Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-04
WILL THEY SHIRK ?

| The Water Question VIII Again Be Pressed Upon the Council-A Cor respondent Who Would Go It Blind. The Americans anonymous core | spondent who has been trying to divert l public opinion from the different sources supplv for this city in favor of Quassapaug lake tells a story that would have been accepted as plausible one year ago, before the people gener- ally began to study this grave question | of water for themselves, and before the l DEMOCRATS timely warning nipped in 1 the bud the scheme to secure the supply | from Hop brook without making further l investigation.
 But taxpayers, large and small, have l studied the history of the water board and the course it has pursued of buying ] a pig in poke for so many years, and | if the members of the common council allow themselves to be led in this par
 ticular instance by the water com
 missioners or anonymous newspaper
 correspondents, without making a
 thorough investigation of the different
 plans proposed, there will be a vigorous
 protest from democrats and republicans
 alike and perhaps an injunction may be
 resorted to.
 The DEMOCRAT has suggested that Ban
 tam lake offers the best and cheapest
 supply and in previous issue gave facts
 and figures in regard to the different
 plans suggested. The supply that can be
 obtained from Quassapaug lake we claim
 is inadequate the quality we admit to
 be the best. The correspondent of our
 contemporary dwells at length upon the | immense amount of water i'll the lake,
 but says as little as possible about the
 quantity that could be drawn from it
 daily.
 As the question will probably be
 again pressed upon the common
 council this evening we would suggest
 that a committee be appointed to act
 with the water board, whose first duties
 shall be to secure and have analysed wa.
 ter from Bantam lake. Hop brook, and
 the other brooks mentioned in connec. tion with the water supply. Having done this they should draw off six ol eight feet of the water of Quassapaue
 lake and note the length of time it vii require to replenish itself, in order to de termine the quantity that can safely be drawn daily. The next proper steI
 would be to find out how many year! the supply from gang wells is guaranteed to last, and if a guarantee of from thirty ) to fifty years is not given have nothing } to do with the system. And last but no ) least, the committee should be author ized to apply to the general assembly fo : permission to appropriate the waters O l Bantam lake for the use of the town
 The charter of the water department al ! lows the taking of water from any tow1 ! adjoining Waterbury, but to go beyon, f that special act of the legislature is re s quired. It is of the utmost importanc q that permission to take the water o h Bantam be secured now, even thougl a the council should decide that one of tn
 other sources is more economical, be s cause there may come day when som - more enterprising town will want to uti
 lize the waters of the lake, which woul
 forever deprive Waterbury of securin; , the great privilege that is now within '. easy grasp.
 The council should take yea and ma /, vote upon this matter.