Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-04-19
NO. 15.
A Great Water Scheme.

There is a project of supplying a
number of the principal Ne York cities
with water from the Adirondacks, in
which clear, cold, spring water is to be
found in abundance. An exchange
says The great expense attending this
project is the cost of the acqueduct,
which, if extended to New York City,
would be more than 200 miles in length.
When we consider, however, the Ro-
man aqueducts (the Aqua Marcia, 80
miles in length, built las years before
Christ, and the numerous other aque-
ducts, some of which are in use to this
day; the aqueduct of the inferior town,
Civita Vecchia, % miles in length; in
Provence, that which supplied Nismes,
crossing deep valleys at height of 188
feet, conducting the water fora distance
of % miles,, the aqueduct proposed
will not appear chimerical. In Scot
land the city of Glasgow is supplied
with water brought from Loch Katrine,
distant 26 miles, furnishing $4,000, 900
gallons day. This aqueduct was COM
pleted in 1858. In France a covered
conduit, so miles in length, conveys
S,000,0 900 gallons of pure spring water
to Paris from the head of the Dhuis,
in Champagne, and progress is making
upon the Vaune aqueduct, distant from
Paris 104 miles; estimated yield, o.
600, 900 gallons day. In England the
water furnished London being inferior
in quality, new source of supply from
the head waters of the river Severn, in
North Wales distant 173 miles,, has
been suggested. The cost of the aque-
duct is estimated at $43, 100000.
All these works are undertaken for
the sake of procuring pure water; for,
though each of the cities above men
toned has river flowing past it, from
which water could be procured by steam
pumps, the people of those cities are
not satisfied, and demand such a pure
supply as will secure them from cholera
and other epidemics. If the present
ratio of increase cf population contin-
ues, the valley of the Hudson river
must eventually contain one long mar
ginal city, extending from the Mohawk
river to New York The Adirondack
Wilderness is the only watershed which
will afford sufficient supply of pure
water for such population as will then
exist. In this country the Croton Aque-
duct, 3S miles in length, has shown the
practieability and value of this method
of supply. Admitting that $50 miles
of the proposed Adirondack aqueduct
be built at the expense of the cities of
New York and Brooklyn, and so miles
at the expense of Albany and Troy, we
have the major portion of the work
completed; while ten other towns, each
worthy of an aqueduct 10 miles in length,
would render their aid to the enter
prise. Although this source of water
supply cannot, for various reasons, be
made Immediately available, yet, unless
action be taken at this time, and the
forests protecting and purifying the
waters themselves protected, there will
be no opportunity in the future to ac-
complish this great work. Such vast
enterprises are of slow progress. If
this aqueduct were commenced in these
days, long before its completion the
failing water supply would rouse the
people to clamorous demand that it
be finished. For the present the pro-
lection of the forests is all that is re-
1uired, and unless this be done we
shall incur the merited scorn of pos.
taritv