Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-01-05
MAYOR WEBSTER ON WATER.
Experiences an Unexplained Change Of
Opinion Within a Year.

Experiences an Unexplained Change Of
Opinion Within a Year.
Mayor Webster's change of opinion in
regard to the proposed new water supply
is causing considerable comment. In
his message a year ago his honor
treated the water question as follows:
1.-THE next urgent and important
question that will demand your atten-
ton and prompt action is the increase
of the present water supply. Never has
the necessity for such action been felt
more forcibly, never has there been a
better opportunity to inform ourselves
on the quality, quantity and per-
manency of the different sources of
supply. \ n The past season has dem
onstrated that the Wolcott brooks hold
their flow much better in dry weather
than the Middlebury sources. 1t has
never been disputed that the water from
the eastern sources is the purest. 1t is
of vital Importance that we have good
water and we want the best. The best
we surely have from the east and l
doubt not sufficient supply. If a dis
tributing reservoir had been placed on
Lindley brook ten years ago and the
flow tuhned into our present mains, we
should not at any time since have
suffered from scarcity of water.
trust the committee now preparing the
report will be able to give us an esti-
mate of the damages which factories
along the Mad river may be able to
prove will result from diverting the
waters of Lindley or Chestnut Hill
brooks, or both, for the uses of the city
No estimate or information has ever
been presented to the council on this
damages will be the enormous sum
many claim, our taxpayers will be likely
to say that the poorest water from Hop
brook is good enough"
1t has not been shown that the
damage caused by taking water from
the eastern sources will be enormous
On the contrary, gallon for gallon of
water may be taken from the Mad river,
at less cost than from Hop brook.
In his message to the council Monday
night he took a position diametrically
opposed to the above and said:
81 regret to say another year has been
wasted in fruitless discussion over an ad-
ditional water supply, end the city prac-
tically is no nearer the solution of this
question than when the discussion began.
So much has been said on this subject
in your boards, in the public press and
elsewhere, that YOU are familiar with the
arguments for and against each source of
supply, and it seems useless to go over
them again. The opposition to Hop
brook is mainly on the ground of i'm
purity, and most that has been said on
this score has been said in ignorance
No one familiar with the ground will
claim that Hop swamp is a ranker and
more mucky bog than is Cedar swamp,
and no chemist or expert has ever
shown or claimed there was any material
difference in the purity of the water from
either source. The purest mountain
stream will as surely carry the germs OF
An infectious disease as any other, if they
ind access to it. and one of the proposed
sources is as liable to such contamination
as the other. Leaving out of account the
report of the special committee, which is
so skilfully drawn that ingenious men
read it either way to their liking, and the
reports of the board of water commission
ers, and considering the question lely or
the ground of expediency and public neces.
sity and utility, is it wise to attempt by
legislative enactment to take away from
the board of water commissioners some OF
the powers now vested in them, when
confessedly no department of the city has
been better managed than this when
if you shall accomplish it, you are moi
certain majority of the council
will favor your plan, and wher
you will certainly delay work at least {
year To accomplish what? To get lit
tie larger supply of a little pure- water
but not of sufficient difference to be de
tected except by chemist, And this i,
rue, as to purity, only of the water o.
Chestnut hill and Lindley brooks, and no
of Mad River. for the special report of D.
Smith of Yale university of September Is
1890, shows indications of sewage contain
nation in that stream greater than in wa
ter from either of the other sources
and this is the most dangerous of all i'm
purities.
Il it not wiser to adopt a recommends
ton of the board of water commissioner
and proceed at once to secure supply OF
pure and wholesome water, to be turned
into our mains as soon as possible without
hindrance or gal obstacle; avoiding pos
sible embarrassment to manufacturers
along Mad River and the liability to heavy
damages from that source, and securing
the great advantage of more equal pres,
sure by discharge into our mains at oppo
site parts of the town"