New Britain herald., 1923-04-02
SHUTTLE MEADOW IS
 GOOD FOR 10 YEARS
Mayor PaoneSSa Believes It Will
 Serve City for Decade

for the extension of New Britain's
 water supply involving an e.pendi-
 ture of approximately $e.b00,000 will
 not be required for the next 10 years at least, Mayor A. M. Paonessa be- lieves, since the sinking of wells at Forestvile will increase the water supply sufficiently to take care of the citys needs for that period. he ex- plains.
 The second installment calls for
 raising Shuttle Meadow reservoir in-
 cluding the main dam, placing new
 outlet Tunnel and control works with
 q dike at the upper end; clearing and
 cleaning additional area to be over
 flowed; the dam being made of more than usual thickness and arranged
 with reference to being further
 raised. The flow line will be at an
 elevation of 345 feet and afford a ca pacity of coco gallons, being 4,000
 million gallons increase over the pres-
 ent capacity.
 There has been much objection to l the proposal to raise the dam on the part of former water commissioners
 and property owners in the vicinity
 of Shuttle Meadow who fear for their
 own safety.
 Discussing this installment of his extension project, Mir. Hazen reports.
 Suggests Building Higher Dam
 Shuttle Meadow is natural basin almost surrounded with high walls of trap. The floor of the enclosed valley l is almost flat. The present reservoir l is formed by a relatively low dam. By building higher dam the capacity of the reservoir can be increased.
 Surveys were made to determine the capacity of the reservoir and the dimensions of a dam to raise the water 50 feet above its present level. It was found that this will increase the storage in this reservoir alone to the required 5000 million gallons; and will permit delivery in excess of the IS million gallons per day that was taken at the starting point. "In working over the plan of the proposed dam, it occurred to me that possibly at some future time stor- age capacity in the basin greater than 5000 million gallons would be use fEl, and there is no apparent reason why the reservoir could not be built
 higher. Without setting a definite limit, further increase of 30 feet, to so feet above the present flow line, with an approximate storage capacity of 10000 million gallons may be con- sidered.
 "The dam site is between masses of trap rock at either end. The few borings that were made disclosed red l sandstone rock underneath the site at a depth of about 50 feet below the ] present floor of the valley. These borings were numerous enough to de- | velop all the underground conditions, and further borings along the center line of the proposed dam site will be needed before plans can be made.
 The material above the rock at the dam site ranges from clay to sandy material, with fragments of broken rock and boulders. The amount of clay found is not large. The bulk of the materials are sandy, but the sandy material is different in it's char and Burlington.
 Sand Previous to Water
 ''rhe Whigville and Burlington sand consists of fragments of granite and hard rock. It is hard grained, clean and capable of carrying large quan- titles of water. The sand at Shuttle is red in color and has re- suited largely from breaking down of the red sandstone; and it contains fine material that tends to fill it's in- terstices and render it less previous to water
 ''The present dam holds water to a depth of about 25 feet. Your plan shows cut off wall to a depth of from 1'2 to IS feet. It is clear that no cut off trench was carried to the sandstone rock or any considerable part of the way. Broadly speaking, this dam was built on the top of the debris in the valley. It is substantial ly water tight. No seepage is found below it. This speaks we'll for the general tightness of the debris.
 Tt may be found that it would be H possible to build the new and higher Il dam that will be required in the same way, with only such cut off as could be readily secured by an open trench cut.
 The question must be studied fur her after complete borings have been made. For the present, I make the conservative consumption that it will H pc necessary to get a complete cut ! off to rock, either by open trench II pack filled with concrete or clay, or II oy caissons driven to rock or by the II ise of sheet piling of wood or steel, II f the material should be found loose though to permit such piling to be Il lriven. lI
 Without attempting further dis 'ussion l have assumed for the pur- HI pose of estimate that such a cut off HI 100 feet long to B depth of 50 feet HI ,elow the floor of the valley would HI ,e made at an expense of $500 per HI meal foot or s250,00 for the diff IN 'ult part of the work; and I have ,dded $50,000 for such cut off works l IS may be found necessary on the HI fight bank. For the left bank no al- HI owance is necessary as trap rock is I xposed practically at the surface. III
 The estimate of s300,00O for cut III if works is a large item, and it rests HI t present on slender data, and this ll art of the estimate may we'll be re. I onsidered after results of further HI orings are available. Il!
 Dam Blessing and Menace IN
 fasI