﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  XEAY 
  YORK 
  499 
  

  

  Oswego 
  river, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  catchment 
  area 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  is 
  5002 
  

   square 
  miles. 
  The 
  minimum 
  flow 
  of 
  this 
  stream 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   subject 
  of 
  judicial 
  inquiry. 
  In 
  August, 
  1875, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   Michael 
  J. 
  Cummings 
  against 
  owners 
  and 
  lessees 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  

   the 
  Varick 
  canal 
  at 
  Oswego, 
  it 
  was 
  decreed 
  : 
  

  

  (1) 
  That 
  the 
  average 
  flow 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  Oswego 
  river 
  into 
  

   the 
  Varick 
  canal 
  in 
  low 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  months 
  is 
  about 
  

   45,000 
  to 
  50,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute; 
  (2) 
  that 
  in 
  extreme 
  low 
  

   water 
  in 
  the 
  summer, 
  and 
  which 
  usually 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   July 
  or 
  August, 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  35,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute; 
  and 
  (3) 
  

   that 
  the 
  average 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  three 
  summer 
  months 
  is 
  about 
  

   75,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute. 
  

  

  Varick 
  canal 
  is 
  entitled 
  to 
  receive 
  one-half 
  the 
  total 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  

   river, 
  less 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  required 
  for 
  navigation 
  purposes. 
  

   Hence 
  the 
  average 
  summer 
  flow, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  decree, 
  is 
  from 
  

   90,000 
  to 
  100,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute 
  (1500 
  to 
  1670 
  cubic 
  feet 
  

   per 
  second) 
  . 
  The 
  extreme 
  low-water 
  flow 
  is 
  placed 
  at 
  70,000 
  cubic- 
  

   feet 
  per 
  minute 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  or 
  at 
  1170 
  cubic- 
  

   feet 
  per 
  second, 
  while 
  the 
  average 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  three 
  summer- 
  

   months 
  is 
  given 
  at 
  about 
  150,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute, 
  or 
  2500 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  figures 
  we 
  deduce 
  an 
  

   extreme 
  minimum 
  of 
  perhaps 
  0.23 
  of 
  a 
  cubic 
  foot 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  

   square 
  mile, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  low 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  months 
  

   of 
  about 
  0.30 
  to 
  0.33 
  of 
  a 
  cubic 
  foot 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  square 
  mile. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  measurements 
  may, 
  however, 
  serve 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  

   the 
  minimum 
  figures 
  just 
  stated 
  may 
  be 
  modified 
  somewhat. 
  

  

  Beginning 
  in 
  April, 
  1897, 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  Oswego 
  river 
  

   has 
  been 
  kept 
  at 
  High 
  dam, 
  two 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Oswego. 
  

   This 
  record 
  is, 
  however, 
  somewhat 
  uncertain 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  low 
  water, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  for 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  worth 
  in 
  table 
  No. 
  50. 
  This 
  record 
  

   does 
  not 
  include 
  diversion 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Oswego 
  canal. 
  

  

  For 
  seven 
  days 
  in 
  September, 
  1897, 
  the 
  flow 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  

   about 
  900 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  month 
  of 
  

   September, 
  1898, 
  the 
  mean 
  flow 
  was 
  925 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

   For 
  twenty-five 
  days 
  in 
  September, 
  1898, 
  the 
  mean 
  flow 
  was 
  only 
  

   795 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  (catchment, 
  5000 
  square 
  miles), 
  or 
  at 
  

   the 
  rate 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  0.16 
  cubic 
  foot 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  square 
  

   mile. 
  

  

  