The New York herald., 1877-10-07
Our Annual Water Famine.

Thursdays abundant rains have fur
nished such supply OF water to the Croton
Valley district that we may hope for at
least temporary relief from our annual
water famine. The chief advantage of this
timely deluge will be to afford the water
purveyors an opportunity to prepare for
the consequences Of another spell OF
dry weather. 1t will be interesting to
know what steps will be taken by the
Commissioner of Public Works with this
object. Adopting suggestion offered by
the HERALD during last years water
famine, he has raised the crest Of the
Croton dam and thus increased the storage
capacity OF the lower reservoir by several
hundred millions Of gallons but this
increase does not represent at best
more than a weeks supply for New York
city. What have We to rely on beyond this
inadequate reserve? We are told that the
lakes and reservoirs of the Croton water
shed represent volume of water amply
sufficient for all the wants of the metropo-
lis. But how does it happen that at the
very season when water is most needed for
supply invariably fails and the citizens of
New York are compelled to suffer innumer-
able privations for the want Of that which
they have right to expect in abundance?
A water supply for over one million Of peo-
pie which is wholly dependent on local
and uncertain rainfall over a comparatively
limited area in q region outside the mete-
geological zone of abundant precipita-
tion cannot be depended on to meet
the wants of such large and in
creasing population. What, then, should
be done to procure perfect and re-
liable supply Of water for New York? We
have been asking the engineers of the Gro
ton Aqueduct Department this question for
some years, but have not yet received sat
isfactory reply. The building of extensive
and enormously costly storage reservoirs in
the Croton watershed appears to be the only
remedy suggested. But how are these to be
filled if the.present limited storage reser-
voirs become quickly drained after few
weeks dry weather? 1t seems to us that
the Croton Aqueduct engineers must brush
up their wits and find some better safeguard
against the annual water famine. 1t has
been suggested-it is true by mere out
siders who breathe not the official atmo-
sphere and draw not on the city treasury
that other sources of water supply are
numerous, reliable and within reach. But
the idea Of building fools monument in
the shape Of twenty million dollar reser-
voir in the Croton district, and possibly a
new aqueduct, seems to have taken possess
sion OF the Official mind, and nothing but
that plan of relief can be recommended.
With the ever threatening danger of fire in
New York and the positive certainty that
under the present system no sufficient guam
tity of water can be obtained when it IS
needed, the water question becomes the first
in importance to this community. The open
ing OF the old city wells, although good
measure of precaution against the spread Of
fires, would be too dangerous an expert
ment, from sanitary point OF view, to be
adopted. The defective city sewers have
probably converted many of these wells into
cesspoos, where the deadly germs oftyphoid
fever and diphtheria lurk in waiting for
their thousands Of victims should the well
waters be used again for domestic purposes.