Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-22
HARNESS THE WAFER
uan Suggests That What k Wasted
 Be Tuned to Good Account

A gentleman who has some knowl- edge of municipal work in this and other parts of the world told Demo orat reporter to-day that he thinks Waterbury is picking up and that after a few years more we may ex- pect the best possible results from money appropriated for the care of the streets. He said 1t is painful to see the waters of Little and Great brooks, to say nothing of the Mad river and the Naugatuck river, pass through this community without serving some good purpose in pub- lie way. He claimed that at very modest outlay these bodies of water could be controlled and made to sub- merge the streets from time to time and keep them clean and sweet dur ing the summer months.
 Whats the matter" he said. with a little running water in those gutters in such weather as this? Don't want 1t, eh? That's 1t; corral 1t as soon as 1t enters the city and put 1t under ground and keep 1t there until you get outside the town boundaries. Why, the public appears to be more afraid of these beautiful streams than they are of the deadly electric wires that are spread broad cast all over the city. am aware that 1t takes time to educate people to the real value of water, but 1t does seem to me that we ought to have few citizens at this stage of our existence who would call attention to this matter once in so often and keep at 1t until they made others sensible of the benefits that can be conferred upon the whole people by . judicious use of the water which Is now running to waste under the ground. We want every drop of 1t to make trip through the public streets before it turns its back upon us and in this way pay us at least a little something for the cost of caring for It."
 In reply to a question as to whether he didn't think that all this water would be likely to do some damage, the gentleman laughed and replied that he anticipated having a question of that sort put to him, and then continued: Not the slightest danger or trouble from this source provided proper outlets are provided for it. Your underground conduits are all right. but you need more of them and when the city is fully equipped with suitable storm water drains no damage can possibly come from the constant flow of water in the gutters and the occasional food ing of the streets. Can you conceive of any way that harm could result to the public ways if stream of water were coursing through the gutters in every street in Waterbury at the present time? The water would not be used in that way during the se- we're weather and would pass out of the city as 1t now does in the under groSr;I c0nduits. An appropriation of few thousand dollars would mect the cost of getting things In s'laDc so that water could be turned into the streets any time whoever was in charge of the streets deemed 1t advisable"
 Iia knew this will come in time, hut be said he was afraid that by the time the city gets to 1t the Nauga- tuck river and every other stream of water in the city will have passed under the control of private corpora tlons. and then objection will be raised to the project on account of the cost of water. which will have to be taken from the reservoirs.