New-York tribune., 1870-12-12
TIE BROOKLYN sl.4oo,OOO RESERVOIR.

At the meeting of the Brooklyn Board of
Aldermen to be held this afternoon 1t Is rumored that
the Water Boards project of purchasing site In Hemp
stead Valley and building storage reservoir, to cost
81 4OOOO viii be taken up and passed over the veto OF
Mayor Kalbnesch. A sufficient number Of votes are
said TO have been secured insure the passage OF the
resolution authorizing the purchase of tine Site In this
connection the views Mayor Kabnesch the subject
will be interesting. He says:
am not adverse to providing means for an Increased
supply OF water, hut do not think mat the pr0postu
reservoir will yield supply commensurate WIN tDe
S4OOOo0 asked for its building which amount II iound
insufficient for construction, would he increased by an
extra OF bonds and the discrepancy between the
increased supply and its cost made stu greater tha
appears from the present estimates. vi COURSE MI
soon become necessary 70 take some acton III @ u,lS
direction, hut must look TO the side of economy
Tie plan proposed by the Water Board only one pan
among many proposed by Others some OF WhlcH, 10 my
mind are better For instance, there Is Smth loho'
owned by the city, which, NJ very limited expense,
might be made To furnish a. inueh, IL n9t ,iPio P 49,
than the proposed reservoir am aware that the wafer
would have to he pumped up by ms pan Dus PnnplmS
is not 80 expensive as Is gehtIuh! suplU,c' a., m u,
formed by good authority that three million gallons OF
can be 2 pumPGf an 70 b dg aa w @ feet as wond be
the case 10y this plan, which would he suIer ana more
trustworthy than the plan OF trying TO retain the water
must prove failure If attempted
The consumption OF water during the past eight years
according to the tables furnished by the Commissioners
shows cOnClusNcy that IL Will be soon necessary 10 re-
1862 there we're 5745OO gallons Of water used day hy
population Of htte more than -lOOO, WINE IN loiu
uOpulaOn Of 40)G ~ J. estimated lNtt -@VuuDO
gallons VIII De required. The mercSt yTo m res VIII
see from This that il this continues long before the new
reservoir is completed shall have To LOOK III othtr
directions Tor an increased supply. II may " sd tl
i'm the first few years Of the table OF consumption, the
ratio OF increase was more rapid than IN ldtr years.
from the fact that there was then popOruonatrF
larger number OF people who aYacd themselves Ot us
use than do so now.
We must economic IN the OF water, and waste less
Meters viii, later, have Ia be used, ana thc
Water Board must exercise economy IN the management
of works, which must be made sclf-sustaining,
though by increasing the rates proposed by the
COmnis- -Oncrs whose proposition Ia SHIFT the burden
scarcely worth consideration. The economy must com
mence by stopping all useless and extrayagan eXpend.
| iture in conducting the affairs of the Board, and
| in cOuali2ing the rates that one person
shall not be uni, tly called upon to pay IN eX-
| cess OF another person. With economy, there u
no immediate danger Of the supply falling short, and
meanwhile, let the opinion of hydraulic engineers in
good standing be obtained Let the law be thoroughly
examined ts validity, and let he so amended that
power viii De solely conferred upon the Comlnls sion
ers, by the present act ot acquiring lands ponds, or
streams either by purchase or Otherwise. Let es mates
of the cost Of increasing the supply Of water be had
from competent authority and then let the amount 10
be expended be limited Uy the Legislature In order that
enormous debt resting the city not be
unnecessarily increased Including the various assess
lncns for street improvements, our city debt II now
about SO0O 200, and far H la power, intend
to prevent its increase especially TIL IL II definitely de-
cidcd whether not the many assessments supposed 10
hr paa able hY The resident, improved street. are 10
be paid by those residents or by the taxpayers 1T large