From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, September 8, 1916: Mayor Joseph Bell addressed a meeting of the heads of the various city departments yesterday and announced the first plans for a city sewage disposal plant. He emphasized the need for such a facility stating that at the present time the city is facing several lawsuits calling for many thousands of dollars in damages because Indianapolis sewage drains into White River. Residents of Morgan and Johnson counties have filed the lawsuits because of alleged damage to have been done to lands by the pollution of White River. Officials of the state board of health have started collecting evidence of pollution of the river below Indianapolis. Water samples will be taken for analysis above the city and at points down the river past the lands of the complaining persons.