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EditorialsH« l a frw rrjn whom th« truth maket fre«.—WILLIAM COWPER - --. i — —■Industries, City on Notice to Stop Pollution 7A committee on water pollution and the state board of health called public attention again this week to conditions in Waukesha and other communities that are contributing to the pollution of the Fox river. Other rivers mentioned as being polluted are the Des Plaines, Root and Fike as well as Walworth and Nippersink creeks, Lake Michigan and their tributaries. Specifically named here as contributing to pollution of the Fox river are three large industries and the city’s sewage system. Brackishness of the river water below Waukesha is evidence that what the state board complains of is serious and should be given attention as quickly as possible. The industries have until December, 1957, to set up facilities for treating plant waste, while the city has been given until December of next year to submit to the board a plan for excluding storm and other clear water from the sanitary sewer collection system.This condition is by no means a simple one to correct. The city’s sewage system appears to be adequate enough in periods of dry weather, such as we are now having when only small amounts of clear water finds its way into the sewage system. But when there is considerable run-off of storm sewer water, the volume becomes so great that the municipal filter plant does not operate efficiently and large amounts of untreated waste flow into the river stream. While much has been done in recent years to separate sanitary and storm sewers on new construction and on some established streets, there is much still to be done. It is a costly program, representing the laying of a dual system of sewers where there is but one system now.It is, nonetheless, a necessary program made doubly urgent by the rapid growth of the city’s population and area. Neither the city nor its industries are justified in using the river as an open sewer and thereby creating objectionable conditions for many miles downstream.Considerable work has been done in the central and northern parts of Wisconsin to reduce the amount of pollution of lakes and streams. Paper and pulp mills have taken the brunt of the blame for much of the pollution of these waters but it was recently found that nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the water are re- -sponsible for excessive algae growth causing sludge and odor in many places. A j four-man investigating team found that no ' fibres from pulp of paper mills were present along the shore of Green Bay where residents and fishermen were complaining. Troublesome algae thrive in waters enriched by nitrogen and phosphorus compounds which generally arederived from sewage.• • •Along with its responsibility for cleaning up the Fox river and keeping it that ; way, the city also faces the necessity of i giving the people of Westowne a sanitary j sewer system they were promised as a £ condition of having the area annexed. The ; hot, sultry weather this summer has made j conditions in Westowne hard to bear and I a threat to the health and well-being of \ its residents. Certainly not another summer must bo permitted to come before a sanitary system is installed, replacing the scores of septic tanks, most of which have outlived their usefulness and should be abandoned. The trouble these people face was bound to come. There is a limit to the amount of water seepage in any given area of ground. Rock formations below that part of town further complicate the seepage problem. Residents of Westowne realize they will be assessed special charges for sewer and water connections and that the whole burden will by no means fall to the city. There is no point in delay and procrastination on the part of the common council. Westowne is a direct responsibility of the city as a result of annexation proceedings. It would be unwise to put this work off any longer.
Newspaper Details
Waukesha Daily Freeman
Waukesha, Wisconsin, US
Fri, Aug 19, 1955
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Badgerlink
WI, USA 14 Dec 2016
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