The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-11-21
The Water Specifications.

be very busy just now about the con-
templated new water supply for this
city. The New York papers, which
for sensational purposes and whose
interference generally has evil results,
are particularly busy. The Herald
comes in this morning with some
double distilled quintessence of con-
centrated wisdom which would be
funny if it were not dangerous.
The burden of their song is that the
specifications drawn by the Street and
Water Board exclude every source of
supply, save one. This, if it were
deliberately Or designedly the case,
would be wrong. If it arises from the
very nature of things, what is the use
of kicking? 1t cannot be helped.
The specifications under which a
water supply has been sought for call
for the following conditions
D 1t shall be absolutely pure and
wholesome, free from the contamina-
tion of sewage from any town or con-
siderable village.
(2) 1t shall be sufficient to provide a
supply of so, 900, coo gallons per diem,
if required.
81 Ii shall be wholly within the
jurisdiction of the State of New Jer-
sey-in plain English, it shall be
wholly within its geographical limits.
AZ 1t shall be absolutely controlled
by or in the interest of the municipal
ity of Jersey City. Nobody shall
have any prior right to the water.
Jersey City shall have the right to
take any amount of water the city
chooses, up to the limit set for the
supply, no matter who goes without,
and no other city and no court or
State official or other person whatso-
ever shall have power or right to say
us nay.
These conditions. it is said, exclude
all sources of supply save and except
one stream, the Rockaway River.
Perhaps they do, but if they do, is it
not because under all the existing
circumstances the Rockaway River is
the only source Of supply available
for this city?
Just consider tn is question:-Which
of the conditions above given could
be reasonably dispensed within
Would it be common sense to re-
duce the volume of supply needed9
Is there any use in getting a new
supply, if the conditions are not rigid
as to its purity and wholesomeness?
Again, would it be good judgment
to select or accept a river, the best
half of whose watershed is in New
York State? The Ramapo, for in
stance, is a spendid source of potable
water. But all the best part of it's
drainage area is in Orange county,
New York. New Jersey and any of
its cities which might depend on that
stream for water would take all the
risks of pollution throughout the for
eign portion of it's watershed, and this
State would be powerless to prevent
the diversion of all the water from
that portion Of the shed, if New York
chose to dam the stream and store it
anywhere beyond the interstate
boundary line, whether for the use of
her own cities, for any special in
dustry, or for any other reason or
purpose.
The fourth specification, regarded
as exclusive, is that which provides
that the supply shall be an indepen-
dent one, or at least that this city
shall have a first lien on it, and ex-
elusive control. 1t seems almost
childish to defend this provision. II
the Street and Water Commission
were to contract for water controlled
by another city, and were to accept a
supply conditioned on that other
city's needs, they would deserve to be.
indicted and sent to State Prison and
would be the very first to howl for
their condign punishment. 1t is not
a mere matter of vanity, that we do
not want to take the leavings of
Newark; it is a plain business idea.
We want a certainty and a permanent
certainty and we could never get it if
we depended on the superfuity of
some one else.
We think the reasons we have stated
are conclusive as to the wisdom and
rectitude of the specifications laid
down for the new supply. These are
the only ones which a in any way
be regarded as determining what
streams shall or shall not be used. If
they limit the possibilities of the stu
alton down to n stream, the Rocka-
way, we can only repeat the limita-
ton is in the conditions of the
situation and not in the specifications.