LAWRENCE.

SEPT. 8, 1909.

To the Board of Health of the City of Lawrence, Mr. RoSCOE DOBLE, Clerk. GENTLEMEN: The State Board of Health received from you on July 31, 1909, an application stating that a nuisance in the Spicket River was causing much trouble to people residing in that valley, and requesting the advice and assistance of the Board as to preventing the nuisance; and in response to this application the Board has caused the river and the factories, sewers and other possible sources of pollution in its neighborhood to be examined and samples of the waters of the stream to be analyzed.

Inspections of the river during the past month have shown that its waters are reasonably clean and unobjectionable down to the Arlington mills, though they receive considerable pollution above that point; but below these mills the stream has been offensive throughout the remainder of its course. Its condition has, however, greatly improved during the past few days.

The quantity of water flowing in the river during the past month has been extremely small. Practically the entire flow of the stream in the dry season is used in the various processes in the Arlington mills and the greater portion of this water is discharged into the sewers of Lawrence and Methuen and not returned to the river until within a short distance above its mouth. The remaining portion of the wastes from the Arlington mills is discharged into the river. Owing to the location of the various drains and their outlets, it has not been practicable to examine carefully all of the wastes or to determine accurately their quantity, though facilities have been furnished by the management of the mills for making an examination of such outlets as were accessible and information has been furnished as to the approximate location of the others and the character of the wastes discharged therefrom.

From such information as has been obtained by the Board and has been furnished by the management of the Arlington mills, it appears that the total quantity of water used in the various processes in these mills amounts to more than 9,000,000 gallons per day, of which about 5,770,000 gallons per day is discharged into the sewers and finds an outlet into the river through the main sewer of the Spicket River valley at Garden Street near its mouth. The remainder, amounting to 3,500,000 gallons per day is discharged into the river.

Of the total quantity of waste water discharged into the sewers about 2,170,000 gallons per day are used for condensing in the cotton mill and top mill and elsewhere, and this water is probably not polluted

noticeably by such use and would doubtless be unobjectionable if discharged into the river. There are also about 380,000 gallons of water used daily in humidifiers, which is not polluted in the process and should be discharged into the river. There is, furthermore, a quantity of water, amounting to about 1,200,000 gallons per day, used in the process of caustic recovery, so called, which appears upon analysis to be but slightly polluted, and there is little doubt that this water also could be discharged into the river without objection.

Of the total quantity of wastes discharged into the river, amounting to a little less than 3,500,000 gallons per day, a part, amounting to about 1,600,000 gallons per day, consists of waste waters from the process of dyeing cloth and somewhat more than 1,800,000 gallons per day consists of condenser water from engines in the spinning mills. The remainder is used for general purposes, including the running of certain elevators. Filter plants are in use in the dye-house, the wash water from which is returned to the mill-pond above the dam.

All other wastes from these mills are discharged into the sewers, and as practically the entire flow of the river above the mills is at present used in the various processes, the quantity of water flowing in the river below. the mills consists chiefly of the wastes described above. The condenser water is doubtless unobjectionable, but analyses of the discharge from the dye-house show that these wastes contain a large quantity of putrescible organic matter.

The sewage of the thickly settled portions of the valley of the Spicket River is collected into a large main sewer, which passes down the valley from the neighborhood of the Arlington mills and discharges into the river at Garden Street a short distance above its mouth. The sewers in the town of Methuen are constructed on the separate plan, but those of the city of Lawrence are combined sewers and collect storm water as well as sewage in the districts which they serve. The system is not large enough to remove, in addition to the sewage, all of the rain water entering the sewers in Lawrence at times of heavy rain, and provision has been made for the discharge of a portion of the mingled sewage and storm water at such times into the Spicket River.

Examinations made during and after the rain of August 17 and again. during the rain of September 1 show that in ordinary heavy rain storms in summer, when the precipitation is distributed over several hours, it is not probable that a very large quantity of sewage and storm water overflows into the Spicket River, and in summer showers of considerable intensity the amount of sewage which would overflow into the river if the connections with the main sewer were kept in proper order, would probably not be very large; but the connections between the laterals

and the main Spicket River valley sewer evidently at times become clogged, and a part or even the whole flow of some of these tributary sewers sometimes discharges into the river continuously even in times of dry weather. On the day after the rain of September 1, one of the overflows was found to be discharging continuously practically the entire flow of one of the sewers into the Spicket River, while another connection. was partially clogged. Such pollution is entirely unnecessary and would not occur if proper provision for the care of these sewers were made and enforced by the city. The observations further indicate that the full capacity of the main sewer, even when all the connections are kept in order, is not now utilized for the removal of storm water in storms of ordinary intensity and that the overflow of storm water can probably be reduced considerably by such changes in the connections and overflows as will provide for utilizing the full capacity of the main sewer at such times.

As a result of its investigations the Board concludes that the chief cause of the offensive condition of the river is the dye wastes discharged from the Arlington mills, which during the dry season constitute a large portion of the flow in the stream. The great improvement that took place in the condition of the stream and the character of its waters, as shown by chemical analyses, after the recent shutting-down of these mills, leaves no doubt as to the chief cause of the trouble. The river is, nevertheless, very badly polluted in other ways, the most important of which is the sewage discharged through overflows from tributaries of the Spicket River valley sewer, which at times, through lack of care, discharge considerable quantities of sewage into the stream even in dry weather.

There are also apparently a number of connections through which sewage is discharged directly into the river from dwelling houses and buildings along its banks, and in some places it appears to be a place of disposal for small quantities of garbage and other refuse.

The banks of the river below the Arlington mills are not kept in repair and are overgrown in many places with vegetation which holds the offensive material conveyed by the water as well as garbage and other matters thrown into the stream. The bottom of the river below the Arlington mills is covered extensively with deposits of organic matter evidently derived largely from the deposition of suspended matters in the wastes discharged from the Arlington mills, but probably also from the sewage and storm water discharged into the stream at times of rain. Under the existing conditions the bed and banks of the river are exposed to some extent at times of low flow, especially at night and on Sundays,

and the nuisance from the river appears to be somewhat greater than usual at such times.

The Board recommends that all the dye wastes now discharged into the river from the Arlington mills, which amount apparently to about 1,600,000 gallons per day, be removed from the river and discharged into the sewers; and that the water which is now used in these mills for condensing, in the cotton mill, top mill and elsewhere, the water used in the humidifiers and the water used in the caustic recovery process, be removed from the sewers and returned to the river.

If all of the waters indicated, amounting to about 3,750,000 gallons per day, should be returned to the river instead of being discharged into the sewers, as at present, and if the dye wastes, amounting to about 1,600,000 gallons per day, which are now the chief cause of the pollution of the river, should be removed to the sewers, the serious pollution of the river would be checked, its flow in the summer season greatly increased, thereby keeping the bottom and banks more completely covered, and the main sewer would be relieved of a large portion of its flow, thus increasing its capacity for the removal of storm water at times of rain and diminishing the overflow of sewage into the river at such times.

There appears to the Board no good reason why the changes indicated above should not be made. It is possible that, with the reduced flow in the sewers, the large quantity of heavy matter now discharged into them from the process of washing wool in the Arlington mills would tend to form deposits, but danger of trouble from that cause can be prevented by passing this waste through settling tanks before discharging it into the sewer. The settling tanks need only be large enough to cause the deposit of heavy matters, such as sand, which will not readily be carried along by the current in the sewer. The tanks used for this purpose should, of course, be cleaned at the necessary intervals, and the material deposited can be dumped at some convenient place without objection.

The Board further recommends that it be made the duty of some one connected with the department having charge of the maintenance of the sewers to examine the connections between the tributary sewers and the main sewer and see that these connections, as well as the overflow outlets, are kept open and free from obstruction. For this purpose the connections and overflows should be examined immediately after every storm and at least as often as once a week. It will be important, also, to remove from the river all direct connections through which sewage is now discharged into the stream from dwelling houses and buildings along its banks, and prevent its use as a place of deposit for garbage and other refuse. The banks of the river should be put in repair and be kept clean

as far down as the lowest water of summer will permit. If these and the other changes suggested should be carried out during the present year, it is probable that the offensive organic matter collected on the bed of the river will be removed by the high flows of the water in the winter and spring or rendered sufficiently inoffensive by natural processes before another summer, and that a recurrence of the nuisance will be prevented.

It is advisable that, after the changes suggested in the disposal of the wastes of the Arlington mills have been made, a careful observation be made by the city, under the direction of the city engineer, of the height of flow in the Spicket River valley sewer at times of heavy rain, and the connections of tributary sewers so arranged as to deliver as much of the flow of the tributary sewers into the main sewer as the latter is capable of carrying at all times. If, as a result of these investigations, it is found necessary or desirable to introduce automatic regulators on any of these connections, they should be provided.

While the small quantity of mill wastes discharged into the stream from factories located above the Arlington mills has not yet had a very appreciable effect upon the character of the water of the river, it is important that the objectionable wastes from these factories be discharged into the sewers.

The discharge of sewage at Garden Street creates a considerable odor in the neighborhood. The location of the main outlet of sewage from the Spicket River valley at this point appears to have been simply a temporary arrangement and it is desirable that the sewage be removed as soon as practicable to some suitable place of disposal.

MAYNARD.

To the Selectmen of the Town of Maynard, Mass.

DEC. 6, 1909.

GENTLEMEN: - Complaint has been made to the State Board of Health of a nuisance in the Assabet River at Maynard, and examinations show that the cause of the nuisance is chiefly the discharge of polluting matters from the mills of the American Woolen Company, but it is also due in part to the discharge of sewage into the stream from the mills and also from sewers in the streets of the town. In order to protect the public health it is essential that the pollution of the stream be prevented, and the Board recommends that action be taken by the town of Maynard for the removal or purification of all the sewage now discharged into the stream through sewers or drains in the town.

A copy of a communication to the American Woolen Company relative to the prevention of the pollution of the stream by the wastes from the mills of that company is enclosed herewith.