﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  451 
  

  

  25,000 
  to 
  30,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  nearly 
  every 
  year, 
  while 
  at 
  

   Rochester 
  30,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  is 
  quite 
  rare, 
  even 
  the 
  great 
  

   flood 
  of 
  1865 
  probably 
  did 
  not 
  materially 
  exceed 
  45,000 
  to 
  54,000 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  About 
  30,000 
  to 
  35,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  sec- 
  

   ond 
  at 
  Rochester 
  gives 
  a 
  full 
  river, 
  and 
  anything 
  much 
  beyond 
  

   that 
  figure 
  will 
  produce 
  a 
  disastrous 
  flood. 
  The 
  flats 
  then 
  act 
  to 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  marked 
  degree 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  freshet 
  

   at 
  Rochester. 
  With 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  state, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  

   same 
  character 
  of 
  catchment 
  area 
  throughout 
  its 
  whole 
  course 
  

   that 
  we 
  find 
  to 
  exist 
  above 
  Mount 
  Morris, 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  chief 
  

   business 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester 
  would 
  probably 
  be 
  sub- 
  

   merged 
  nearly 
  every 
  year. 
  

  

  This 
  immunity 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester 
  is, 
  however, 
  purchased 
  

   at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  flats 
  which 
  act 
  as 
  an 
  immense 
  storage 
  reser- 
  

   voir 
  for 
  the 
  spring 
  floods 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  river. 
  

  

  From 
  an 
  economic 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  one 
  marked 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  

   annual 
  inundation 
  is 
  largely 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  flats 
  for 
  

   any 
  agricultural 
  purpose 
  other 
  than 
  grazing. 
  If 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  relieved 
  of 
  the 
  burden 
  of 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  overflow 
  

   which 
  occurs 
  in 
  May, 
  they 
  will 
  immediately 
  become 
  the 
  most 
  fer- 
  

   tile 
  agricultural 
  lands 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  their 
  value 
  will 
  be 
  doubled. 
  

   It 
  is 
  in 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  policy 
  of 
  all 
  civilized 
  governments 
  to 
  estab- 
  

   lish 
  works 
  for 
  river 
  conservancy 
  wherever 
  results 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  gained 
  

   such 
  as 
  these, 
  and 
  the 
  precedent 
  of 
  similar 
  works 
  by 
  other 
  gov- 
  

   ernments 
  is 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  benefits 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  by 
  the 
  Common- 
  

   wealth 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  increased 
  valuation 
  of 
  property, 
  the 
  strongest 
  

   possible 
  argument 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  urged 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  

   storage. 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  may 
  be 
  asked 
  whether 
  the 
  annual 
  inundation 
  is 
  

   not 
  really 
  a 
  benefit 
  rather 
  than 
  an 
  injury, 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  carrying 
  a 
  

   large 
  amount 
  of 
  valuable 
  silt 
  fertilizing 
  material 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  

   submerged 
  area, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Nile 
  and 
  other 
  irri- 
  

   gating 
  streams. 
  The 
  answer 
  is 
  that, 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  a 
  heavy 
  May 
  

   rainfall, 
  occurring 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  ground 
  water 
  is 
  high 
  and 
  

   before 
  vegetation 
  has 
  become 
  active, 
  there 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  over- 
  

   flow 
  just 
  at 
  the 
  planting 
  season, 
  which 
  effectually 
  prevents 
  the 
  

   putting 
  in 
  of 
  crops. 
  Frequently, 
  too, 
  the 
  May 
  overflow 
  extends 
  

   over 
  into 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  June. 
  In 
  May, 
  1893, 
  the 
  discharge 
  at 
  

   Rochester 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  over 
  14,500 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  