New-York tribune., 1906-04-06
WATER WASTE AND NEW SUPPLY.

WATER WASTE AND NEW SUPPLY.
That there is much preyentable waste Of
water in this city is, we believe indisputable
For many years The Tribune has been calling
attention 10 the subject and urging the need OF
reform. From time 10 time official action has
been taken, with some effect More than twenty
five years ago. remember, when Allan
Campbell was Commissioner of Public Works
there was an effort made TO check waste by the
introduction of meters in hotels and other large
buildings. How effective the meters were may
be reckOned from the fact that Immediately
upon their introduction the consumption" OF
water by hotel was reduced frou eighty
thousand TO twenty four thousand gallons a day
Much more recently the very competent Burr
Herring gFreeman commission, after painstaking
and expert investigatiOn-in which use was
made Of the invaluable and unique underground
researches Of the subway construction com
pany-reported that while there was much
waste of water. only little of it was directly
! from the mains, the bulk of it being through
defective plumbing and being largely prevent
able by the introduction of meters which the
commission earnestly recommended
While however The Tribune can Justly claim
10 have been foremost in the exposure of waste
and the demand for its abatement, and while
we are not at all inclined to slacken that cam
paign, we cannot concede that even the entire
stopping of all reasonably preventable waste
would obviate the necessity for greatly enlarging
the city's sources Of supply at the earliest prac-
ticable moment. Tie supply from existing sources
is limited, and however carefully il may be hus-
banded il cannot suffice for the constantly and
rapidly increasing demand. There has been ill
advised talk about vast quantities Of water run
ming 10 waste over CrOton Dam--as much we
have been told, all that was impounded and
/ brought 10 the city. Such talk is strangely at
variance with easily ascertained facts. Every
body familiar with the CrOtOn region knows
that for many years ii has been an uncommon
thing, except in freshet time for any water at
all TO escape over the old CrOton Dam. In some
years there not more than twenty days
between May and December when a single drop
thus escaped. For weeks, and even months. the
bed Of the river below the dam was dry and
dusty. II will doubtless be q rare thing except-
ing In spring freshets, for water TO run over
the spillway of the big New Croton Dam. Estf-
mates Of the yield Of the CrotOn watershed are
based not upon the amount transmitted by the
aqueducts, but upon the rainfall Of the region
and upon the actual flow Of the river at the
DAM whether into the aqueducts or over the
dam The of the CrOton watershed as en-
larged by the new dam, IS 800 miles The rain
rail- is less than forty nine inches a year The
average daily flow of the river at Croton DAM
carefully observed since 1870 is about 4OO,-
100000 gallons That is 146O0OOOOO0O gallons
year. The aqueducts are bringing 315,OOO,OOO
gallons a day 10 the city. The storage capacity
Of CrotOn Lake and the connected reservoirs is
73,0000O0,00O gallons, or half the entire yearly
flow of the river. If the aqueducts continue
draining the lake at their present rate, there
fore, there must be considerably more than two
years accumulation OF the surplus in the lakes
before drop runs over the dam. and the date
Of such flow will be still further postponed by
the increasing loss through evaporation as the
area OF open lake storage is increased.
II Is 10 be borne in mind, also have
hitherto pointed out. that the legitimate per
capita consumption of water IS increasing and
will continue 10 increase. In 1910 the consump-
ton was only IS gallons a day. In 1850 ii was
II. BY 1870 il had risen TO 81. In 1880, when
there was such n scarcity to amount almost
10 a water famine and TO call for 4 public up
rising In favor Of increased supplies 1t was
reduced TO 76. In 1890 it rose to 80, and at the
present time II is considerably more than 100
gallons. This increase means that bathtubs are
more numerous than before, that tenement
houses more literally supplied with taps
and basins. that there are more fountains for
drinking and for ornament, and that the streets
| are being sprinkled and washed-n brief that
there has been an advance In health, comfort
cleanliness and beauty. That advance will
continue and the demand for water will In
crease. We are. therefore, as strongly in favor
OF checking waste as were when we began
the campaign 20 that end. But we are as
strongly IN favor Of extending the city's area OF
supply as 10 include Suffolk. Ulster and
Dutchess counties-a supply which will certainly
be needed In part before many years have