The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-14
GIVES FIGURES TO SHOW
 SERylCEIS IS NOW ADEQUATE
By Impoundin9 System Population of 750,0o0 Can Be Easily Supplied. Advantages of Birmingham
 Over Pittsburg.

yeaTS, ana l rear the puDlc Has soiHe wrong impressions as to the capacity of the present system and the needs of the district for the future.
 Districts Now Supplied.
 The Water company is now supplying all demands for water in the cities of Bir- mingham, East Lake, Woodlawn, Avon dale (now part of Birmingham), North Haven, Graymont, Elyton, West End, Ensley and Wylam, as we'll as part of the city of North Birmingham, where there is also a small municipal water works system. The cities above named now include within their limits, and water is now being supplied to the districts known as Kingston East Birmingham, Avonwood, Glen Iris, Owenton, Cleveland, Tuxedo Park and Mountain Terrace Water is also being supplied to the fol- lowing districts not part of any incor- porated city: Rosedale, Germania Park, Osceola, Rising, Compton, Crews, Fair view and Central Park.
 Extent of Pipe System. From the eastern end of our pipe sys- 
 of East Lake to the western end of our pipe lines at a point beyond the western limits of Wylam, the distance is more than 15 miles. and from the Cahaba pumping station on the south to the end of our pipe syster in North Birmingham on the north the distance is more than 10 miles.
 Total Water Consumption. The average daily quantity of water supplied by the Birmingham Water
 Works company for the year 1887 and for each fifth year thereafter is as follows: 1sS7-3, 100000 gallons per day average. 1S92-5,s s0000O gallons per day average. 1S97-7, 900 gallons per day average. 19O2-12, ,600,0O0 gallons per day average. 1907-14 6O0.000 gallons per day average. Capacity of Present System. As to the water supply capacity of 1 the present system the Cahaba pumping 1 station is located on the Big Cahaba river about two miles above the con fuence of the Big and Little Cahabas. The natural fall of the Big Cahaba be- l tween the pumping station and the con- fluence is four feet, so that the dam in the main river below the junction of 1 the two rivers serves the purpose of diverting the flow of the Little Cahaba and making the entire flowage of both streams available at the pumping sta tion. The impounding reservoir now be- ing constructed on the Little Cahaba river will furnish together with the nat ural flowage of that stream amounting to minimum of 100000 gallons per day, an average daily supply during two successive years of greatest drouth Of S6 6oO0,OoO gallons. By two successive years of greatest drouth I mean two years in succession when the rainfall is less during each of the two years than has ever been recorded in any one year in the history of the local weather bureau office, which has been established for 16 years This is applying the most extreme test.
 The minimum flowage during greatest drouth of the Big Cahaba river is A. o00,O0O gallons per day. The minimum flowage during greatest drouth of the Five Mile creek supply is 2,50o,0o0 gallons per day. In other words upon the com
 
 pletion of the dam now building the ca pacity of the present system will be during drouth 42,5O0,0O0 gallons per day, or three times the average daily water consumption for the year 1907.
 But this is only part of the story The water company owns all of the land needed to allow the construction, when necessary, of an impounding reservoir on the Five Mile creek watershed which would increase the daily capacity of that supply during drouth 10 6,o00,000 gallons per day But much more important ia the fact that the company owns land for mpounding dams on the Big Cahaba river. There are in fact several sites for large dams on that stream. The area square miles, while that of the Big Ca haba watershed is 11S square miles. A
 fair estimate of the increased daily supply that can be easily obtained from the Big Cahaba river by impounding is fair estimate of the increased daily capacity in sight for the present water works system of s6,000,0O0 gallons, or six tlIHeS tHo pTeSeut Tdtc UT water COH- sumption of the Birmingham district Es- timating present population supplied at 1S0,00O this would mean a supply for population greater than 75O,OO0 includ- ing a supply for a proportionate increase in number of industrial plants and large consumers of water over the number now being supplied by the company in the district.
 The impounding of water. which is stor- ing during wet weather for use during dry weather. is not unusual. Such cities as New York and Boston are entirely de- pendent upon impounding.
 Present Pumping Capacity.
 With an average daily consumption during the year 1907 of 100000 gallons the company has ready for service today six pumping engines with total pumping capacity of 3s,OOO,0OO gallons per day.
 Industries Supplied.
 It has been stated that not another important industry can be located in the Birmingham district until new water supply has been provided. We are now supplying water to more than 200 manu- featuring and industrial plants and steam Goiler users. and will experience no diff