New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-06
LESSONS OF THE DROUTH.

A rare and instructive test of NETWORKS
present water supply-or of the water supply
of the two great BorOugha Of Manhattan and
The Bronx--has been made tdis summer. For
the last four months a practical droutb has
prevailed in the Croton Valley. There have
been occasional showers. III limited area
which have had appreciate effect upon the
general dryness. There has not since the first
of May been one thorough soaking rain of
general prevalence. The result is such scarcity
of water has not been known before for
years. The fields are parched and baked The
roads are beds Of dust ankle deep Springs
and wells dry. Rivers are reduced to
brooks and brooks to rills o. to dry bitches
Croton lake Is attenuated pond TIE Mus
eoQt> where it leaps from the big tubes at
Amawalk, is green with infuaorial vegetation
and smells to heaven. Nearly ali the lakes and
reservoirs low. Yet the flow through the
aqueducts is maintained, and If only a rational
hlter1ng system were in use it would be Of
crystalline clearness; and, despite the lowness
Of the waterline in the lakes. there are billions
of gallons still on hand There is nc reason
able doubt that the city could endure four
months more of drouth without water famine
At the present time the daily yield of the
Croton Valley is about 100000 gallons,
and that Of The Bronx and Byram val
dams and reservoirs now under construction
are finished the daily yield of both regions will
be increased TO 100000. 900 gallons and there will
be an aggregate storage capacity of nearly IA
000,000,00O gallons, or more than eight months
full supply. That is to say if every spring and
stream were stopped and not a drop of rain
should fall there would be enough water in the
reservoirs to give the two boroughs a full daily
supply for more than eight months That is on
the face of 1t, splendid showing. banishing all
rear or water famine We must, nevertheless,
look at the other side of the question namely
the amount and increase of consumption This
is at present in these two boroughs no less
than PAT 100000 gallons a day and il is in
creasing at a rate that will in 1903 bring Il up
to 290OOoOOO gallons In that year, then, the
daily consumption will exactly equal the daily
supply from the Croton, Bronx and Byram val
leys, improved to their utmost extent. There
after each year will see an increasing demand
but fixed supply so that there will be an in
creasing deficit, and consequently SHORTAGE or
water for the people. That Is why II is so
strenuously urged that we should not he con-
tent with what is being done In Westchester
and the adjacent counties, but should 90 at
once further afield for a larger water supplv-
for example, to the persuasive pirates of
Ramapo.
Before we accept that conclusion. however
there is still another matter to be considered
mat is economy. We do not mean economy in
the actual use or water, but rather in the sup
ply by all means let every one have all the
water he wants, for drinking or bathing or
what not. But use is far different thing from,
waste. If a man drinks a gallon a dav 70
quench his thirst, well and good. His snnn1v
should not be shortened. But If he wastes a
gill day 1t is all wrong That waste sbouId
be stopped. Now, we do not know how many
million gallons day are going tn waste
through defective mains, pouring into the sew
ers and forming underground rivers The IN
taI mas been estimated by conservative and
oDserVant engineers at scores of millions of gal
Ions. Neither do we know how much is sin,i
larly wasted through leaking faucets and Mines
In houses. But here is an example which NAV
serve as n basis of speculation In London on
eHort was recently made to check the waste of
water Dy general overhauling of plumbing. In
mat way In one district the hourly drain unon
the mains was reduced from $500 to 2oo cal
Ions and in another district from $50 n e5o
gallons That is to say without reducing NV ono
drop the actual use of water but simplv nv 70.
pairing leaky pipes and faucets, n saving ~
more than so per cent was made; and that IN
London, where If the condition of pIumhino
ooes not average a good deal better than IN
NETWORK, there is certainly much less Of ~ IN
proportion. 1t is entirely reasonable to believe
mat similar overhauling of New-York plumb-
ing would result in a similar saving. Then IN
lSoo' when the present watersheds are sunnIv
ing 10 these two boroughs their maximum If
.So'ooo'oOo gallons a day. the boroughs would
DE using only l45,0O0000 gallons. Or, take the
eAaii,pie Oh Paris. There is probably no other
c'ty ID the world that uses water 90 frealy FOR