New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water State Park and Campsite Wastewater Disposal Files

Arranged by classification as state park or campsite, and therein alphabetically by name.

The series consists of files on the planning and development of sewage waste disposal and treatment systems, and testing done to determine water pollution or contamination at state parks and campsites.

The records were produced over several decades by various divisions of the Health Department, which was responsible for monitoring and regulating water pollution and waste management; the Conservation Department, which was responsible for supervising state parks and recreational areas; and, after 1970, the Department of Environmental Conservation, which assumed these functions along with primary responsibility for state policy on water pollution and waste management. The records deal with the disposal of waste materials into waters found on state park and campsite areas; the construction and design of sewage treatment systems; reporting on water testing and toxicity; and attempts to prevent pollution of state park and campsite waters.

The records reflect interactions of various institutional levels, and to a lesser extent with public users of the parks and campsites. Development of campsites required proper sewage disposal and engineering; financial and environmental matters also had to be taken into account. Also, diverting treated effluent from a watershed is a method of combating algae growth and preserving the natural clarity and purity of waters.

The records include memorandums, correspondence, plans, maps, specifications, contract drawings, reports, permits, construction applications, technical reviews of plans, test results, brochures, and letters of complaint about existing conditions in the parks. The material is almost exclusively typescript carbon copies, with the non-textual material consisting of whiteprint, blueprint, or other photocopies that are sometimes annotated. The files are classified according to either state park or campsite, with the latter files coming at the end of the series.

Files on the various state parks most often contain one or more of the following: proposed or revised written plans for proposed sewage treatment or disposal systems and administrative memoranda on examination and review of these plans; engineering reports, plans and specifications, or review copies of reports on sewage treatment facility design; inspection reports of sewage facilities; applications for approval to construct waste disposal systems; permits (often from the Department of Health) to allow disposal or discharge of sewage or wastes; technical reviews of plans and specifications for sewage treatment; specifications for sewage and waste treatment systems; inter-agency memoranda on estimated stream flow, water usage requirements, and proposed filtration methods in park development; correspondence on the results of sanitary surveys carried out according to public health law, including comments on availability of potable water, proper maintenance and supervision of beaches, problems with sewage systems and/or treated effluent affecting beaches and campsites; copies of construction contracts and related plans and documentation (e.g., for changehouses, pumphouses and comfort stations);

complaints on sanitary conditions considered detrimental to the public health, reports on sites with existing problem conditions, requests to officials to prod funding for park and campsite improvements, and requests for health related information (e.g., one request on possible sources of a typhoid fever outbreak at Rogers Rock State Park in 1959); and memoranda, meeting summaries, and reports on pollution abatement discussions and plans, water pollution control activities, water sampling and testing, and sanitation needs of specific watershed areas.

A separate group of folders at the end of the series deals with campsites. Although less voluminous than the files on state parks, much of the same type of material appears, with an emphasis on water quality control and test results. Files may contain one item or several; some files span 20 or 30 years. These records typically include one or more of the following: general administrative memoranda regarding water treatment systems in state public campsites; copies of lab tests and results of water inspections, including chemical and bacterial examinations of samples; copies of written plans for sewage treatment works at camping sites, apparently sent to the Conservation Department; opinions of the Conservation Department regarding establishment of campsites and their relationship to potential water pollution problems; correspondence to consulting engineers regarding water and sewage facilities development; and correspondence from the Department of Health on review of plans and specifications for sewage and water facilities at campsites, including such questions as whether plain chlorination is suitable and evaluations of water supply.

Of special interest is a 1938 manual for campsite caretakers. They advised local health officers of outbreaks of illness and state officials cultivated a good working relationship with them.

There are very few maps present in this part of the series, and those few are printed topographic maps annotated to show campsite locations only.

Some singular examples of items of interest present in the series include: a list of state campsites and conservation education camps for boys; a list of public water supplies within state park boundaries; water pollution control activities in the Lake George watershed, including possible pollution sources, coliform counts, performance of pumping stations, possible leachings, etc.; and a review report of a 1963 beach erosion control cooperative study of the Atlantic coast of Long Island by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including detailed comparative aerial photographs, shore history, hydrography, and recommendations for a combined beach erosion and navigation project at Fire Island Inlet.

Maps and non-textual items are found most extensively through the portion of the series relating to state parks. The majority are photocopies or other print copies, some with annotations. Scales and legends vary, and the maps are usually undated. The largest size is 160 x 107 cm.

The maps vary as much in purpose as they do in form. For example, in reports some maps show land acquired for parks and recreation under certain bond issue programs. Recreational areas are highlighted and the maps are often accompanied by photographs of the site. There are sometimes inset maps of the state showing specific locations and giving miles from major cities. In guidebooks or pamphlets of state parks, there are usually regional location maps showing which state parks are located in which park regions, along with extensive information on facilities in chart form. Photographs may also accompany promotional descriptions, with text very often on the backs of maps. The proposed sewage treatment works sometimes include printed geological maps and/or topographic quadrangle maps that are often annotated to show wells, pump sites, existing and proposed camp areas, roads and water systems. The maps show bodies of water and the elevation of land. There are also a few diagrams of exposed rock sections. In engineering reports there are photocopies of topographic maps, flow diagrams, schematic drawings of wastewater flow/aeration process, figure drawings of valve/pump operations, pump performance curves, and charts on lift station data and various hydraulic computations.

In state park handouts and printed promotional material the maps have extensive legends showing trails, camps, primary and secondary roads, elevations, mountain ridges, and the location of features such as picnic grounds and the ranger station.

Other examples of non-textual representations include: master plans of proposed sewage systems showing lift stations, clean-out pits, manholes, treatment plants, sanitary lines/mains; annotated blueprint maps of proposed water systems for camping areas (sometimes with profile showing hydraulic grade and theoretical gradient); whiteprint copies of water systems annotated with names of small streams and runs; annotated copies of site and sewage treatment details, gradings, and building location plans made by architects, sometimes containing design data on tile fields, siphons, and water consumption; annotated copies of a master plan for utilities showing existing and proposed electric, potable and non-potable water, and sanitary forced main; copies of alternative plans for treated effluent disposal prepared by consulting engineers, including site plan, elevations, sections and details of construction of sewage treatment plant, sewer plan and profile, and details of sewage disposal and water supply system;

whiteprint sets of plans of sewage treatment works stamped "Approved" by the Department of Health, showing filter systems, dosing tanks, septic and detention tanks, and sewage pumping stations; and specifically in the report on beach erosion control along the Atlantic coast of Long Island, many photographs, including comparative aerial photographs, and also channel stabilizations and details, map of a harbor "influence area", structural drawings, plans, and sections, wave diffraction and refraction diagrams, and a proposed offshore breakwater plan.

Folder list.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.