﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  495 
  

  

  the 
  storage 
  period, 
  12.59 
  inches; 
  growing 
  period, 
  4.82. 
  inches; 
  re- 
  

   plenishing 
  period, 
  8.60 
  inches; 
  total 
  for 
  the 
  year, 
  26.01 
  inches. 
  

   The 
  record 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1846 
  at 
  Middlebury 
  is 
  not 
  given. 
  It 
  is 
  

   clear, 
  therefore, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  any 
  definite 
  meterological 
  

   record, 
  that 
  the 
  measurements 
  made 
  by 
  Mr 
  Marsh 
  in 
  1846 
  were 
  at 
  

   a 
  time 
  of 
  very 
  low 
  water. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  ago 
  gagings 
  of 
  the 
  minimum 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  

   Genesee 
  were 
  kept 
  at 
  the 
  raceway 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  Paper 
  Company, 
  

   in 
  the 
  north 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  

   turn 
  the 
  entire 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  through 
  the 
  raceway. 
  These 
  

   gagings 
  showed 
  that 
  for 
  several 
  months 
  the 
  minimum 
  flow 
  did 
  not 
  

   exceed 
  about 
  160 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second, 
  and 
  as 
  this 
  included 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  10 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  flow 
  of 
  sewage, 
  we 
  may 
  conclude 
  

   that 
  the 
  minimum 
  flow 
  of 
  this 
  stream 
  at 
  Rochester 
  is 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  

   150 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  (catchment, 
  2365 
  square 
  miles), 
  or 
  at 
  

   the 
  rate 
  of 
  0.064 
  cubic 
  foot 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  square 
  mile. 
  These 
  

   measurements 
  were 
  verified 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1903, 
  when 
  at 
  

   p]lmwood 
  avenue 
  bridge 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  the 
  flow 
  was 
  

   even 
  somewhat 
  less 
  than 
  this, 
  as 
  determined 
  by 
  current-meter 
  

   measurement. 
  

  

  These 
  statements 
  apparently 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  minimum 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  has 
  decreased 
  from 
  412 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  

   second 
  in 
  1846 
  to 
  about 
  150 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  in 
  1903. 
  As 
  to 
  

   the 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  decrease, 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  extensive 
  de- 
  

   forestation 
  of 
  the 
  catchment 
  area 
  which 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  since 
  

   1846 
  offers 
  full 
  explanation. 
  In 
  1846 
  the 
  upper 
  Genesee 
  catch- 
  

   ment 
  was 
  still 
  very 
  largely 
  in 
  forest. 
  Probably 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  area 
  

   above 
  Rochester 
  the 
  virgin 
  forest 
  was 
  from 
  65 
  per 
  cent 
  to 
  70 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  whole. 
  We 
  have 
  therefore 
  apparently 
  a 
  marked 
  case 
  

   where 
  the 
  deforestation 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  has 
  materially 
  reduced 
  the 
  

   minimum 
  runoff. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  minimum 
  flows 
  of 
  Genesee 
  river 
  show 
  conclusively 
  

   that 
  in 
  its 
  present 
  condition 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  good 
  mill 
  stream. 
  The 
  

   great 
  variation 
  in 
  runoff 
  is 
  conclusive 
  on 
  this 
  point. 
  The 
  figures 
  

   show 
  that 
  the 
  runoff 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  may 
  be 
  exceedingly 
  slack 
  for 
  

   several 
  months 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  fall. 
  

  

  Minimum 
  flow 
  of 
  Oatka 
  creek. 
  The 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  this 
  

   stream 
  above 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  measurement 
  is 
  27.5 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  

   mean 
  flow 
  for 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  August, 
  1891, 
  was 
  6 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  

  

  