Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-11-12
AGAINST oUAssAPAUG.
Another Citizen Argues For the Mad
 River Water Supply.


 Another Citizen Argues For the Mad
 River Water supply.
 Editor of the DEMOCRAT:
 After reading your remarks on the advisability of making Mad river the source of supply of water for the city, and also having seen in your issue of the 10th instant the facts and figures set forth by '.Citizen," I am. surprised to find that the majority of the city coun- cil should rush so hastily into the mat ter of getting supply from Quassapaug lake. at an outlay of about half million dollars.
 According to the report of the con- missioners the greatest amount of water that can be drawn from Quassapaug, under the most favorable conditions, is ,500, 900 gallons daily, while there have been periods when only 61 .560 gallons a day could be supplied by the lake. AS suming that the maximum quantity, 1, ,500, ,000 gallons, could be taken daily from the lake in all seasons, is that a sufficient supply for the future needs of Waterbury? Is it or is it not a fact that we need now at least million gallons day mere than the present reservoirs can supply? In fact we were told a few days ago that the chief supply was com ing from the Mad rIver, that the reser- voirs were slowly filling up, etc, etc. It might be well if some of our city fathers who are so glib in proposing an outlay of at least $400, ,000 for an in- sufficient supply, would go to the pump ing station on Mad river, where they would notice that so great is the quan- tity of water, that what the pump takes from it is no more noticeable than if a horse were drinking from the stream. We read in the report of the water commissioners of 1885: We find a favorable location for dam and reser- voir lon the Mad river) in the town of Wolcott, at an elevation of 427 feet above Center Square," So that, as "Citizen" said, a reservoir could be placed on Mad river that would send water above the highest ridges in Water bury. In fact it would be well to have one reservoir that would meet the wants of those dwelling in the highest locali- ties, and another to supply the rest of the city. This could easily be done on Mad river.
 About a couple of hundred yards to the left of where the Woodtick road crosses Mad river, there is a place where the river runs through a narrow neck, not more than couple of hundred feet , wide. If a dam was placed at this point the water of the river could be , made to extend over an immense natural basin, all the way from the Woodtick to the Wolcott road and the dam would be only about mile and g half from the pumping station. I think that this would be at height sufficient to supply seven eighths of the city. As l your correspondent remarked reservoirs could be built at various heights along , the line, if required. An engineer could determine whi oh height would be most } eligible.
 r Mad river has most abundant feeders besides its own sources, Lipdley brool } empties into it from Hitchcock's pond i and many other streams besides Hitchcock's ponds are nearly twice al 3 large as Quassapaug. Welton's ponC ) and Chestnut Hill pond also empty into s Mad river and before it receives thest tributaries it is itself an immenst g stream. All the sources and feeders oi
 the river flow from high grounds ant
 therefore it's water must be pure.
 It is singular that every stream within
 nine or ten miles of Waterbury, must b. hunted up to spend hundreds of thous
 ands of dollars upon, while a majesti e river is within a few miles of us an( 5 flowing into the Naugatuck river, witl only small portion of it used by thu = mills.
 3 Perhaps it would sound better in tn,
 ears of some if we should call it Joll, brook, Silver stream, Milkman's delight l Paper privilege or some such romantic f name. Then it might be esteemed al 3 worth something. ....-.... ? Give us enough water at once and fo l | 7''''' ' t3. ' -i..5 M ATTEE, OTE.IY Trr :