New-York tribune., 1906-02-24
ERRORS ABOUT WATER.

! Various citizens of New-Yorll are offering or
ganiZed opposition to increase OF the local wafer
| supply There is little doubt that they are IN
earnest and that they regard themselves as
public spirited and as performing Valuaole
service. There is. TO our mind, no doubt that
they are In error and that the ascendancy of
their contentious would be fraught with con-
sequences mischievous to this city We might
further saw indeed, that some of their arSu-
ments are so fallacious that 1t seems strange
that intelligent and thoughtful men can put
them forward in a matter of so serious mo-
ment
At a recent hearing before the State Water
Supply Commission, for example. it was said
that half the Croton supply was going to
waste over CrOton dam, and it was argued In
ferentially that if this waste were stopped the
citys supply would practically be doubled.
Doubtless vast quantities have at times thus
run TO waste But it is to stop that waste that
The new Croton dam has been built; after its
completion, which is probably near at
hand. practically every drop of CrOton water
will be impOunded-fOr seldom, indeed, will any
part of it run over the new dam, and the esti-
mates of New-YOrk's needs in the near future
are all based upon that. total conservation, and
not upon the old condition Of wastefulness
1t was pointed out that much of the piping
and plumbing in the lower part of Manhattan is
increased pressure Quite true. But are we,
therefore. always TO keep the pressure low and
the supply scanty so as to spare the ruSted
mains and damaged plumbing? On the con-
trary, should say the supply and pressure
should be increased for the very purpose-if
for no other-of compelling a decent and ade-
quate reconstruction Of the service system.
There also some talk about the desira-
bilty of tapping Long Islands great under
frpSb riv iDct 0f To
the Catskills. Well, in the first place, there is
law against going into Suffolk County. We
think it is bad law and should be repealed
but it exists and there is little prospect of its
being repealed. In the second place. that 'un-
derground river" theory has never been proved
but, on the contrary, is regarded as erroneous
by some Of the most expert investigators. I'm
dOubtedly, as we have often argued, a vast
supply Of excellent water could be got from
Long Island by sinking wells and pumping the
rainwater which falls upon the island and is
held in its great sandbed. and we believe the
city should be permitted to do that Nevertheless
considering that it would all have to be pumped
to an elevation of three hundred or four hun
dred feet, and that the construction of storage
reservoirs would be impossible, 1t may be that
it would be cheapest and best, after all. to get
the superb gravity supply from the Catskills
II must be remembered that the Long Island
watershed Is not exactly III our backyard. Ine
central part of Suffolk County Is as far away
as Dutchess County, and Riverhead is as re-
mote from Manhattan is Kingston.
We yield precedence to nobody in apprecia-
ton of the need of making the most of our pres
ent supply, and in the persistent zeal with which
for years have in these columns been urg-
ing the stoppage Of leaks and the prevention
of waste. But we are convinced that even II
all these things were done, there would still be
urgent need of large extension OF the water
supply at the earliest practicable date