The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-24
PA WTUXET HEARING.
City Engineer Shedd Makes an In
teresting Statement.
THE CITY CAN'T GO ELSEWHERE.
Only the Pawtuxet Furnishes Water
Enough - Mr.. Parker of Coventry
Makes Sensible suggestion-WhyN Not
Trunk Sewer p Other Speeches.

The hearing on the bill for an act to
prohibit the pollution of the Pawtuxet
river, was continued at the rising of the
House, this evening. Gov. Henry Howard
was the first speaker against the passage
of the bill. He said that there was a mis-
taken idea that the people of the Pawtuxet
valley were opposed TO doing anything TO
secure the purity of the water Of the river.
IL was true that there had been incendiary
and improper language made use of in the
press and he was sorry that it had been
used. IL would have been better had
there been calm discussion of the matter
and had it been left TO the arbitration OF a
committee of discreet gentlemen: Gov.
Howard then reviewed the early history
OF the Providence water works, quoting
the language of the original board of water
commissioners, who then said that the
proposed source of water supply for Provi-
dence would afford them the purest water
obtainabe for domestic purposes. He said
that he hadn't the least doubt but that the
water now in use in Providence was purer
than the water in his own well, and yet
he should not care TO use the PawtuXet
water because it was naturally repulsive.
The City of Providence could not close
up the great industries of the Valley. IL
would be .manifestly unjust. The manu-
facturers were not using the river as a
common sewer. Tanks were dug to catch
afiiuents, but these would at times over
flow in spite of all attents TO control it.
There was one way out of the difficulty
and good one. 1t was suggested by
gentleman of experience in such matters
1t was that the city should meet the man
ufacturers half way and enable them to
avoid the pollution. The plan was To begin
at Hope, in the town of Scituate, and build
a sewer in the highway, enlarging it first
at the lnterlaken Mills at Arkwright,
again at the Clyde works in Hope and
again at Pettaconsett, where the city
could either build precipitation tanks there
or ruh the sewerage into the river below
the pumping station.
The greatest cause of pollution was not
the mill, or the dye house, but the com
mon highway, from which is washed oifal
of every description and the emptyings of
house drains, and this sewer would at
once remove that grayer, filthier cause of
complaint.
There was to be considered first of all,
whether too much water would thus be
divided from the natural river bed.
Gov. Howard thought that that would
not be the case.
He was sure that the business men and
manufacturers of the Valley would heart
lily cooperate with the city in this, or any
other fair plan to prevent, not to continue
the pollution of the Pawtuxet river.
Coventry spoke on the question of the
constitutionality of the proposed law. He
maintained that the courts would not sus-
tain the act if il became law, as the ripa-
rian right the prescriptive rights, the oc-
cupation OF privileges for twenty years
without disturbance, would prevent the
operation of the proposed law The very
fact that the city of Providence has paid
$4,000 TO people in the valley to discon-
tinue certain pollutions, sustained the
claim of the opponents of this act that
twenty years use of the water of the river
puted.
City Engineer Shedd said:
1T was no mistake 20 take water for the
city at Pettaconset The quantity certain
Co be available there is not greater than is
required TO ensure with proper margin,
under all contingencies, for future use,
against a water famine. Our use of water
has already, at times, risen above twelve
million gallens per day aud the demand
must go increasing indefinitely. We must
have water. There are at the pumping sta
tion 1876 square miles of drainage area. The
ordinary low water run for one month in
each year, unaided by water stored in res
ervoirs, may be taken on an average at
OBS C. (. s. per square mile or 4SSl cubic
feet per second, which is equal to about
thirty-one and one half millions gallons
per day. There would probably be week
or more of the time daring which the flow
would be very much less than this. But
if it should be assumed that we might
have month when the yield would be rs
low per square mile as i'm the month of
September 1884, in the Sudbury river,
which supplies Boston, we should have a
flow on an average for the month of only
about eight million gallons per day.
" Ii is only because the manufacturers
maintain reservoirs that we have u larger
flow in the summer months, but the city
has no right to insist that these reservoirs
be maintained, and should not be in a po-
sition TO depend on the pleasure of others
to store water for dry weather use.
ave have heretofore supposed that with
the addition of stored water from the
manufacturers reservoirs our low-water
run is about ll5,OO0,0O gallons per day.
That we cannot depend at all times upon
water passing at this rate was shown last
summer, when IL was estimated that the
total flow at Pettacouset was at one time
at the rate of about 100000 gallons per
day. The natural flow cannot be expected
TO increase, but our use of water must i'm
crease, and with "A demand already for
more than l2OOO,OOO gallons on some days,
il would seem unwise 10 move To n posi-
ton where less natural flow could be de
pended upon than we now have
"We are liable for the present rate of in
crease In the use of water, to need twenty
two and one-half million gallons per day
in ten years from now and it is almost Ger
tain that we could not 20 thirty years
without needing that amount. IL would
not be good policy for the city of Provi-
dence to spend much money to introduce
water from a source that would be cX-
hausted i'm less than thirty years. The
minimum supply from "a drainage area i'm
this State for year of low rainfall would
require the total yield OF about two square
miles of territory TO yield,one million gal
Ions of water per day through the year.
For twenty-five and ne-half million gal
Ions per day we should therefore need
forty-five square miles of drainage area il
all the water which falls on the territory,
or flows in spring freshets, were withheld
In reservoirs Co exc out the small supply
of their summer months. IL is hardly
feasible ordinarily TO provide complete
storage for so large an area though il may
sometimes be possible. at great expense.
With no unusual storage probably a
drainage area of about one hundred and
thirty square miles would be required to
give the supply. Somewhere between
these two areas, probably would be the
area required practically for this supply,
when fully developed by the construction
of storage reservoirs. Ia the light of these