Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-01-08
POWER TO
SAVE STATE FROM
DAM DISASTERS
Water Supply Commission Asks
for Authority Over Jersey
Water Power.
Especial to the Newark start

TRENTON, Jan. S.-The State Water
Supply Commission in its fifth annual
report submitted to Governor Wilson
today reviews the commissions work
AMI asks that the board be given
power to protect New Jersey from pos
sible appalling dam disasters.
An important recommendation has
to d. with the proposed establishment
of q great State reservoir at MidVale
Wanaque watershed to supply water
to some ten municipalities that have
joined in the undertaking.
The recommendation is that the
Legislature appropriate a sufficient
amount of money for the appraisal of
the property of the q Jersey Water
Company with a view to the subse-
quent acquisition of this property to
better enable the commission to con-
troll the water supply of North Jersey.
This recommendation is in line with q
resolution adopted at a conference in
the Newark City Hall sometime since,
which was participated in by repre-
sentatives of Newark, Paterson, East
Orange, Montclair, Elizabeth, Nutley.
Glen Ridge and Totowa. The resolu-
ton was offered by Mayor Mcbride, OF
Paterson.
Would Derive Revenue.
On this subject the commission in
Its report says: lone of the attractive
features of the suggested acquisition
of the East Jersey Water Company's
plant is found in the fact that with the
State in possession of this plant it
would come into an immediate and sub
~stantial evenue from the earnings OF
an operating concern"
Accompanying the report of the com
mission is a report by Consulting En-
gineer NJ. r. Sherrerd on the subject
of the Wanaque watershed. In his re-
port Mr.. Sherrerd says that before any
construction work is undertaken in
connection with the development OF
the watershed it would be advisable to
have the preliminary investigation car
ried to a further degree in order to
determine whether a different location
OF the dam might be more advan-
tageous than that proposed. The
proper location. he says, is somewhat
dependent upon the abandonment OF
The Morris canal. With the canal
abandoned the dam might be carried to
a higher elevation and give a greater
storage in the Midvale reservoir thar
could be accomplished by the location
Of the dan at a point further up the
stream.
Supervision of Water Power.
Another recommendation made in the
report was that the commission be
given supervision over the water
powers of the State and also over dams
within the State. This added power, it
is claimed, would have highly beneficial
results through the prevention Of water
waste, and also would afford greater
opportunity for the protection of peo-
pie from appalling disasters through
faulty dam construction.
The report says that the past year
has witnessed the apparent abandon
ment of the effort to divert water out
of the confines of the State, in defiance
of our statutes. 1t is noted that the
Federal government has withdrawn its
condemnation proceedings for the pur-
pose of securing water from driven
wells at Belleville to supply forts on
Staten Island. During the past year"
says the report, no wilful violations
of the law with respect to the diver
sion of water have been brought to the
commissions attention"
Accompanying the report is a table
showing the amount of excess con-
sumption which different municipali-
ties and water companies are respon-
sible for to the State, the excess being
expressed in million gallons. Included
in the table are the city of Newark,
/ ,152 million f~allons; Jersey City
Water Supply Company. 1925;
Middlesex Water Company, 1,2S1;
Elizabeth Town Water Company,
1879; East Jersey Water Com
pany, 5S7. This water for which
the various cities I'M companies must
pay the State is water taken in excess
of the amount they are permitted by
law to use. The 5S7 million gallons ex-
cess charged TO the East Jersey Water
Company does not include the water
taken by that company from the Pas
! sale river. which the commission claims
that the company has not the right to
take, and which matter is now in
process of litigation,