The Disposal of Industrial Effluent
by Woods Irrigation*
JOHN  R.  MATHER
Assistant Professor of Geography
Johns Hopkins University
Seabrook, New Jersey
The processes of production in most industries result in the creation
of varying amounts of polluted effluent. Because of recent legislation,
the disposal of this effluent is becoming a primary problem to many
industries. Stream disposal of polluted waste water is no longer permissible in many regions while, in others, local authorities are putting
increased pressure on industries for stream-pollution abatement. In
order to implement local groups working toward stream-pollution control, the Federal Government in 1948 drew up the National Pollution
Control Act (P. L. 845, 80th Congress). This act, although recognizing the primary rights of the individual states to pursue their own
stream-pollution policies, sets up the means whereby the Federal Government can give both financial and technical aid to strengthen state
pollution-abatement policies and to help resolve interstate pollution problems. A number of interstate compacts have already been entered into
for the control of pollution in streams which flow through more than
one state. Examples of such interstate organizations are the Ohio River
Valley Water Sanitation Commission, The New England Interstate
Water-Pollution Control Compact, and the Interstate Commission of
the Delaware River Basin. Thus, recent legislative developments pose
a threat to the very existence of many industries, for if they are unable
to dispose of their polluted effluent by presently recognized methods
they must either move to other regions where stream disposal is permitted or go out of business. Considerable effort has been expended
by industries to develop and improve methods of effluent disposal.
At the present time the most conventional methods of waste-water
disposal are the use of standard or high-rate bio-filters,  the ponding
* Mr. John M. Seabrook, who gave an illustrated talk at the 8th Purdue
Industrial Waste Conference, states that this article by Mr. Mather, previously published in Transactions, American Geophysical Union, Vol. 34, No.
2, page 227, covers the information of the Seabrook Farms project. So permission has been asked to republish the article in the Proceedings of the 8th
Purdue Industrial Waste Conference.
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