The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-27
RAMAPO WATER.
Still Another Plan For
Furnishing Jersey City
With a New Supply.
ALMOST PERFECTLY PURE
Its Projectors Claim the Shed Will
Furnish iOO,OOO,OOO Gallons
Per Day.

W hen the Board of Trade was considering
the question of new water supply for Jersey
City, Mr. Henry i. Torrey, civil engineer,
at q meeting of the board held November II,
1890, advocated the acceptance of a PROPOSE
tion to furnish the supply from the Ramapo
Watershed Of New York This is situated
in the mountain regions of Rockland coun-
ties, and, according to Mr.. Torrey, tho
purity of its water is unsurpassed. A con
dult could b9 laid from that district at the
State line to Jersey City capable of supply
ing 100000 coo gallons per day
The Rarnapo River has a drainage era of
105 square miles within the State Of New
York, of which So square miles are avail
able for a supply of water to the city start
ing from an elevation of 432 feet above tide
level.
This available area of water gathering
grounds can be increased to 100 square miles
at a moderate expense by diverting the up
per waters of a number of streams adjacent
10 the crest of the water shed of the Ram
apo. These water sheds resemble somewhat
those of the Upper Croton, but thev are at a
greater elevation, have more large lakes,
sleeper slopes of the ground, a less perlne-
able surface, and are occupied by a very
sparse population.
FAN-LIKE VALLEYS.
The valleys of all the tributary streams
from the ocean, only forty miles distant and
are inclosed in almost mountain hills which
condense the water from the highly saturat-
ed atmosphere, and cause copious rainfals,
which flow rapidly down the steep, rocky
impermeable hill slopes, and thus escape
much of the usual loss of water by evapora-
ton before it reaches the brook The rain
gauges on or near this district and the OBJ
served flow off of the mountain brooks and
the main river, as might be expected from
these circumstances, show a larger amount
of available water therefrom than is usually
obtained from equal areas of water shed.
There are some grazing farmSat the north
ern end, and few cultivated fields in the
valley, but the hill sides are generally
wooded, and in q few places are used for
grazing. Mines of magnetic iron are found
in places which furnish ore TO three smelling
furnaces. There are almost no other manu-
factories in the district, and none of an OBJ
jectionable character The population of the
district has not increased in a century. and
probably never will beyond its present
sparse limits, because the unoecupied lands
are unfit for cultivation, and there are no
facilities or inducements to establishments
factories.
ALMOST PERFECTLY PURE WATER.
The ocean derived water falls upon the
mountain slopes IN an almost perfectly pure
condition, and when flowing over their sur
face receives no contamination from decay
ing vegetation or from the pure quartz soil,
so that it must be unusually pure and whole
some. The highly aerated, bright, sparkling
waters from the rapid, foaming mountain
brooks are the home of the speckled trout,
the best analysts of pure water. The fish
are never found in water containing any
thing deleterious.
The water from the Ramapo district. Mr.
Torrey said, would be taken from eight or
more separate sources which differ from
from each other in location, elevation, ex-
poSure and other circumstances to such a
degree that not more than two of them can
be affected By these causes at the same
time If one or more of the eight sources
should at any time be affected, an ample
supply of pure water can be obtained from
the others until the operation of self-purifi-
cation had been completed. There are
twelve natural lakes on the tributaries of
the Ramapo which have an aggregate sur
face of 100000 square feet, and by means
of moderately low dams at the GU let's Of
each will have an available capao for
storing nine billion gallons of water.
NINE STORAGE RESERVOIRS.
Mr. Torrey said that it was proposed to
construct nine artificial storage reservoirs
which would in the aggregate hold seven
billion gallons, making a total storage for
sixteen billion gallons of water The natural
lakes, Mr.. Torrev claimed. would be Of great
advantage and economy to the Ramapo sys-
tenn, because their capacity for storage might
be utilized beyord their own drainage area
BY proper management in drawing the daily
supply from the artificial reservoirs below
the lakes, and thus keep them as far as pos
sible in condition to receive the water from
excessive or long continued rain.
The aggregate supply was tC be derived
from eight separate districts, any two Of
which would at any time furnish the whole
quantity for a limited period and until the
others were in condition to furnish it. 1t
was proposed to build dams generally of
stone masonry at or near the outlet of each
lake, so as to retain and cont oil the water
stored therein. Earthen dams were also to
be placed at suitable places to form storage
reservoirs and gate chambers and pipes were
to be erected to draw off the water as may
be required.
DESCRIPTION OF THE LAKES.
The maximum altitude of the lakes is 976
feet and the lowest 538 feet, and they con-
tain in all S501, ,250.000 available gallons.
and the storage reservoirs afford an esti-
mated available fow of 100000 900 gallons
per day
The conduit proposed was to approach the
State line near the head of Saddle River,
twenty-one miles from Jersey City. From
that poinu at an altitude of $50 feet above
tide conduit can be laid along the Saddle
River Valley in almost a straight line all the
way to Belleville reservoir or to new reser-
voir, to be built at West Hoboken 220 feet
above tide water. The cost of reservoirs in
the Ramapo Valley would be somewhat
more than that of those in the Pequann0ck,
yet Mr.. Torrey claimed that the Jerssy City
conduitS, with less pressure, running on even
ground with no river crossings, would be-
eaoCsgsa cheaper TO more than compensate
for the difference.