﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  549 
  

  

  competent 
  to 
  declare 
  that 
  certain 
  feeders 
  shall 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal, 
  especially 
  when 
  such 
  feeders 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  necessary 
  

   or 
  useful 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  

  

  The 
  commissioners 
  also 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  revised 
  statutes 
  

   the 
  legislature 
  has 
  enacted 
  that 
  whenever 
  any 
  water 
  may 
  be 
  spared 
  

   from 
  any 
  canal 
  or 
  works 
  connected 
  therewith 
  without 
  injury 
  to 
  

   the 
  navigation 
  or 
  safety 
  of 
  such 
  canal, 
  a 
  sale 
  of 
  such 
  surplus 
  

   water 
  may 
  be 
  made. 
  The 
  commissioners 
  recognized, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  this 
  act 
  provides 
  that 
  the 
  State 
  shall 
  have 
  the 
  right 
  wholly 
  

   to 
  resume 
  the 
  waters 
  so 
  conveyed 
  and 
  the 
  privileges 
  thereby 
  

   granted 
  whenever 
  it 
  shall 
  become 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  or 
  safety 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal, 
  but 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  they 
  suggested 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  State 
  

   by 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  the 
  legislature 
  has 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  revocable 
  

   grant 
  of 
  waters 
  of 
  a 
  feeder 
  of 
  the 
  canal, 
  but 
  not 
  necessary 
  for 
  

   its 
  use 
  and 
  safety, 
  it 
  also 
  has 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  irrevocable 
  

   grant 
  of 
  such 
  waters. 
  The 
  plan 
  proposed 
  by 
  Mr 
  Oroes 
  included 
  

   the 
  construction 
  by 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Syracuse 
  of 
  a 
  compensation 
  reser- 
  

   voir 
  on 
  Carpenter's 
  brook, 
  whereby 
  the 
  water 
  taken 
  from 
  

   Skaneateles 
  lake 
  for 
  the 
  public 
  water 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Syra- 
  

   cuse 
  may 
  be 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  in 
  kind. 
  Such 
  an 
  exchange, 
  the 
  

   commissioners 
  said, 
  could 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  impair 
  the 
  usefulness 
  or 
  

   safety 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  nor 
  in 
  any 
  manner 
  injure 
  the 
  interests 
  

   of 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  commissioners 
  also 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  

   to 
  them 
  that 
  such 
  forced 
  or 
  technical 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  con- 
  

   stitution 
  should 
  be 
  resorted 
  to 
  as 
  would 
  preclude 
  the 
  possibility 
  

   of 
  a 
  municipality 
  of 
  nearly 
  100,000 
  people 
  securing 
  a 
  proper 
  and 
  

   suitable 
  source 
  of 
  water 
  supply. 
  They 
  believed 
  indeed 
  that 
  the 
  

   necessities 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  in 
  this 
  regard 
  were 
  so 
  urgent, 
  and 
  its 
  wel- 
  

   fare 
  and 
  prosperity 
  so 
  largely 
  dependent 
  upon 
  securing 
  water 
  

   from 
  Skaneateles 
  lake, 
  that 
  the 
  authorities 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  should 
  

   feel 
  constrained 
  to 
  accede 
  to 
  the 
  demand 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  for 
  this 
  water 
  

   as 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  its 
  municipal 
  supply. 
  

  

  Following 
  the 
  special 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  commissioners, 
  chapter 
  728 
  

   of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1889 
  — 
  An 
  Act 
  to 
  establish 
  and 
  maintain 
  a 
  water 
  

   department 
  in 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  iSyracuse 
  — 
  was 
  enacted. 
  This 
  

   act 
  was 
  strongly 
  opposed 
  by 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  

   the 
  opposition 
  being 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  that 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  Skaneateles 
  lake 
  for 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Syracuse 
  

  

  