New Britain herald., 1916-04-21
REPORT ON WATER
 SUPPLY IN STATE
J. 5. Geological Survey Discusses COnneCtiCut'S Resources

In the large stream valleys of Con- Hectlcut there are deposits of coarse sediments that will yield sufficient wa ter Tor city and village supplies, and at other places in the state there are less extensive deposits that will yield enough water for smaller villages near by. The largest cities probably can not be adequately supplied by ground water, but many communities that require water in moderate quan- titles could obtain it economically from this source, which would also supplement the water supplies of the large cities. The use of wells for public supplies is illustrated by the plants at Brooklyn, N. Y, Brookline, Mass. and Plainfield, N. J.
 In view of the rapid growth of g many of the cities in the state and the extensive appropriation of surface waters in certain regions it is dis inctly encouraging to find these state ments in the latest of a series of United States Geological survey re- S ports on the water resources of Con- , necticut.
 ? The surveys report states that Wa ter from these deposits can probably be most economically utilized by means of driven wells having per forated iron castings six to eight inches In diameter A project involving the use of driven wells differs from one. nploying drilled rock wells in that Reliable information regarding the Quantity and quality of water avail able can be obtained at moderate cost.
 The thickness and extent of the wa ter-bearing formations can be deter
 rough
 Ing tests by means of drive points will Festablish the feasibility of the project. Where the water-bearing deposits include coarse material and large quantities of water are sought, ss for municipal or industrial sup : plies the most satisfactory results can be obtained by perforating the castings at places where water is to be admit ted with numerous circular or by silts at least one-fourth inch wide.
 After the perforated casing is in place the well should be thoroughly cleaned out in order to remove the fine sediments and give the water free aC6ks to the well. This can best be Mne by first using a sand bucket or sand pump and then applying an air lift. If an air liftis not avail able, the we'll can be cleaned by rapid 2 pump. Strong wells may be devel- oped by removing large quantities of sand and salt and thus leaving a thick layer of clean gravel around the l Intake of the we'll Driven wells are | used to obtain both domestic and mu- 1 hicipa1 supplies. For publfea- systems l in large towns they are commonly l arranged in gangs. r.
 A study of the water resources of | Connecticut was begun in 1903 by the l United States Geological Survey. A l preliminary report by Prof. Herbert l E. Gregory, of Yale university, was | published in 1904, and a discussion | Of the fundamental problems relating 1 to the water supplies of the state, by l H. E. Gregory and E. E. Ellis, was | published in 1909 as water supply pa per 232. Tn 1911 a cooperative agree ment was made between the United l States Geological Survey and the Con- necticut Geological and Natural His ! tory Survey, for the purpose of con- | ducting a more detailed survey of l the quantity of waters available for municipal and private uses. The re- port now announced is known as wa 1 ter-supply paper 374 and is entitled | Ground Water in the Hartford, l Stamford, Salisbury, Willimantic and Saybrook areas, Connecticut" by H. | Is. Gregory and A. J. Ellis. In addi- ! ton to general information in re- gard to the occurrence of ground wa l ter. it's use in public and private SUD- plies, and the methods of developing | groundwater supplies, this report | contains detailed groundwater maps 1 and special reports on the water SUD- plies of the towns of Hartford, West l Hartford, Newington, Wethersfeld, l East Hartford, Manchester, South i Windsor, East Windsor, Windsor, | Bloomfield, Stamford, Greenwich, Sal | ishury, North Canaan, Canaan, Wind 1 ham, Franklin, Saybrook, Essex, | Westbrook and Old Lyme.
 Water-supply papers 374 and 232 | may be obtained free of charge by ap- ! plying to the Director Geological Sur l vey Washington D. c. Water-supply 1 paper 397 can be purchased from the | SuRt. of Documents, Washington, D. 1 C. at fifteen cents a copy