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Stream-Pollution Control Activities in Wisconsin' L. F. Warrick2 Srhre BOAPD01 H S ~ T AMIDTSON, , Wrs.
scribed in "Stream Pollution S A result of the rapid WATER POLLUTIONC O M M I T T FE~ i n Wisconsin," copies of development of o u r which may be obtained from civilization, with the the Wisconsin State Board of phenomenal growths of cities Health. and industry, new problems I are created or old ones are To coordinate pollution control activities of various brought to our attention so state agencies, the 1927 legisforcibly that they cannot be lature pas& a bill creating ignored if public health and a committee on Water Pollnwelfare are to be adequately tion. This committee is comprotected. The proper and posed of the state chief engisafe disposal of wastes conneer, member of the Railroad stitutes one of the outstandCommission designated by ing problems. T o this end, the commission, the conservamunicipalities are being called tion commissioner or one of upon more and more to install and o p e r a t e sewage his employees whom he may treatment plants. In addid e s i g n a t e to represent the tion, with the advent of the Conservation Commission, automobile and the resulting the state health officer or a migration of the people in the m e m b e r of t h e Board of cities to the country for recH e a l t h d e s i g n a t e d by the reational purposes, has come board, and the state sanitary an increasing demand for proengineer or other engineer a p t e c t i o n of o u r l a k e s and p o k e d by the StaGBoard bf streams against objeetionahle pollution by sewage and indus- Health. The State Board of Health through the Bureau of trial wastes. Furthermore, there has grown an insistence Sanitary Engineering is the administrative agency. The that these waters be conserved for recreational purposes and powers and duties of the committee are outlined as follows: that their natural beauty be unimpaired. To exercise general supervision over the administration Realizing the necessity of proper disposal of wastes in the and(1)enforcement of all laws relating to the pollution of the prevention of ohjectionable conditions in lakes and streams, surface waters of the state. the Wisconsin legislature in 1925 appropriated $10,000 (2) To study and investigate all problems connected with the annually from the conservation fund for stream-pollution pollution of the surface waters of the state and its control and to control activities. This fund was "to be expended in cooperation with the State Board of Health in a manner agreed upon by the Conservation Commission and the State Health Offi- elimination. disposal or treatmeit bf'industrial wastes. to cintrol cer." The activities in the joint program developed during pollution of theburface waters of the state. To this &d the commay cooperate with any public or private agency in the the fall of 1925 and extending until January 1, 1927, are de- mittee conduct of such experiments, investigationsand research and may
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Figure %Portable Laborsfory Equlpmenf Uaed for MakInC, Fleld Analpea durlng Polluflon Survey. of wbE(l"s1n sfreama Pre9ented before the Division of Water, Sersge, and Sanitation Chemistry at the 76th Meeting o f the American Chemichl Society. Swamprcatt, Mass.. September Iota 14, 1928.
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state saoitary engineer.
Flsvre 3-.-A Fill and Draw Type of Chemlcal Treatment Plant fer Cannery Wastea, Waupun, Wis. The scrcened w-irtes are mired with lime and ferrous Solfate and settled in hopper-bottomed tanks shown in the foreground. The sludge i s discharged drily insand'dryiog beds. shoao at the rear of the taoks. from which ~t i s pemodicrlly removed and hauled t o nezrby farms PI fertilizei.
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receive on behalf of the state any money which any such agency may contribute as its share of the cost under such coCperative
arraneements. (4)' To issue general orders and adopt rules and regulations applicable throughout the state for the installation, use and operation of practicable and available systems, methods and means for controlling the pollution of the surface waters of the state through industrial wastes, refuse and other wastes. Such general orders, rules and regulations shall be issued only after an opportunity to be heard thereon shall have been afforded to interested parties and shall take &etas directed therein, which shall be not less than thirty days after publication in the official state paper.
Flbroua Waatea
Vol. 21, No. 3
before taking definite action. Stream pollution surveys are an essential part of such a policy. Facts concerning prevailing conditions must be obtained to establish effective control, without detriment to major public interests. Stream Surveys
During 1927 the stream survey program started the preceding year along the lower Fox, Wisconsin, and Flambeau Rivers was continued through the cotiperation of the chemists of paper mills bordering these streams. The work was extended to include the Chippewa River, which receives an appreciable amount of pulp and paper mill wastes. Preliminary surveys of the Wolf, Oconto, Peshtigo, Menomouie, and Crawfish rivers and the upper end of Green Bay were made by members of the Bureau of Sanitary Engineering of the State Board of Health. Portable laboratory equipment used is shown in Figure 2. In addition t o follow-up surveys of these stream during 1928, the program was further enlarged to include polluted portions of the Rock, Fox (Illinois), Miiwaukee, Sheboygan, Mullet, Montreal, La Crosse, and St. Croix rivers. Cooperative survey activities with the state of Minnesota were conducted along the upper Mississippi and St. Louis rivers and Superior-Duluth Harbor. Special investigations have heen conducted along smaller streams in conjunction with complaints regarding objectionable pollution. These surveys are both chemical and biological in nature and have been found to he of considerable value both from the educational and coutrol points of view.
issue special orders directing particular owners to secure such operating results toward the control of pollution of the surface waters as the committee may prescribe within a specified time. If such results are not secured in the specified time, the committee may direct the owner to use or adopt dwignated systems, device and methods for handling industrial wastes, refuse and other wastes within a specified time, (5) To
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may requir; the sub-ion and approval- pians for the installation of systems and devices for handling, treating or disposing of industrial and other wastes. (7) To enter into agreements with the responsible authorities of other states, subject to approval by the Governor, relative to methods, means and measures to be employed to control pollution of any interstate streams and other waters and to carry out such agreement by appropriate general and special orders. This cower shall not be deemed to extend to the modification of any Figure 5--Experimemtal Plant for Treatment of Creamery Wastes, De Forest, Wla.
The organization developed under this statutory provision is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. Elimination of objectionable stream pollution is the ultimate goal of the coijperative program adopted and now being carried out with Wisconsin municipalities and industries. This goal is not quickly and easily attained. Those who are sufficiently interested to have made even a supedicial study of problems involved will readily agree that there are many exceedingly important phases to be considered in both the conception and development of any successful stream conservation program. They are legal, scientific, and economic in nature, and are so inter-related that none can be safely overlooked. The major public interests of the state*&culture, industrial, and the great outdoors-are all involved. Benefits derived by controlling the pollution of streams should be consistent with the general welfare of all these interests. Accordingly, it has been the object of those in charge to ascertain necessary facts concerning cases of serious stream pollution, and possible methods of correcting such situations
Industrial Waste Treatment During 1927 and 1928 eleven treatment plants of the chemical precipitation type, such as shown in Figure 3, were installed and operated at Wisconsin canneries. I n addition, two experimental systems on the broad irrigation principle were installed. Both the National and Wisconsin canners associations furnished chemists for the studies of treatment plant operation and the development of control technic. The results were in general satisfactory, but they indicated the need of some minor modifications in plant design, better understanding of operation on the part of the canners: and the possibility of secondary treatment in some cases. A survey of all the pulp and paper mills in the state was made, t o ascertain what steps had been taken in reducing objectionable fibrous and chemical wastes to a minimum and t o foster further activity. I n most of the mills efforts were being made to reduce white water wastes to a minimum through the installation of new save-all and recirculation
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systems. A typical save-all installation is shown in Figure 4. I n some mills the fibrous wastes have been reduced to a
practically negligible quantity. Research work on both the characteristics and utilization of various chemical wastes was started during 1927 and is being conducted by the mills in cooperation with the state. This research includes: (1) Utilization of sulfite waste liquor (experiments with new process). (2) Recovery and re-use of lime in the sulfate pulping process. (3) Effect of ponding and aeration of sulfite wastes. (4) Recovery of fibrous material in sulfite mill blow pit waste water. ( 5 ) Long-time oxygen demands of sulfite waste liquor, and sulfate pulp mill waste.
At the present time experiments are being conducted with three methods of treatment for creamery waste a t De Forest, Wis. The experimental plant and the creamery are shown in Figure 5. The work is being conducted on a large scale following cooperative studies in the Sanitary Engineering Laboratory of the IJniversity of Wisconsin. Preliminary results indicate the possibility of efficient and economical treatment of the dairy products wastes, one of the major sources of stream pollution in Wisconsin. Municipal Sewage T r e a t m e n t
The problem of municipal sewage treatment is definitely a function of the State Board of Health. Since it is also a factor in pollution control, particularly the matter of continuous and effective sewage plant operation, a brief statement should be made as to the present status of the sewage treatment program in Wisconsin. Of the 206 public and 11 semi-public sewerage systems in the state; 86 have disposal facilities through 100 treatment plants. As a result of the adoption of a policy of routine inspection, a large portion of the plants have been investigated during the past year and recommendations for improve-
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ments or modification of operating methods have been made to secure maximum plant efficiency. A sewage-plant operators’ association has been organized for the purpose of providing a means of exchange of information relative to the successful operation of such plants. I n the disposal of municipal wastes i t is the policy in Wisconsin that cities and villages should assume responsibility for the maintenance of proper sanitary conditions within the areas of their jurisdiction. I n order to secure effective results, therefore, they are expected to provide the necessary sewage-treatment plants and furnish general @supervisionover the operation and maintenance of all installations for the disposal or treatment of sewage and industrial wastes. Summary
The stream-pollution control program includes: (1) Activities under a cooperative program adopted with pulp and paper mills and canners’ associations in the development and installation of waste treatment devices t o prevent objectionable stream pollution. ( 2 ) Extension of the cooperative policy t o include milk products industries. Definite research is being conducted for the development of more satisfactory methods of creamery waste disposal. (3) Enlargement of the scope of sewage-treatment activities to include more adequate supervision over present sewage-treatment plants, and t o foster construction of new plants where needed to prevent excessive stream pollution. (4) Systematic pollution surveys of streams as educational and control measures.
Considerable progress has already been made under this cooperative program, but the work has just started. Much remains to be accomplished both from the waste utilization and treatment points of view before pollution in Wisconsin can be reduced to a minimum. It is believed, however, that through the mutual cooperation of municipalities, industries, and the public in general, the quickest and most effective results can and will be obtained.
A Contribution to the Preparation of Standard G elati n’O2 J. Harold H u d s o n a n d S. E. Sheppard EASTMAN
KODAKC O M P A N Y , ROCHESTER, N . Y.
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’SERS of gelatin are finding it important to study this
product more intimately, and this has led to attempts to intercorrelate its physical and chemical properties. I n order that the workers in different laboratories may be able to utilize one another’s results, their measurements must be made upon the same materials, and thus has arisen the necessity for determining specifications for a “standard gelatin.” The writers are of the opinion that the “standard gelatin” should be a s nearly as possible of definite chemical composition with its physical properties similar to those of the highest grade of gelatin now obtainable. I n other words, it should be prepared for scientific purposes. The suitability of such a gelatin for photographic or other industrial uses should not enter into the question of its merits. Standards for special purpose materials can be prepared later. The following tentative specifications are suggested: 1 Presented before the Division of Leather and Gelatin Chemistry at the 76th Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Swampscott, Mass., September 10 to 14, 1928. 2 Communication No. 364 from the Kodak Research Laboratories.
1-The gelatin should be prepared from well-limed calfskin, and only the first extract taken at about 54’ C. (130” F.). It should be dried at not less than 5 per cent concentration. 2-The gelatin should be de-ashed to an ash content of not greater than 0.05 per cent. (a) The method of Smitha consists in leaching the gelatin with 10 per cent sodium chloride solution containing 5 cc. of concentrated hydrochloric acid per liter. After the necessary treatments of acid and salt, the gelatin is washed with distilled water until free from chloride. The ash is reduced by this method from 1 or 2 per cent t o 0.02 or 0.04 per cent. An analysis of gelatin prepared by this method gave carbon 50.52, hydrogen 6.81, nitrogen 17.53, oxygen 25.15 per cent. ( b ) The recent method of Northrop and Kunitz’ provides for the removal of anions as well as cations. The details are as follows: The gelatin is soaked for 1 hour in M/128 acetic acid a t 5-10’ C . Three washings with cold distilled water are given and then the gelatin is treated with M/50 sodium hydroxide. This also is allowed to react 1 hour, after which the alkali is removed by washing and neutralizing with acetic acid. A last treatment is given with M/128 acetic acid and the gelatin is rapidly washed free of electrolytes. The gelatin is dried by 8
Smith, J . Am. Chem. Soc., 43, 1350 (1921). Northrop and Kunitz, J . Gen. Physiol., 11, 477 (1928).
