposition of such offenders.

The recommendations contained in the report of this commission were enacted into law, and under those laws the powers of the Board in dealing