New-York tribune., 1914-07-05
Will Be Southern Terminal
in Richmond of Cats
kill System.
100000 GALLONS
DAILY FOR BOROUGH
Supply To Be Carried Under the
NarrOWS in 36-Inch
Pipes.
By ORRIN l.. BRODlE.
Assistant Designing Engineer, Board oil
Water Supply.

Article prepared for new booklet Of the
Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.
The reservoir at Silver Lake, now
under construction and to be com,
pleted by the latter part OF 1916, VIII
be the southern terminal of the ne"
Catskill Aqueducs, that Will uItlmateiy
supply the five bOroughs Of New YORK
CITY with 500.000,000 gallons Of wa:er
daily in addition 20 its present supply;
OF this. about 12.000,O00 gallons VIII
he the daily share OF the Borough o.
Richmond
The great storage basin. the Ashokan
Reservoir. in the Catskills, 12I miles
away along the aCueduct route, VIII
be capable Of holding 100000 100000
gallons Of water, with its highest water
level o. $50 feet above mean sea
level The full level Of Silver Lake
Reservoir, about twenty-five feet above
the level Of the water IN the old Silver
Lake. will be slightly over 800 1eet
lower than the Ashokan level and the
lake will hold, full. about 435,OVO,OVV
gallons. This, however, would supply
the entire island for perhaps month:
ANY one Of those 500.O00,0OO gallons o.
water will trave. for about three days
IN fowing down from the Ashokan 10
the city. along the aqueduct that skirts
the hills. pierccs mountains IN tunnels,
plunges down shafts hundreds OF leet
deep TO pass beneath river valleys
finally entering the city tunnel, that IS
anywhere from 200 20 over tOO feet De
low the streets Of Manhattan.
Although the city aqueduct tunnel
proper ends in the Borough or BROOK
ivn- our gallon Of water, now one OF
the 1900, 900, will be carried under the
Narrows in New York llarbor IN 90
inch pipe and up Richmond turnpike TO
the Silver Lake Reservoir.
The area Of this terminal reservoir
lGfty-six acres) will equal nearly the
area Of the old Silver Lake PARK and
will be about four times that OF old
Silver Lake. Il will comprise the com
bined water surface Of two basins, one
the south basin. occupied by the ola
lake. and the other, the north basin, IN
the valley 70 the north. These Will DC
termed by a system of dikes, with a
cate house in between the two basins,
controlling the flow 20 and from the
reseraoir and between the basins:
Connecting roads traversing the line OF
dikes, together with other projected
landscape treatment, will preserve and
develop the park features Of the site.
The assured supply Of soft, potable
Catskill water Will then supplaAt the
existing supplies for the entire island
and provide for ample fire protection
and all domestic and business uses. The
twin basins Of the reservoir will permit I
Of either being shut down, cmptled and
cleaned while the other continues "a
opcration. or the entire reservoir may
Ne cut out and the Island directly sup
piled from the Narrows; or. m case oc-
cagion should arise 10 cut OF this direct
supply, the reservoir could serve, dur
ing such suspension o. fow, from the
Narrow. Catsk.ll water could then
serve staten Island =. the completio"
Of the NarrOws pipe crossing, even DC
fore Silver Lake TcacrvOlr ls rcauy.