St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-11-01
Our Water Supply.

Our voters will be called to act upon
the matter of installing filter for our
municipal water system next Tuesday
evening and it is natural and proper that
they should take great interest in this
question and all that pertains to the
water supply OF the village. A great
deal is said about the various phases
and some things have been said which
have doubtless given the wrong inn
preston. Quite point is made by some
that in case the village abandons its
present system the rights and shares will
revert to A. Fl. Mcleod, the largest
owner OF the shares at the Paddock
village dam. For the benefit of our tax
payers we give herewith the exact copy
OF the quit-claim deed from Mr.. Mcleod:
Being the Island situated in Pas.
sumpsic River in what SCALED or known
as Paddocks Village lying in about the
center of the mill dam across said Pas
sumpsc River. Also four shares of
water in the Passumpsic River being
four undivided iortieth parts of the
water and mill dam at Arnolds Falls so
called at Paddccks Village the same
being part of water bought by said
Mcleod in the year of 1873 from Hiram
Jones OF said st. Johnsbury, said Mcleod
reserves the right of using what water
that said Village may not require for to
keep water for domestic use, and in case
OF fire said Mcleod hereby binds himself
to allow said Village to use all the water
which he owns which is seventeen and
one.half fortieths of all the water running
IN said Passumpsc River, less what the
Village of st. Johnsbury has this day
bought. Said Village hereby binds them
selves to be at oue-fourth of the expense
OF keeping said dam in repair"
The village also owns four additional
shares, bought Of M. Hynes, on which
there are no restrictions.
1t will be seen from the above deed
that no rights in the property revert to
Mr.. Mcleod at any time, he only having
the right to use-except in case of fire
the surplus water not required for do
mestic purposes. If for any reason the
village abandoned their plant for q
longer or shorter period MIR. Mcleod
could use the surplus water, but the
village could begin to use it again when
ever they desired.
For the benefit of those who were not
present at the last special meeting, anG
to show how Improbable our municipa
plant has been, we give herewith tn,
figures given at that meeting in Mr.
Turner's speech.
The figures tor the past % years are a
follows:
Bonds already paid, S $1,000 O
Bonds still unpaid 10000
Interest paid on bonds, 69912 8
Cash paid out on plant, 11o,634. 8
Total, $255,5 8
Receipts from water rents. S 74,539.5
Hydrants charged at $40 each, g. 400. o
Total, $142,939. 8
Deficit less present value of
plant, SIP, COZ, 8
From which it appears that it has cos
our village above all receipts, and tt
amount properly charged for hydrant
$4,000 annually for % years. Ii histor
is going to repeat itself, and it general
does, the prospect of better results und
filtration is not encouraging.
On one thing every body is agreed at
that is that there is a great waste
water in st. Jobnsbury. The Aquedu
sys EN- brings million gallons OF wat
daily into this village and this is twi
as much as should be consumed for &
purposes. Some of goes into the Be
ton & Maine engines, but the ralros
uses less than one-tenth of the supply,
from 50, 900 to 100000 gallons dali
Some OF it is used at the scale factor
though it is probably news to many TIL
most OF the water used at the facto
for mechanical purposes comes fro
Sleeper's river and the fish pond abo
Fairbanks village, Stiles Pond and D
waite spring line being used for drinkil
water andclosets. Il the continued a,
tation OF the question results in nothir
else than reducing the waste, conced
to be abnormally great, then somethir
will have been accomplished.