Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-11-22
RETROSPECTIoN.
MORE ABOUT THE CITY's WATER
SUPPLY.

A Patchwork system That Is Costly
and Unreliable Many Errors of
Judgment Charged UP to the Water
commissioners.
For the purpose of comparison we
have carefully looked over the annual
reports of the water commissioners
since the system was established in Wa
terbury over twenty years ago, and pre-
| sent herewith few extracts from the
reports of different years, that will be
found interesting. In a report published
| in 1869 the commissioners explain the
system as follows:
"The stream from which our supply
| is derived. Hast Mountain brook, takes
it's rise in several pure springs, found
near the boundary between Waterbury
and Prospect. 1t flows through meadow
land from its source to the point OF the
upper dam, a distance of about $50 rods,
its average.size being about three feet in
width and four inches in depth, Its
water shed covers an area of about one
square mile. From the point of the
lance of half a mile, the flow is rapid,
being over a rough and rocky bed, and
makes descent of over 10 feet. The
volume of water is increased near the
lower dam by the addition of another
stream, which also comes from pure
springs. and at the point of distribution
gives by actual measurement, during
the dry seas on, not less than 432 600 gal
Ions per day. The reservoir contains
5000, 900 gallons and covers water
surface of about three acres. A second,
or upper reservoir, contains 1OO,O0O,0O0
gallons, covering a water surface of
about thirty.five acres, and is at its
greatest depth twenty-five feet"
1t will be seen from the above that in
the dryest season the supply of water
was 432, 900 gallons, day. Last summer
with more than the usual rainfall The
flow of Hop brook was only Gas, 900 gal
Ions day, while at times Quassapaug
could only furnish 81 $50 gallons daily.
Now then, the question is just this: Ii
the Hop brook supply is no greater than
that of East Mountain, and if Quassa-
paug can only furnish one-seventh as
much water as East Mountain (as per
report) would it not be folly to expend
hundreds of thousands of dollars in such
sources? To us it is plain that with
both Quassapaug and Hop brook to
draw upon, within fifteen years the sup
ply would again give out.
So far as quantity is concerned, the
Mad river, with such feeders as Lindley
brook and Chestnut hill reservoir, either
one of which will in aff probability sup
ply as much water as Hop brook, is adj
mitted to be the only available stream
in this vicinity that can furnish enough
water for all time. The only obstacles
in the way are the manufactures along
the line of the river, and we believe that
by guaranteeing them enough water
during the dry season a compromise
could be effected by the terms of which
no one would suffer. By the construc-
ton of dam or two a storage reservoir
for the use of the factories could easily
be formed in which the water that runs
off to the sea at night and on Sundays
could be stored. That the manufac-
turers could be approached on this mat
ter Is shown by the following extract
from the commissioners report of 1870:
, Several corporations and other
owners of property on Mad river claimed
damages for the taking of water from
/ East Mountain brook, the stream from
which the supply is derived, it being one
, of the chief feeders of said river. A
settlement has been made for SIC, 000."
; Up to and including the year 1871 the
supply at East Mountain was sufficient
, to meet all demands, and although the
r city was still in its teens 1t will be inter-
, esting to know that the amount of
water required was probably equal to
, the capacity of Hop brook at present.
In the commissioners report of that year
we find: go --
i Notwithstanding the unusual drouth
{ of last summer the supply of water was
} abundant. During the season the aver
, age amount of water drawn from the
, reservoir was about 100000 gallons per
} day."
And again in 1874:
"The dams, reservoirs, gate houses,
mains, gates and hydrants are all in
| good order, and there is no fear of any
, deficiency in the supply of water"
In 1876 the tune suddenly changed.
? The city was growing rapidly and the
D commissioners reported that an addition
t al supply was needed. A year later, no
. action having been taken to increase the
: supply the board reported as follows:
j Your honorable body has already
} been informed by former reports and
a communications from this board, that
Q the consumption of water had rapidly
' increased from year to year, and the ef-
8 feet of this increase had been deficient
supply to families residing in the higher
s portions of the city"
: In accordance with a resolution from
4 the board suggesting the construction of
2 a reserve reservoir near the city, suffici-
/ emily large to contain two weeks con-
i. sumption, and so arranged that families
Q on high grounds could be supplied
] therefrom, the board procured survey
: and estimate of cost and reported in part
o as follows:
d "That in our opinion the most feasible
place for the construction of said reser-
voir is in the valley of Little brook, on
the east side of Cooke street, above Pine
n street; that said reservoir should be
E about 500 by 300 feet in size, and about
f twelve feet deep. The probable cost of
i the work, including right of way and
h land damage, the excavation and con.
n struction of the reservoir and dams, the
: laying of sufficient pipes to supply the
s city in case of accident, together with
e feed pipes, gates, etc., for regulating the
Q high service, providing for diverting the
v course of Little brook, gate houses, ETC.,
o will,in our opinion, mot exceed $50 900. >
y Matters rested here for a time, until
= 1879 when in their report the board said
"The capacity of the present works is
hardly equal to the demands upon them.
Again the commissioners must call YOU
q attention to the necessity Of increasing
"a, Of NJ -