Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-07-19

tNdnHDl'. lib CHI Dt accurately
mined only by measuring the flow of the
streams during an entire season and es-
pecially during dry season when the
flow Is Mt Its lowest stage. The time dur
ing which the committee has been at
work has not been favorable for securing
any direct information In this respect as
the flow of the streams has been large ow-
Ing to the presence of snow on tho noun
talns and TO tho spring rains which have
followed Its Disappearance. Had this re-
port been carried over until the fall the
streams would have been gauRed and the
summer flow determined. Tho only data
so far secured of my scientific value Is
that In regard to the size and character or
the different watersheds or drainage areas
OF the different streams. These areas are
all surprisingly small above the points
on the streams selected as being the most
favorable for taking the water where
II will be free from pollution. Thus
Browns river Is approximately three
square miles, Stevensvlle brook two and
one quarter and Clay brook one and two
thirds.
| The average rainfall OF this section Is
about ~ inches year but in number or
years the rainfall has been less than %
Inches and in one year less than % inches.
| during SuCn years tuelc dhc il'iiti' ~
succession when the rainfall is extremely
| light and as at such times the ground be-
comes very dry only a small percentage
of the rainfall reaches the streams. Con-
sidera ton of the above facts with fair
lallowancs for the run-off or the percent
age of the rainfall that reaches the
streams suited to the peculiar character or
1.-The watersheds, show that no one of these
streams, and perhaps not all three to-
lrether would furnish the quantity or
water the city will need without resort
Ito storage reservoirs.
Another factor of importance Is tho
character of the watersheds while In the
main, they are covered with light forest
lgrowth. the slopes are very preclp'tiouS
and in the case of two of the watersheds,
the bed rock of the mountain Is exposed
or close to the surface over consideraple
AREAS: this with the steep slope indicates
THAT the rainfall is rapidly carried OIL
from such areas causing a wide variation
lin the stream flow. In other words the
Watersheds are not good natural storage
basins that hold back the water ana keep
the stream flow up during the dry periooS'
storage reservoirs would therefore ne nee
essary to retain ana utl'ze '"e uneven
flow from the rainfall.
data on the STREAM INV '''
socured NV actual measurement, the size
of necessary storage reservoirs cannot Se'
ho determined. Our average water con-
.,,,,n,ion ner capita per day Is now over
ono million gallons and the maximum con-
e,,,,,n,,on NAV at times approach one and
.hreo- fourths or two million gallons
nor dav. A fair allowance Tor
Ih, future growth of the Guy
would seem to show that four milloh
gallons per capita per days would not pe
la, oxcessiye provision. The dry perlo"s
lo,.or extend over several months ana
sonrs.iues several years of small ra'i'la'.
occur together so that some storage ""u'"
30 nooded for several months or Tor poss'-
,1, q vear or more depending on nv"
p,uch of the daily consuihp''o"
creams could furnish. An over apu'l" 'l
sunnIv of water Is never diSan "''.
to n city but a shortage OF "".e'
.,,s matter. It would therefore aP,
o,r chat storage for several hu'"'N'
million gallons ought to be proV'neu
IN Lacking about for sites for s'orae
roservoirs of large capacity, IL was
that on account of the nearness 70 Wv
mountains where the water wouiu "a
A.. -, t,Len to be free from pollution, wy
{ ..u =, tho streams and the slope or 'he
..,,ovs was so rapid that no one iars,
3 r.or,oe basin OF sufficient capaci'S 'o".
no obtained on any stream ana INA. ~
, secure the required amount Oh "a'e''
$ ora, small basins would be he'casa
e that more than one stream "ou'u .'.
d he utilized Thus a site l"r ,,
@ reservoir OF hundred m'ihoh So,
d capacity has been ioca'eo VA t. =
e $780, ord smaller intake reservoir
d ten to fifteen million sai'ons a' ,,,oh
o .htr, ~ mile below this from whlch
: main pipe line to our rese' 'o'
10 ..,rt. an,roximately the same amour
e r,,yht no stored In two basins
t. stevensville brook and pped INTO !"
IS .,, vain line while a smaller amour
IS IN a similar manner might be secu'
e. fro,,, C,ov brook all coming into one Pr
lie ,,ro before reaching Underhill Center
)t ,h,s u.oro not sufficient Lee river h''1'
re ho ut,;zed as there is opportunity TOT SeN
At oro1 email ha sins on this stream 'he W.
ut ter from which could be carried to JeF''H
re CORNERS and ioin the main line
Id Tho cost of such q gravity supply i
ty orr citv can only be approNimated AT IN
r time as no detailed surveys have nee
ne made for pipe lines reservoir sites, oa,''
n etc. Forty years ago it was es''lI.'''
n. that gravity supply would cost S''V
s. and while prices may theh nave '''
r bighor tho needs OF the city are no
n n,uch greater At the present cost or u"
ed iron. a pipe of twenty inches In dlafne''
e. Of medium weight 0he exact SIZE al
in weight cannot be known until detall'
lie surveys of the line are made, would co
nd ,aid from sl6 coo to $4,000 n mile, II q
oh latter amount the cost of the twenty mn
as would be s4OO. 900: there would then
n the cost Of several reservoirs with eXpe
ng sive dams. the cost of'the auxiliary co
he Meeting pipe lines, the water rights u
ar. mill privileges and land damages so IN
sh the total cost of such a supply might
ill in the neighborhood of $0o,O1o
p- There is another matter of importan
It in connection with such supply TO whi
lty attention should be called. This Is IN
err the water OF n stream when stored
I'D reservoirs is liable to undergo n chan
re- in its character and become UNIT Tor II
'ur Mt certain seasons owing to the grow
we OF vegetable organisms Some graVi
fe- supplies have had to be abandoned on II
'ti- account while IN other cases tiltrat
SEES has had to be resorted to. This result ca
ma not be foretod. although to considerat
ar extent its causes are known and may
. guarded against
~" ARTESIAN WELLS
ar Suggestions have been frequently ma
a that a suitable source of supply for Il,
ui1r,