Tion of Lake Champlain
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. 1.lOKSK. and Irrigation Paper No. 121 Series L, Quality of Water, 9 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OTED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHAKLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE TION OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN BY LEIGKHTON WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE 1905 "Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 121 Series L, Quality of Water, 9 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY CHAKLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR PRELIMINARY ater Resources Branch, Geological Survey, ON THE Box 3106, Capitol Station Oklahoma City, Okk POLLUTION OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN BY MARSHALL LEIGKHTON WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE! 1905 CONTENTS. Letter of transmittal...................................................... 7 Introduction..................._.,..............._.___............_...... 9 Lake Champlain ......................................................... 11 History and development................................. ............ 11 General description................................................... 14 Characteristics of water............................................... 20 Bouquet River ........................................................... 21 Origin, course, and flow............................'................... 21 Soda-pulp pollution................................................... 23 Constituents of the pulp........................................... 23 Manufacture of the pulp .......................................... 24 Water used .................................................. 25 i Supplies and wastes........................................... 25 First liquid effluent .......................................... 25 Kecovery of soda......................................... 28 Second, third, and fourth liquid effluents ...................... 29 Causticizing process .......................................... 30 Production of bleach ......................................... 32 Disposal of sludge ................................................ 33 Sedimentation bed ........................................... 33 Wastes ...................................................... 33 Waste No. 1.............................................. 33 Waste No. 3.............................................. 34 Waste No. 4.............................................. 34 Efficiency of sedimentation bed................................ 35 Sedimentation-bed effluent..................................... 36 Effects of soda-pulp waste......................................... 36 Effect on Bouquet Eiver ...................................... 36 Character and extent..................................... 36 Conclusions.............................................. 38 Effect on Lake Champlain .................................... 39 Methods of investigation .................................. 39 Sample series of August 12 ......-...-....--..........'.....- 41 Sample series of August 21................................ 43 Sample series of August 31................................ 45 Conclusions.............................................. 47 Auaable Eiver............................................................ 48 Origin and course..................................................... 48 Sulphite-pulp pollution ............................................... 49 Manufacture of the pulp .......................................... 49 Methods.................:................................... 49 Wastes ...................................................... 50 Effect of sulphite-pulp wastes ...............--.-....-.......-.---. 51 Effect on Ausable Eiver....................................... 51 3 4: CONTENTS. Ausable River Continued. Page. Sulphite-pul p pollution Continued. Effect of sulphite-pulp wastes Continued. Effect on Lake Champlain .................................... 53 Methods of investigation.................................. 54 Sample series of August 2^..................^ ............ 54 Sample series of September 2...-....-.-...-...-..-........ 56 Sample -series of September 17.....---.--,-................ 61 Conclusions.............................................. 62 Burlington and Winooski River ....-....-...-..--......--.-........-.-.... 66 Sewage pollution..................................................... 66 Sources of sewage and places of discharge .......................... 66 Effect on Lake Champlain .--...-.......---.--.--....-............ 67 Earlier investigations............................................. 68 Present conditions....._-.._....-.-'---.-...-.-...-.-..-.--.-....._ 74 Sample series of September 16...-.-.-.---......--..-.......... 75 Sample series of September 17................................. 77 Sample series of September 22, No. I........................... 78 Sample series of September 22, Nos. 2 and 3..................... 83 Sample series of September 25................................. 85 Conclusions.-........-...........---...----..------...-.-.....-.. 88 Upper end of Lake Champlain ............................................ 90 Soda-mill and sewage pollution...-..--...-...-.-.-.-----...-.-...-..-. 90 Character of upper-lake water.......---..---.-.-.--...---..--..... 91 Character of Ticonderoga Creek water above pulp mill.............. 93 Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company.......................... ... 94 Manufacture of the pulp ..........--...-.------.-...--........ 95 Sedimentation bed...........-.-..-...-..--..----.-.--......... 96 Effect of mill wastes ,............--------..--.-.--------...---.... 97 Effect on Ticonderoga Creek....-....--.----.---.'-.-.-----..-.. 97 Comparison of creek waters above and below mill .......... 98 Comparison of creek and lake waters.....-.....--.-..-.-..'. 99 Effect on Lake Champlain..................................... 102 Sample series of August 27 ......-...--.--.-.....-.-....... 102 Sample series of September 9.............................. 102 Conclusions.................---.-.----...-.--..----....-.-.-.-.-- 107 General conditions in Lake Champlain...........-.............-.---.----.. 108 Algce.....-.................-....---.----....-.---.----.-............ 108 General conditions,of existence........-.-.....-.-.....,-...-...-.. 109 Algse in Lake Champlain..-....----..--.-.--.-----.----.---------. 110 Effect of mill waste on algse ...--..---.-...--.---.-.--...-..---.--- 110 Experiment 1........... ....-..----...-.--..-.-.------..---. 110 Experiment 2.....-..-...-...-----..------.---.---.----.-.--- 110 Bacteria ...........................-....-...-..-.-.-.-.-.-------.-... Ill Effect of mill wastes on bacteria .................................t.. Ill Samples for testing .........-.-.-.--.-.---.----.--....-...--.- Ill Report of Mr. Earl B. Phelps.................................. Ill Determinations.......--...----.--.----------..------.--.- Ill Effect of wastes on mosquitoes......---.......-.....-.-.-.. Ill Germicidal effect of wastes on sewage bacteria -..--.-...-... 112 Effect of wastes on specific disease germs................... 113 Conclusions ...................^.......................... 114 Fish...-......--...-..-.--.-....--.------------.--------------------- H4 Sawdust and ground wood -.-....----.--.-.--.-.-..--.--.--------.---- 115 Summary...........--.-..-...----.-..--.-.-.--.------------------------- 115 Index. .................................................................. H7 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page, PLATE I. Map of Lake Champlain and vicinity............................. 14 II. A, Ruins of Crown Point Fortress; B, Waste trough crossing Bouquet River at Willsboro mill__..._....._..._......-....-...._-..._-. 18 III. A, Bouquet River above Willsboro; B, Falls in Bouquet River at Willsboro .................................................... 22 IV. A, Soda-pulp mill at Willsboro; B, Ausable Chasm ............... 24 Y. A, Effluent weir from Willsboro sedimentation bed; B, Falls at head of Ausable Chasm............................................. 32 VI. Bouquet sample series of August 12, 1904.......................... 40 VII. Bouquet sample series of August 21,1904.......................... 42 VIII. Bouquet sample series of August 31, 1904.......................... 46 I.. A, Wood pulp and sawdust on west shore of Lake Champlain; B, Falls on Ausable River at Keeseville, N. Y...................... 48 X. A, Burlington, Vt., lake front; B, Trunk sewer outlet, Burlington, Vt. 66 XI. A, Water power of Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company, Ticon- deroga, N. Y.; B, View at Ticonderoga, N. Y ................... 90 XlL Water power of International Pulp Company, Ticonderoga Creek: A, "A" mill; B, "B" mill.................................... 92 XIII. A, Sedimentation bed of Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company; B, Mills of Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company ................. 96 FIG. 1. Ausable sample series of August 23, 1904 ........................... 54 2. Ausable sample series of September 2, 1904......................... 57 3. Ausable sample series of September 17, 1904........................ 60 4. Burlington sample series of September 16 and 17, 1904 .............. 77 5. Burlington sample series of September 22, 1904, No. 1............... 79 6. Burlington sample series of September 22, 1904, Nos. 2 and 3 ........ 84 7. Burlington and Winooski sample series of September 25,1904........ 87 8. Ticonderoga sample series of August 27, 1904 ....................... 101 9. Ticonderoga sample series of September 9, 1904..................... 105 5 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, HYDROGRAPHIC BRANCH, Washington, D. C. ,