New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-27
FUTURE WATER NEEDS.
VIEWS OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER oh
TIE NEW CRoTON AQUEDUCT.
SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE AT oNch-'o'
sIRI.E SOURCES OF sUPPLY-HoW THE wv
SUMPTION OF WATER HAS INcREAShp
IN NE,y YoRK-THE NEED OF
PREVENTING WASTE.

IN NEW YoRK-THE NEED OF
PREVENTING WASTE
.In nv opinion we ought to be doing somethhs
NOW toward meeting the demands OF the "'ea
Network for water" said Alphonse fteie! o"''
engineer OF the new Croton aquecuct gay VI ."o
400 I'm answer TO the question OF a rep'c'''''
of The Tribune. -. H., o,,dent
9TH, ,mnortance Of this question must pe ea'u."
,o every one who gives any Afternoon W ~ -.
r,o,ov yvcr; on THE Legislature AT us re0'"'
sion was asked to appoint commission ~
,or O nj renort on this matter but unror'u""",''
,h hu vas not passed The Aqueduct 'on''i',n
sioners also asked for authority 10 m"" to
.ion,l surveys and estimates, but fai'e" W
authority to do So .s,do,ed in con-
'"T'here are several things to DE cohS'''' -
oo,,on with this subject. one Is trat 1t ''N''
,,r,a IN make careful surveys ana
Ia,. o,d another is that 1t takes time ioi Wv
work NJ construction after the plans h"'e '
agreed on. - 10 dome with
7rhere are some things which can De done W. w.
an, great trouble or expense that "ou Ut,
cha citv IN increase appreciably its water sup,'
SURVEYS have already been made III ree a ,1o,s,
r. ,,u piver which is an affiuent OF 'he
.,,o Ian, from which we could draw water III 49,
state without involving ourselves III o., - orr
versv with other States. If we TAP '"' r,r mo-
ov,n state people in other states WIN - ,r
,,so v,.ter is cut OFF from them RIA! sue "I
o'"9o 49,. a., "a ell ! believe that ABOUT
a. 600 5,,o nv ~, o0o 00) gallons - day c""u ~
rived from this source. and ihat water ',,. =,
uvered into tn Croton watershed an" , ~
,. ,,ro,,eh the present aqueducs Tha' i '''
oasiest way In which can ada 10 our '"'i'''
tar -. 7 have been able to form an opinion
~ eido NJ the Hudson there u con
sidorob,e water which the city might procure WIN
an, ,oirp worry far for IT, No surveys VI '''" :,
clio, have been made. and all know "'on. ,.i
what ! have been told in genera w. ,a, IL,
the Esopus region. and am ihio'ih'O '
connecting the waters Of severai su'"'" "
section by mea Of tunnels ""'ci , .,
four hundred square miles might be drawn 49,
MI, sto,,,d sev ought 20 furnish fully %'l"'f""
gallons per day in 2 dry season
Provision FOR ONE GENERAIloN'
..r, docs no, seem to me that We are caIle" 0"
nov "a look further ahead than for the next s'".-
alton and believe We can |"' Sul'''''". ,.hor
the entire city for that period without s'',.N
away II New-York should grow TO 'he ".''''
Of London however. it would Irop'"F .-,,ab
sory TO 20 further. OF course 'he Nu -,
region would furnish supply That "ouiu y. -,
oxb,us,ill. but TO attempt 30 bring water io'
thu, source to York would be siihPl! e"o
NOUS undertaking Eut there woui" W nv
vantage that other cities might ne supf'''" 81"
as New-YorN. , 90,
"The idea IL bv no means new one. y pa" i''
collecting the water ard bringing II down i" 81
a, channel WAS elaborated number OF year.
400 To me the idea OF bringing the CITY ""'''
SUNNY q long distance in an open ehanhe' y s''"
pv insanity Tho provision OF a water H'''',S -
rir. with it the idea OF proper prot"r'''h '"' 90
wafer Will. on it, way to the city ana a'sp - ~
sources # supply. The conduit through "hc'' u
,,otor flowed would need to be strongly covered.
"An,rt from the Alirondacks, two sources %
SUNNY have been considered 1t Inherent uhes' WV
j. the Uousatonic River: hut If We touch 'l'l' W
will involye ourselves in trouble with the people 81
Tout.
Delawar. River. but there again we have the SAM
dimcultv with tho poop,. Of Pennsylvania, New
dorsey and Delaware. what would IN" r'opi" -
Philadelphia for example. say II the 'i'f OF 80"
York SHOULD undertake TO cut off several h"n".''
r,,uor gallons of water daily from the amount that
flows uas. their doors? There is no 'HHihs NOW
,,,ob Questions would be answered or what woih
be the outcome OF an attempt to get our wafer s"f
plv from either OF thcs- sources
.of course If j.. necessary to consider this ql''-
,ion In connection with the needs OF the people y.
BROOKLYN They will soon want more wafer a''I
my attention mas just been called to Il decision -
the court. to the effect that they have no right py
nunonine watcr 10 drain all there is In the SOIL
How, much more water they will he able 10 get
from Long Island H. an open question: al''ous"
there. seems to be plenty Of water there In Ie"
core At the farthes that part Of the greater city
will have to h supplied from this SIDE or 'ne r'"N
River no matter where the large additional supply
is drawn from.
RAPID INCREASE IN CoNstMPT1oN
..1,ho ,ncreaso in the consumption Of water in
New York in the last few years has been error
man. When the rev aqueduct was opened Ia
1880 the daily consun pt.on was about llo"""" E-
| Ions Now Il has mp TO about 22oo'''
gallons This is out Of al proportion TO the growth
Of the population. 1t is an Increase OF 100 per cen
while by the most liberal calculations the popula-
ton has not increased more than . per cen sin nee
immediate increase Of about 100000 gallons daily
which followed the opening Of the new aaIed 1ho
time but allowing that the increase has preh
TT Is rlain to my mind that something must be
done to check the use OF water or rather TO prevent
down long time and there can be no doubt that
large quantity Of water is lost through leakaE &c
nnes 70 determine their condition When the new
| mains are completed down Fifth-ave there Is no
nort of the city will appreciably increase, on &C
count Of the additional pressure, an" OF course '"e
i also believer in the use Of water meter e, r.
amre their use if the undue increase in ne c%no
sumption OF water IL not to go on indelnaeN; ve
are Nov nov Sro,on darn il bu The Croton watershed
! can be depended on for 2S.co,O'o gallons day IN
an extreme dry season, and about 2oc9 gallons al '
| two aaueducts is perhaps &0"o.Vo gallons DAY
he consumption brought within reasonable bounds.
| the city will reach It's limit IN ihe matter Oh water
| supply within n very few years
WORK OF THE AoUEDUCT COMMISSION.
| When asked in reference TO the work now being
done by the Aqucduct Commission Mr. Fteiey re-
| piled:
The work now under way consists OF the new
Croton dam. the construction OF additional reser-
vors In the Croton region and the jerome PARK
Reservoir. As rapidly az This work IL completed II
! will be turned over to the regular city authorities;
! the aQueduct was BY the terms OF
/ ;he new charter the Commission l. TO continue In
! existence until January l. 1901 three years after
INC Greater New-York Is established. BY that time
! The work OF the Commission will be nearly com
movers There is no limit. in the first place. on the
! amount of money which they may cxpend In the
place, they are not responsible 10 any ne
| but themselves and are not required 10 MAKE ny
reports In the third place. when they advertise
, for bids for any work they under no obligation
| TO give the contract to the loves bidder owing
20 the ordinary discretion intrusted TO them
I (, seems wise TO continue them In ohc" until tne