﻿628 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  permanent 
  stone 
  dam 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  with 
  an 
  opportunity 
  

   to 
  construct 
  a 
  wasteway 
  over 
  natural 
  rock 
  at 
  one 
  side. 
  

  

  Inasmuch 
  as 
  all 
  the 
  storage 
  except 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Sacandaga 
  area 
  

   would 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  Hadley 
  reservoir, 
  its 
  construction 
  would 
  

   simplify 
  the 
  management 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  very 
  greatly. 
  In 
  the 
  

   summer 
  season, 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  storage 
  above 
  to 
  be 
  

   drawn 
  upon, 
  this 
  reservoir 
  could 
  be 
  kept 
  nearly 
  full 
  and 
  just 
  the 
  

   right 
  quantity 
  drawn 
  out 
  from 
  day 
  to 
  day 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  

   the 
  assumed 
  flow 
  of 
  4500 
  cubic 
  feet 
  a 
  second 
  at 
  Mechanicville. 
  

  

  The 
  Water 
  Storage 
  Commission 
  made 
  surveys 
  for 
  several 
  

   reservoirs 
  on 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river, 
  but 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  of 
  inter- 
  

   est 
  about 
  any 
  of 
  these, 
  no 
  special 
  mention 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  them 
  here. 
  

  

  Effect 
  of 
  proposed 
  storage 
  on 
  river 
  flow. 
  The 
  foregoing 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  of 
  storage 
  have 
  been 
  fixed 
  upon 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  

   yield 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  of 
  minimum 
  stream 
  flow 
  will 
  furnish 
  a 
  storage 
  

   of 
  at 
  least 
  12 
  inches, 
  the 
  flow 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  reservoirs 
  themselves 
  

   being 
  located 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  holding 
  back 
  13.5 
  inches. 
  If, 
  

   however, 
  one 
  examines 
  the 
  tables 
  of 
  runoff 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  at 
  

   Mechanicville, 
  and 
  of 
  precipitation 
  in 
  the 
  catchment, 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  

   that 
  much 
  greater 
  yields 
  can 
  be 
  expected 
  in 
  an 
  average 
  year. 
  

   From 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  asked, 
  Why 
  not 
  make 
  the 
  

   reservoirs 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  than 
  merely 
  sufficient 
  for 
  the 
  wants 
  

   of 
  the 
  year 
  of 
  minimum 
  flow 
  and 
  carry 
  some 
  water 
  over 
  from 
  one 
  

   year 
  to 
  another, 
  thus 
  more 
  nearly 
  attaining 
  an 
  absolute 
  regula- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  — 
  not 
  for 
  a 
  single 
  year, 
  but 
  for 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  years? 
  

   The 
  chief 
  objection 
  to 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  procedure 
  is 
  that 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  with 
  other 
  large 
  reservoir 
  systems 
  is 
  against 
  other 
  than 
  a 
  

   moderate 
  development 
  on 
  this 
  line, 
  it 
  having 
  been 
  repeatedly 
  

   found 
  that 
  however 
  high 
  the 
  flow 
  line, 
  reservoirs 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  

   nearty 
  empty 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  storage 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  mini- 
  

   mum 
  year. 
  Experience 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  rainfall 
  and 
  stream 
  

   flow 
  move 
  in 
  cycles, 
  there 
  being 
  in 
  each 
  cycle 
  several 
  successive 
  

   years 
  of 
  flow 
  above 
  the 
  average. 
  The 
  demands 
  for 
  water 
  tend 
  to 
  

   increase 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  of 
  plenty, 
  until 
  those 
  in 
  charge 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  forget 
  there 
  will 
  ever 
  be 
  a 
  deficiency. 
  The 
  best 
  practice, 
  

   therefore, 
  is 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  flow 
  line 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  

   minimum 
  yield, 
  thus 
  forcing 
  an 
  economy 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  water 
  

   from 
  the 
  beginning. 
  By 
  proceeding 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  provision 
  may 
  

  

  