New Britain herald., 1915-04-20
WATER DEPT. REPORT
 FOR COMMON COUNCIL
Decrease in Receipts for Past Fiscal
 Year Amounts to $2O,O0O.

water commissioners was held last night and the following report for the common council was prepared:
 Tn spite of the low total rainfall during the past twelve months we are pleased to state that at no time did our water supply reach a point where it was necessary to restrict the use or were we concerned as to shortage.
 The total rainfall was but 35 1-2 inches as against our average, for the past fifteen years of over 39 inches.
 "The reservoir reached it's lowest point, namely 16.2, on November 15, 1914. It filled up during the month of February, 1915, and has been prac- tically full ever since.
 "The spillway from the West Canal was completed during the summer, so both canals are now provided with waste gates which can be opened in case of emergency or when necessary on account of ice.
 'T'he West Canal has been newly paved and put in first class shape for a distance of about a thousand feet from the reservoir.
 There is a large amount of work to be done on the East Canal in the
 
 this will be started during the com ing season.
 Nothing has been done at this supply except the usual amount of clearing up and cleaning, and the completion of the repairs on the bridges.
 This reservoir has been kept ap- proximately full of water during the whole of the past season.
 When needed, the flow of the brook has been turned into the city mains but practically none of the water from this supply has gone directly into Shuttle Meadow.
 With a view to providing an over flow into the West Shuttle Meadow Canal, at the elevation of this res- ervoir, about 2,700 feet of water main has been laid up Wooster street
 Within a year or two this main should be completed so that any sur plus water from Whigville may be turned directly into Shuttle Meadow without going through the city mains.
 The preliminary work in connec- tion with the development of this supply has been put into the hands of the city engineer and a party is now in the field making the necessary sur veys.
 Ut is intended to have all prelim- mary work done during this season so | that contracts for the proposed work may be let and actual construc ction started with the year 1916.
 If nothing unforeseen prevents within two years from the present time the upper Burlington supply should be flowing toward the city.
 Receipts Decrease $2O,OOO.
 The receipts for the current year were $19,9S7.74 less than last year and it may be explained as follows: When the new meter rate was put in force six of the large factories start cd paying monthly and the receipts from those from December, 1913, to April, 1914, $S,7S9.2O, appear in last years total. If semi-annnal payments had continued those months would be included in the present years receipts, but in the future under the same con- ditions the results will equalize them selves as far as each years receipts are concerned.
 Part of the balance of $11,19S.54 is accounted for by reduction in do- mestic use of $3,9SS.1O caused by re- pair of leally fixtures and economy in use and seventy per cent. of the con- SumerS are now paying less than un- der the old schedule rate. ''The remainder, $7,21044, is ac- counted for by the reduction of the factory consumption during the last six months of the fiscal year, caused by shorter hours of labor and de- crease in number of employees. There ] has also been curtailment of waste, | which, under the present rate is more | expensive than under the old charges. "The total consumption through meters from December, 1913, to De- cember, 1914, was 163, 3,312,400 cubic feet, against S3,S97,600 cubic feet during the same period of the previous year Of this amount S2,S29,700 was registered in the factories and S0,- | 482, 700 in business and domestic use and this reduced to gallons amounts to 1,224. .S43,000 gallons. This con sumption divided by 3G5 days, shows a daily consumption of 3,355,434 gal lons and assuming the present pop ulation using city water at 53,O00 l would make the daily consumption l 63 gallons per capita which Is about l the average quantity used in cities | fully metered.
 There are many uses of water which are not metered and these would add nearly 100000 gallons to the daily consllmDtion"