DISCUSSION OF REPORT OF COMMITTEE NO. 6 ON INDUSTRIAL WASTES IN RELATION TO WATER SUPPLY [with DISCUSSION]

Mr. W. L. Stevenson: The Sanitary Water Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, referred to in the excellent report of Committee No. 6, organized for the transaction of official business on July 17, 1923, and has to date held twenty-one meetings, approximately twice a month. The problem of utilization and conservation of the natural water resources of the State of Pennsylvania confronting the Board is stupendous. A large proportion of the citizens of the State dwell in incorporated municipalities provided with public sewer systems. Pennsylvania is one of the greatest industrial States in the Union. The development of natural resources such as coal and oil and the many kinds of industry all constitute actual or potential sources of stream pollutions. It is, therefore, apparent that the major problem demanding a solution is the conservation of the streams as sources of public water supply, for fishing and recreational use and also the utilization of the streams for inoffensive and harmless disposal of polluting materials by dilution. The fundamental resolution of the Board for classifying streams is the proposed solution of this problem. Fish wardens of the Board of Fish Commissioners, Forest Rangers of the Department of Forests and Waters and Health Officers of the Department of Health in the performance of their normal field duties are traversing the now unpolluted tributary streams and certifying on maps prepared for that purpose those streams which they find to be unpolluted from any artificial source. This work is being chiefly done in the northern and southern tiers of counties and in the eastern part of the State because in those localities are to be found most of the now clean streams. After reports are made, the Sanitary Water Board by appropriate action designates such streams as Class A. Since the meeting on