The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-29
INSPECTION OF
WATER SUPPLY
City Officials Visited the Reservoirs
of the Providence Gas and
Water Company.

The annual inspection of the citys
water supply was concluded yesterday,
when Recorder Connell and party of
city officials surveyed the western
division OF reservoirs, under the guild
ance of Worthngton Scranton and Su-
perintendent Robert Reeves of the
Scranton Gas and Water company.
Those in the party, besides the Of
flcials of the water company and repre-
sentatives Of the city press were Re-
corder William Connell, Director Of
Public Safety F. l.. Wormser, Director
of Public Works John Il. Roche, City
Solicitor George M. Watson, Superin-
tendent of Health w. L. Allen and Col.
Ezra H. Ripple.
The first stop made was at the dis
tributing reservoirs on the Abingdon
turnpike, where Superintendent Reeves
explained the system by which water is
brought down there. These reservoirs
are fed by natural springs which empty
into the intake mile above, where
after passing through copper screens
of varying sizes and thoroughly filtered
it is allowed to flow through natural
pressure into twenty-four inch main
and conveyed to the distributing reser-
voirs, which now supply all the Provi-
dence section of the city and can be
connected to supply Olyphant and Peck
vile. The capacity of these reservoirs
is nearly 2O,O0O,000 gallons.
The second stop was made at the high
service reservoir. All the water that
supplys the Providence section enters
here. An ingenious cutoff carries a
stream of impure water to one side and
this is allowed to waste, as in it's course
from Clark's Summit it traverses cess
pools, barnsards, etc. The screen
house for fltering is situated here. The
screens are cleaned daily. AT present
this house is a wooden structure, but
the water company expects to erect
a brick one within a short time.
From two to three million gallons of
water flow daily through a channel
about four feet wide and twelve feet
deep. The cleanliness of this system to-
day contrasts strongly with the con-
dition of things few years ago, when
it looked like a hopeless task to purify
the water after it had run it's course
through barnyards and cesspools on it's
way to the reservoirs. The company
took heroic measures and today the
streams flow over gravel and under well
wooded courses.
around Clark's Summit the party stop
ped next at Summit lake in South Alb
ington which is about 140O feet above
sea level and holds about 400 million
gallons. The water flows in a natural
stream from Summit lake to the intake.
This is next to the largest storage res
ervoir of the Providence system.
Lake Griffin, the largest of the sys-
tenn. holding 500 million gallons, was
the next point of observation. This
reservoir is capable of supplying the
whole district. Some of the streams
that find an outlet in it find their way
from the Shawangunk mountains in
New York state. The reservoir covers
10 acres of Scott township.
After surveying these reservoirs the
party proceeded to a sequestered spot
toral beauty partook of Il monday
luncheon after picnic style. Col.
Ripple and DR.. Allan amused the COM
pany by few familiar airs on their
violins, which they had conveyed with
them.
On the way back Superintendent
Reeves pointed out the water company's
latest purchase above Chinchilla, which
consists of the rights of the valley
around South Abingdon of a fifty-foot
flow. 1t is the intention to some day
construct a fifty-foot dam and add to
the storage capacity of the system an
other reservoir capable of holding 800
million gallons.