The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-02-10
WATER SHORTAGE
SITUATION UNDER
INVESTIGATION
Commissioners Prepare State
ment for Voters Information
MORE PIPE LINE NEEDED
Community Owns Water Enough
But Unable to Supply 1t
to Consumers

If TIE Village of Bennington
wishes to have an adequate water
supply some action must be taken by
the voters to provide way whereby
the present supply can be increased.
The Board of Water Commissioners
has known for years that the time
was soon to come when the Village
would demand more water than TIE
present system can deliver With
this IN mind, an article was put into
the Warning of the village meeting
in 1918 to bring the matter to the at
tentlon of the voters, but they, not
realizing the seriousness Of the situa.
tion, voted to dismiss the article
without any discussion Of II. This
question will again be
brought before the voters at the com.
ing Village meeting and in order that
the situation may be thoroughly and
intelligently understood, the Board
OF Water Commissioners has pre-
pared the Following statement con-
Germ ng the Water System,
During the past two years the
whole water system has been inspect
ed by a civil engineer, and great
part OF 1t has been surveyed and
charted. These charts or maps are
in the office Of the Board Of Water
Commissioners, and the clerk of the
Board will exhibit and explain item
to anyone who so desires.
Description Of the Water System
The Bennington Water System is
composed OF two separate and dis
tinct systems.
The smaller one which gets its
water from the Holt Springs and
their reservoirs located just above the
Desert" supplies the Holt farm
Bradford Mill, II houses on the
South end of Branch St, and 26
houses on Beech street South o. the
North Adams trolley crossing,
Objections to the Holt Spring System
The objections or drawbacks to
this system are:
/. The so-called Holt farm, wtiich
IL now owned by John Rooney, has
first right to the use Of the water
all water used in residence and
barns must be furnished without
charge.
3. The Bradford residence on Main
street, the Bradford Mill. five houses
on Bradford Place. and tiree on
Gregg street have second rights to
the use OF the water without charge
3. The residence on Frank Thomp
son Estate has the free use Of the
water tor household purposes.
4. The socalled Godfrey house
has the free use of all the water
that will flow through a IL inch pipe
or approximately / IL million gal
IONS per annum.
The aforementioned places have
respectively the first, second third
and fourth rights to the water Al
ter them come the Village rights.
The Village is Obliged to keep the
reservoirs and all pipes in repair
and in good working order. .
The cost of maintaining the hol'
system for the nine years that 1t has
been under the control of the vhlags
has been approximately $1,000; the
water rents for that time have beer
81 s02 90. thus the annual net in
come from the Holt Spring system
is so low that the System furnishes
no fire protection.
Main System
The larger or the main system
comprises the rest OF the village
water supply.
The main reservoir, situated on
the Burgess Road about ! mile eas'
of the Village, holds approximately
n IA mhlion gals. The Village, un
hler ordinary conditions, uses slightly
less than 100000 gallons Of water
each "a hours, so that a full reser
,voir insures barely days supply
ANY unusual demand for water sucI
as large Are would In a few hour'
drain the reservoir unless the sup
ply pipes are In perfect order, ana
even with all supply pipes working
perfectly, there would no DOUBT De
| shortage OF water for several days
There are two supply pipes tha'
deliver water to the main reservoir
-one a six inch pipe whio,l conducts
water from the so-called Ryder
Spring and seven small springs OF
Harmon Hill The 2nd or main sup
ply pipe extends from the reservoir
4 1.S miles along the side OF tht
mountain to what is known as tht
South End where the waters o.
Lake Hancock are taken up IRON
the intake at the South End for dis
tance of 1890 It. the size o.. The pipe
is 8 inches, the remaining distance
$4,000 IT. the pipe is 6 inches Thi'
main pipe line for almost all it'
length lies directly on the surface OF
onlv a few inches beneath the surface
of the ground. In one place 1t runs OF
concrete piers above the ground tol
distance Of 1876 feet
Opening into the main pipe are
several feed pipes which carry water
from various springs. In ASCENDING
the line from t.he Reservoir, the mrs
Of these feed pipes encountered i
that from the Bradford Spring; th'
2nd from Cold Spring, the Bird IRON
Bu,.Anell Spring; the 4th from hath