﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OP 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  181 
  

  

  the 
  streams 
  issuing 
  therefrom 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  water 
  storage 
  in 
  New 
  

   York 
  not 
  only 
  unnecessary 
  but 
  undesirable. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Hud- 
  

   son 
  river 
  there 
  is 
  perhaps 
  1500 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  catchment 
  area 
  

   within 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  park, 
  which, 
  if 
  entirely 
  reforested, 
  would, 
  

   as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  increase 
  the 
  present 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  iy 
  2 
  

   inches, 
  but 
  this 
  increase 
  of 
  1% 
  inches 
  is 
  only 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  

   1500 
  square 
  miles 
  actually 
  reforested. 
  The 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  

   Hudson 
  river 
  above 
  Mechanicville, 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  gagings 
  

   shown 
  in 
  table 
  Xo. 
  61 
  have 
  been 
  made, 
  is 
  4500 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  

   net 
  effect, 
  therefore, 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  is 
  only 
  one-half 
  inch 
  of 
  water, 
  

   distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  year, 
  an 
  effect 
  which 
  is 
  inap- 
  

   preciable. 
  

  

  However, 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  consideration. 
  Owing 
  to 
  less 
  rainfall 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  plateau 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  plateau, 
  streams 
  in 
  

   the 
  Catskill 
  region 
  do 
  not 
  flow 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Adiron- 
  

   dacks. 
  As 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  the 
  average 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  for 
  

   fifteen 
  years 
  is 
  23.27 
  inches. 
  Taking 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  rainfall 
  

   of 
  these 
  two 
  districts 
  at 
  4 
  inches, 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  in 
  the 
  

   Catskill 
  region, 
  provided 
  forestation 
  were 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Adirondacks, 
  would 
  be 
  over 
  19 
  inches. 
  But 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  

   the 
  existing 
  differences 
  in 
  forestation, 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  streams 
  in 
  the 
  

   Catskill 
  region 
  does 
  not 
  average 
  over 
  16 
  or 
  17 
  inches 
  per 
  year. 
  

   It 
  follows, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  3y 
  2 
  inches 
  in 
  the 
  Catskill 
  

   region 
  is 
  relatively 
  of 
  more 
  value 
  than 
  a 
  corresponding 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  shown, 
  for 
  the 
  Adiron- 
  

   dacks 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  V/ 
  2 
  - 
  inches 
  is 
  equivalent 
  to 
  6y 
  2 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  annual 
  flow 
  of 
  streams 
  issuing 
  from 
  that 
  region, 
  while 
  

   in 
  the 
  Catskills, 
  Sy 
  2 
  inches 
  is 
  equivalent 
  to 
  22% 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  annual 
  flow 
  of 
  streams. 
  Reforestation, 
  therefore, 
  

   is 
  considerably 
  more 
  valuable 
  in 
  the 
  Catskills 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  

   the 
  Adirondacks. 
  But 
  the 
  foregoing 
  does 
  not 
  mean 
  that 
  5 
  inches 
  

   more 
  water 
  will 
  flow 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  

   issuing 
  from 
  the 
  Catskill 
  region, 
  but 
  only 
  from 
  that 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  region 
  on 
  which 
  forest 
  has 
  been 
  restored. 
  As 
  we 
  

   have 
  seen, 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  Catskill 
  park 
  is 
  703 
  square 
  

   miles, 
  while 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Catskill 
  Forest 
  preserve 
  is 
  about 
  

  

  