New-York tribune., 1872-03-08
To the Editor or The Tribune.

| To the Editor or The Tribune.
| SIR: The experience of all cities in pro-
vidine water works proved the necessity OF making
provision for liberal supply Of water at tho outset But
liberal the provision was thought to nave oecn AT te
time OF the construction Of their works. nearly oil have
found IL necessary to make provision at great cost for
| AN increased supply and their reports show that
the consunplion and waste OF water each year Ia 1ar
greater In proportion than the Increase In populatioh
The increase in the consumption OF water III the 'i'y
of Brooklyn from 1860 10 1870, was 1l6t per cent
During the same period the increase in population WAS
3, $40 per cent New-York shows a greater disparity
Since the first introduction Of Croton water INTO th'
city largo sums OF money have been expended In the
construction storage reservoirs and In works 10 oD
tain an supply OF water In order 10 Keep pace
with tho increased consumption and waste. To meet
the same exigency, Brooklyn has just contracted or
new storage reservoir and Jersey City has one In pro-
cess of construction II natural to inquire, Can
this disprop0rtiona increase In the consumption ana
waste OF water always be provided for by Increased
storage reservoirs and OF supply Even II
| il could, the enormous expense involved sng-
| gests another inquiry: IL 1t necessary Inc
present consumption land wnse) Of water per day In inc
City OF NewYork So oo0O gallons, equal TO " gaionS
per day for the entire population men. women ana chi
dren whereas 25 gallons per day for each individual mot
including the supply for manufacturing purposes) would
be ample. This amounts to 3l5S,52o gallons auu ~, ~.
manufacturing purposes (Which ~ more than m o o
IG 4 AIS gallons and have aggregate or 4OoUo
gallons as the daily consumption rms SHOWS uay
waste Of IS 100000 gallons. stop TINS waste anu eo
than be used for all necessary purposes, hctub
the flushing OF sewers, cleaning and sprinklng streets
and keeping abundant supply always IN reauhesS W
How shall this waste be prevcnedi simply by the ap-
picaton Of cheap. durable, ana accurate watei ny ,
on every house, store, stable manuiactory and other
buildings and places where water is used Mr craven
formerly Chief Engineer of the Croton Water WORKS anu
whose opinion on matters OF this KIND none WIN qa1s h
tiOn in a publication March II. 1863 speaking OF thr
prodigate waste OF water says Having eXhausteu ~
other efforts i'm rutess attempts TO stop this wrong ~
ia lem hot nntbinr is left but TO nut meter upon
| every house" single faucet, I.6 bore, at
medium elevation in the City OF Brooklyn delivers az
the rate of 10000 gallons per day and that 20W sucn
fucets could absorb the whole daily supply OF 2OoO
gallons What il trne OF Brooklyn is true OF New YORK
| with slight notifications. ,....o
meters the ground that the poor would use less
water If metcred and hence become leSs cfay M my 'e e
| said that the landlords pay the water TAX now,
and would continue to . pay pyd no M NJ restraipf
upon the free use of by the poor. But 1t Is be-
eyed the landlords would make saving III their taxes,
for IL be demonstrated that " gallons per day i0
each individual is far in OF the quantity actually
used. To meet this objection fuly u Is proposed .at
the minimum quantity charged Tor ne - gallons per
| son whether used not A rev years ago
| the Board of Health had under consideration a
| project for making use OF salt water ilsteau OF
| ing streets &c. II was thoroughly examined by the
Engineer of the Board, who reported the pan, III MS
belief decidedly practcaSe, Ine 1S.eu @ 1 ainten
ance about Sl5O.O00 The report was referred 10 tne
Sanitary Committee, with orders 10 commence ,ne woh
as soon as the treasury of the Board contained the es
mated sum II the waste OF water is great M above
Indicated and this waste can be at once arrested a.
posed the larger outlay for this new water proJect ay
| be avoided. Cannot the expenditure OF some ten or
twelve millions Of dollars for new storage RESERVOIRS ana
many years, at until some ehectua method has
been tried to properly take care OF what we now
| Ner- York Feb IS, 1877.