New-York tribune., 1902-07-18
LOOKING AFTER THE WATER.

Commissioner Dougherty's plan to have chem
icaI analyses of the city water supply made in
a laboratory of the Water Department has
much to commend it, Indeed, its fitness is so
obvious that wonder is aroused at the neglect
to make just such an arrangement years ago
The department which is supplying water
surely ought to keep the closest possible over
sight upon the water which it is supplying
and that can effectively be done only by making
frequent analyses. We would not say that
ANALYSIS of the water by the Health Board as
now practsed, should be abandoned. 1t should
be continued in unimpaired thoroughness
There is nothing that is of greater Importance
to public health than pure water supply, and
nothing more menacing than contaminated
supply. No pains and vigilance to insure the
purity of the water can therefore be too great
Happily, analysis of water is a comparatively
easy and inexpensive task, and a proper over
sight of the supply can therefore be maintained
without being burdensome to the city.
The desrability of closely watching the char
acter of the water is emphasized when we re-
member the nature OF the regions from which
the supply is drawn. In recent years millions
of dollars have been spent in improvements or
the Croton Valley, much of it in removing and
guarding against possible sources OF contamlna-
ton. Yet to-day possibility of contamination
exists. The Croton River and its afiuents ana
the great chain of lakes are in proximity TO
villages and towns. They all lie in thickly
settled country. The lakes are the resort OF
fishermen and excursion parties of all kinds
Frequented public highways traverse their bor-
ders The large village of Mount Kisco, con-
cerning which there has been some recent con-
troyersy, has been partly removed by the Water
Department, yet it still lies directly upon an
Of +ha md
sends much of it's drainage into it. The village
of Katonah was entirely destroyed and rebuilt
upon another site; yet the new Katonah is
close to one of the largest branches of the
Croton and doubtless sends much of its surface
drainage into that stream. The people of these
and other similarly situated villages take all
reasonable care against preventable contamina-
ton of the water. But 1t is simply impossible
for them to guarantee that no Objectionable
matter shall find its way into the streams.
The ideal plan would doubtless be for the
city TO acquire the entire watershed from which
1t draws it's supply, exclude all residents there
from and make of it q heavily wooded wilder
ness. Even then much work and watching
would be constantly necessary to prevent con-
tamination through natural processes. Such a
plan is, however, to be regarded as 1mpractl-
cable The farms and villages and towns will
doubtless remain in the CrotOn region, and the
population will largely increase as the beauty
and salubrity Of that region become more
widely appreciated. The city must therefore
watch for possible contamination of the water,
both there and here; and 1t must do the work
and bear the expense necessary for remedying
and preventing such contamination. The In
habitants of the Croton Valley will doubtless
do all that is reasonably to be required of them.
But they cannot be expected to do work and
bear expense exclusively for the benefit of this
city. That must be done by the city itself.
Systematically DONE it will not prove a serious
task New-York has close at hand natural
facilities for one of the best water supplies in
the world. All that Is needed is proper care at
the source to assure its quality, and proper care
in distribution to make its quantity sufficient
for the city's use.