New-York tribune., 1886-02-02
STORING UP CROTON WATER.
THE UNION LEAGUE COMMITTEES REPORT.


enecial committee of twenty -One members
wa. APPOINTED by the Union League Club In November
to investigate the increase OF the water supply anu
especially the subject OF the prOposeu Vu"Aoi ~ I'
BrIdge and to make such suggestions 10 'no '''
authorities and the new Aqucduct Commissioners a'
they miyht deem advisable. The committee yes'otu'
handed in the following report to the Mayor:
The engineers OF the Croton Aqueduct commission
state that the completion OF the new qoi stor
ought TO have 10000 900 900 gallons OF autlouai -,
Where can we grt tins and nave roady
by the time that the aGueduct IL nnlsheu @ so, m
at that date theinew aqueduct IN uro"'n '"" ei''
Two schemes proposed Tor tns n four TO six
dam at Quaker Bridge, That would take iron -
years To build and would hOd 3OOOo,OOo'Voos s"o ~
tn mt m operation some OF the ten reservoirs
located and surveyed by the Crotoh AIuoh ,ha ,onr
branches OF the Cr0ton River, known as East Branch
Middle Branch, West Branch ana Muscoos III. ,h
Musr0ot River and would have capacity OF lVoZl,,
900 900 gallons Ohe OF them. ID. with a capacIiy oi
O 400 900 900 gallons Is upon the West Brauch anu
Iare located upon tho Middle Branch and have a
capacity soOOOO00o0 gallons H. ana 40 are ron p0o
IN. East Branch and have capacity or 9,OoooOo'ooV
gallons. These afford storage OF 4oooooVV,oVu -
IONS or 80 per cent more the at Quaker Bridge
Resides the above there il already constructed AZ
Boyds Corners aud at Brewsiers These w o togftot
have storage caaacy of 900 gallons making
with the above 45.OO0,00OOOO gallons' say o0'ooo
The Groom Aqueduct Department IN ther reports,
state that the highest rainfall ut H. the highest resr
yolr. at elevation or 600 feet Boyus .oLneso r '
ing "A period OF thirteen consecutive YeaI 10
rs inches and Engineer Church says IL Ia more lower
down THIS makes IL safe for us to calculate on dt ehs
as Il inches over the whole area The Crotoh Aqueuurt
Department say that for thirteen CONSECUTIVE }ea,s
the average perctn OF the rainfall that noweu ho
the streams ana he stor"bc, was oOl per cent
10 he safe will call IL 90. Tins gives us tue amount
of rainfall goe, INTO the stream aud becomes soi
able taking an average of thirteen consecutive years
t46;; in 90 20 inj little over t"ehly-sIN lhcueS
tese four orches tnat be included by the aboy"
reservoirs lald ont thereon l accOrinE 10 tesc
of The Croon Aqurduct Department. la square miieS;
TINS area w%n" ye,1 eh s Would hr emitting fractions
.sn nnu f,n ept
~ ile or at and half gallons per cuo'c Ioo
"a nou 0nO gaIous per square mile for a Whole year
Multiplying by the number Ct square miles 4, an
Omitting frac,lc sglves US 'S,ooo,ouVuou ry,ip
r par ON these four branches But the capacity of
and G. (Boyd'n CORNERS and BirWstctsl a.'edu9 I'M
and 4. u. t. u. +. II. j. and l., waiting 70 be ou
Is only $4,000 100000 gallons The StoraDe wattl
IS OOO 900 gallons per year. would lhen M VIrs %
/, once during the spring freshet and half durnS IN.
fall resnot, more than twice hs much water
each year ~ would the QUAKER br1Se ud. , o
Thrr. are trrr rrscry sites NJ ana D. Iad OlI Oh
mo-" referred ior the reason the engineers suggest
Thai they are not desirable sites. But inc
branches would include only about one-half the
drainage OF the Croioh Blsn ao9V" 9N Su'Hu. me-
Nrdgs: and while these reservoirs were hlilnR III tue
w., rho Troton ia ,in would supply the aqucducts
BIt a. soon a. drouth BEGAN the aqneduct'
would then begin drawing upon the 53OoOoOoVoo gar
Ion. s5oea np IN 9 sS @, .r .oh % woa G f%SD,h the
aoueducts 800 OOOOOo gallons per day Tor SIX mouths
II drouth snould continue 40 long ,,o ,, sbould
It would probably pe inauy years before we Smo,,"
need ali these reservoirs; AMI the SUES ol ,,
n,ttrr than oturr. one of these. upon the MuS'"o,
RIVER l. pronounced by Ensucer Church hs tOpd a. ~
not bet than the one huit years ago al
corners, near ths heth wafer, o' t"r ,' -, 81 ~,
Wnlr bulliug the our already decided upon ht I'm
aud tn. upon tie Mt'cpot ld'rr' so as 10 nave nave
them done aud ian by tue Ao the @qI'"act Is uone,
| two and half years from TINS datr, TIE
W. hnyr ample time have IN" other sites ciEcIuJ
-urs ey ed the best ones und determine "Leh Az"
~ what order they shall lee built u Is admitted t"t
will take from four years under inc m't Ia'o
! able circumstances to huld tue Quaker b'"gr pl,u
aud IL uoy t"ke much ionscr Ina ,olres .,' r
gttlH
ia, aqIrduct for years after II Is cohpr,ci WI
.uvuI.rr uf these several rc.rr' - some miles above
ON The branches. one alone by tar NOUN vI tnc
ntr.r nru urst tmpnIudrd. would. when wanted, have
to dow from t. twenty miles over tht t3,Hy "en VI
A. nnd so though dead water at the start from th'
reservoir would before "ul'r ring Ihe ,ui nJ
living water. thoroughly aeIaleu "lu @ ~ ~ a, ,r.,t
agreeable To drink; while II 1t was t"hen toll, on
Quaker directly INTO tho aqn"duci u wnl NC @
w,I@r not aoratod would IN that state enter our
TT committed believe upon the best investigation
,h,y have been able make that the Interests oI th
CIV its wafer supply "iIl oo o'st p'o p -, Tor
.tnrgr of water which has hitherto btch aop ca ~ u
pur.n, namely the plan OF storing tho water rs tli
"a nr.ctcable upon each of tho four pIHhrh"s oi lno
rn" RIVER kuoVn "A, the Ea-t Branch, Middle biaBcA
~, Hrtuch and Mu,coot RIVER rhis p!n vas adopted
w., ,, ration by the abe, m-n. looking To
IN. hest interests OF the cIy. and has hitherto
tn the city water good can he onihncd rom tnt
Cioon valley By this plan the reservoir or rrsTr ,ors
upou one branch cannot. III cas-" "f ACCIDENT
the security Of reservoirs upon tue o'hc' pin" -, ~
the IN ono rrseryoir II ion ."y aus u, i ip
cannot tie Ndtor OF ''l'"'''
hut II Is POSSIBLE Ia let II out ahh clrhh INC lnH o
yoirs without cndanErring the continuous supp,y
OF pure AMI "hoI'7"ho ,''' ,raaCch.. mi.
from ihe Reservoirs upon "'heI oraucn'N a..
rn,umttl &C. Therefore. eatuc~tiy cOmmrnl tnr
decision OF the Aqnednct .o",lds s,,i, ~ com
once reservoirs AT or near Be"7te % H',
monty known thc -Udon Dams, ana iecu'iIh'u'
The rc.crvoirs br provided by these dams toe made m
Iry, a. utactIcabr aud eVer where OF suHl'ch' ue'u
10 impouId preserve aud secure the RehIrl ani % &
tnr. and Wholesome water when can be sntey ana p"
gently mlonnne & ~, ,in., ,.,ryoir. he begun
I,fst 4 lg
tnry shall NJ cd and IN operation bY the Tine 'ne Ho"
"rni. committee also recommend that the other sites
for rcsrryor. upon the fOur RAJ branches "l hr
Croton heretofore surveyed ANA pronounced Eoon sa
by the Croton Aqueduc DeD.rtmcnt he ter1hmineu a.
soon as practicable. that such or them Az u,y We
and n 6ursumc water be deteruinrd anu bullt ana
red, To- occupied last a. the wants of tue oY may
nni,Iiee slso recommend that the proposed
site the reservoir upon the CIolon 'rI Dio" '
junction of It's branches, al or near MuHt"ot MuuulA
il. carrfy surveyed the extent of tho area To ps
W p ~ tis resrryIlr ought to be rxcavated through
ont A.. whole area aud cleared or vcgetabe depoSlN ~
~ho,one water shoud carefully ertainrd togrth
with the probable cost OF sucn h h nun ma
nr.ccab,e from contamination from tho SURROUNDING
r"ry or villages or works OF any kind tending t'
,ate m water impure II. uUOn such survey ana as
csrtntum.ut OF The cost OF excavation and provldlnI
a"usiuc cam on shall br Of opinion that this res
ervor ought to lie buit in order to secure anH preset
from waste any waters when cannot pe iinPounuo,
with equal safety and economy upon inc severa
branches Of tue Cfo'Oh above MnseVo' ,uis" rnr
, | tlcu tlis committee recommend thdt TINS leScI
vntr he bntlt I'm such manner "a TO impound th
largest amount of pure and wholesome water practc'
hi, aud that 10 be- buit TO he HtIe Hhu stcur
aganst po.,ble accident danger from drawing do"i
tbs waters which ay be below II or fom rupture oi an
~ the dams above IT, aud that II be also 40 buit as
ou,rate most efficiently with the Quaker Bridge Dam
thut should ever become necessary. - =.
This c"nmittes SO recommend that the decision ss T.
wLeher or not the proposed great dam, known as In
Quaker Bridge Dam shall be built be reserved Ior m
tnr and most careful consider alton Dy the Aqucduc
Cnmm III after the amount OF water whl'h NAV
! md Cal mpollnnrd
1r r,nchc. shall le sscertaued, aud, II Tor lhe Inter
st 81 The div the dams 10 impnund 10 built We shh
then guow whether tno Quaker Bridge Dam IL require
ar not nud n not required. the city VIII escape tho 90
prnse danger ana risk OF this dam; hut II required tn
ry will by that timo be much better able thah NJ pres
en to the heavy coat Of that gigantic anu eApo
mental structurc. -. .,.,,. ,
sIrnng point Ia favor OF the new aquehuct wholly
"A tuuucl IL it's safety from sudden destruction Y "A
enemy. ir the water to supply IL - I'm mpohhuSo