﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  105 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  data 
  of 
  precipitation 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  are 
  cited 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  establishing 
  the 
  proposition 
  that 
  at 
  times 
  the 
  run- 
  

   offs 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  streams 
  are 
  very 
  low, 
  though 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  

   saving 
  grace 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  matter 
  is 
  that 
  apparently 
  the 
  cycles 
  

   of 
  low 
  precipitation 
  do 
  not 
  affect 
  the 
  whole 
  State 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  occasionally 
  that 
  catchment 
  areas 
  as 
  large 
  

   as 
  the 
  Upper 
  Hudson, 
  Black, 
  Mohawk, 
  Oswego, 
  Allegheny, 
  'Sus- 
  

   quehanna 
  and 
  Genesee 
  rivers 
  will 
  be 
  all 
  subject 
  to 
  drought 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  year. 
  A 
  balancing 
  of 
  conditions 
  is 
  thus 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  

   brought 
  about. 
  Nevertheless, 
  while 
  the 
  preceding 
  statement 
  is 
  

   fairly 
  deducible 
  from 
  the 
  data, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  writer's 
  opinion 
  that 
  if 
  

   we 
  had 
  complete 
  records 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  easily 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   cipitation 
  of 
  nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  State 
  has 
  in 
  some 
  year 
  been 
  on 
  an 
  

   average 
  less 
  than 
  30 
  inches, 
  and 
  that 
  consequently 
  the 
  streams 
  

   of 
  the 
  State, 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  did 
  not 
  average 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  year 
  a 
  runoff 
  of 
  

   more 
  than 
  about 
  7 
  to 
  10 
  inches. 
  For 
  individual 
  catchment 
  areas, 
  

   like 
  the 
  Upper 
  Genesee, 
  where 
  the 
  total 
  is 
  1070 
  square 
  miles, 
  or 
  for 
  

   the 
  Oneida 
  lake 
  area, 
  with 
  a 
  total 
  above 
  Brewerton 
  of 
  1265 
  square 
  

   miles, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  possible, 
  and 
  indeed 
  probable, 
  that 
  the 
  minimums 
  

   affecting 
  the 
  whole 
  area 
  may 
  sink 
  somewhat 
  lower. 
  Probably 
  25 
  

   inches 
  precipitation 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  unreasonable 
  figure. 
  If 
  such 
  a 
  

   minimum 
  should 
  occur 
  for 
  the 
  Oneida 
  lake 
  area, 
  the 
  runoff 
  for 
  

   the 
  water 
  year 
  would 
  not 
  exceed 
  5 
  inches. 
  1 
  

  

  Runoff 
  

  

  The 
  laws 
  of 
  stream 
  flow. 
  A 
  general 
  statement 
  of 
  these 
  laws 
  

  

  from 
  Mr 
  Vermeule 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  are 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  process 
  which 
  we 
  

   call 
  evaporation 
  and 
  formed 
  into 
  clouds, 
  to 
  be 
  again 
  precipitated 
  

   to 
  earth 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  rain 
  or 
  snow. 
  Of 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  falls 
  

   upon 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  a 
  stream, 
  a 
  portion 
  is 
  evaporated 
  directly 
  by 
  

   the 
  sun; 
  another 
  large 
  portion 
  is 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  plant 
  growth 
  and 
  

   mostly 
  transpired 
  in 
  vapor 
  ; 
  still 
  another 
  portion, 
  large 
  in 
  winter 
  

   but 
  very 
  small 
  in 
  summer, 
  finds 
  its 
  way 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  directly 
  

  

  i 
  The 
  foregoing 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  minimum 
  precipitation 
  records 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  

   State 
  has 
  been 
  abstracted 
  from 
  the 
  writer's 
  report 
  on 
  Special 
  Water 
  Supply 
  

   Investigation, 
  Appendix 
  16 
  of 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Engineers 
  on 
  Deep 
  

   Waterways 
  Between 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  Atlantic 
  Tidewaters. 
  Executive 
  

   Document 
  No. 
  149 
  of 
  the 
  House 
  of 
  Representatives, 
  56th 
  Congress, 
  2d 
  

   Session. 
  

  

  