About This Collection
The Sanitary Water Board was created by the Administrative Code of 1923 (P.L. 498, Act No. 274) to administer the Purity of Waters Act and clean stream laws of Pennsylvania. For many years, the Department of Health, through its Bureau, and then Division, of Sanitary Engineering, investigated, recommended, and enforced the provisions of this law with the exception of the provision dealing with bituminous strip mines which was enforced by the Department of Mines and Mineral Industries. The Board included the Secretary of Mines and Mineral Industries, the Secretary of Forests and Waters, the Secretary of Commerce, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, and three members from the general public appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate. The Board was abolished by Act No. 275 of 1970 (PL. 834) when its powers, duties, and functions were transferred to the Department of Environmental Resources.This collection contains meeting minutes, arranged chronologically by date of meeting, of the Sanitary Water Board. Information includes time, date and location of the meeting, a list of the names of members and staff present, a synopsis of discussions, and the signature of the Secretary of the Board. Also present are reports from various agencies, including the Department of Health, Department of Mines, Fish Commission, Department of Forests and Waters, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce. The minutes document the approval of permits for sewage and industrial waste treatment and mine drainage discharges. The volume for 1923 contains an index.
