New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-29
USE, DON'T WASTE, WATER
Boards Chairman Would Thus
Solve the Present Problem.
SAYS THOMPSON IS WRONG
Leakage Is Great-One Pipe
Poured Millions of Gallons
Into the River Daily.

Thomas Fulton chairman of the gen
eraI committee on water supply. IN taih
IN the water supply situation Yesterday
ssid that the true solution Of the water
nrobleno Law in the prevention ~ leakage
and waste The slogan If Mr. Fulton :
committee IS Water. Plenty for Use. None
for Waste" In talking upon the supJec'
Yesterday. Mr. Fulton showed that he be-
Ieved in following this motto.
go the city authorities are looking lot
neu sources Of water supply, 70 be deVel-
oned in hi :.y?" asked Mr.. Fulton fer-
nit me 10 suggest that the best watershed
&c right in Manhattan Island and that the
Weld therefrom will be much greater
quicker and cheaper than from any othsr
possible source. To stop the leakage ana
waste is the best and practically the only
wav 70 meet our present dif1culty for
fen wears past and more we have been con-
stantlv warned. and the present situation
is accustomed entirely by the riotous living
IF tho prodigal our chicken has come
home 10 roost." and Mr.. Fulton looked serl-
Gus
After discussing the enormous leakage
and waste. proven by reports Of the Water
Department for many years past. which
Mr. Fulton said amount TO about ~ per
cent he said
What do | mean by leakage and waste.
and what is the difference? The leak
age is enormous and preventable. the
waste is relatively small and unpreventa-
BILE tn some extent Very few waste water
vilfully. II IS done largely in innocent ig-
norance. dribblng faucet means sixty
gallons day. and 1T is not wilful waste.
Mr. Fulton then described the manner in
which millions Of gallons Of water are lost
10 the city every day by reason Of leaks IN
city reservoirs and in the hundreds Of miles
Of service pipes and street mains. He said
that not one in ten Of these leakages ever
shows on the surface.
Mr. Fulton took issue with Commissioner
Thomson Of the Department OF Water
supply. Gas and Elecricity on the ques-
ton Of leakage The latter had said. In
recent statement: The talk that there is
enormous leakage Of water in New York is
nonsensical There is very little leakage
Mr.. Fulton pondered a moment. IT am
very sorry 10 contradict the gentleman. but
he is wrong Commissioner Thompson told
me himself that water pipe running to
Blackwelrs Island had been found broken
and discharging three million to four mill
ion gallons a day into the river. There are
others +. w Bemis. exDeputy Commits
sipncr. said in Engineering News that
his investigation showed 80 per cent of
waste IN Brooklyn and Staten Island
when asked /, he thought that water
meters should be installed in every build
ine. Mr.. Fulton said mo and yes. am
ordering meters put into my property be
cause / save money thereby. and am quite
willing 10 pay for what 7 get and use or
waste. but | am not willing 10 pay for
what my careless neighbor may waste.
do not believe in forcing meters on every
body. and can show that II is quite unnec-
essay. The matter of water meters is so
important that 7 must take that up at
some other time. have purposely kept
silent. watching events and the newspaper
discussion. which includes wise and I'M
wise suggestions, on which | will comment
later"
Mr. Fulton put the matter squarey IN
TO the city officials when he said Mean
time, whether we have real water famine
or not this summer or fall depends almost
entirely upon the Water Department"