﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  643 
  

  

  acquire 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  draw 
  775 
  cubic 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  per 
  second 
  at 
  a 
  

   cost 
  not 
  exceeding 
  the 
  sum 
  of 
  $4,761,180, 
  previously 
  found. 
  As 
  

   an 
  alternative 
  proposition, 
  the 
  city 
  might 
  build 
  the 
  compensation 
  

   storage 
  and 
  realize 
  the 
  full 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  property 
  when 
  sold. 
  

  

  Water 
  supply 
  for 
  'New 
  York 
  city 
  from 
  Lake 
  George. 
  About 
  

   18S0 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Hudson 
  Valley 
  Aqueduct 
  Company 
  was 
  

   incorporated 
  to 
  construct 
  a 
  water 
  supply 
  from 
  Lake 
  George 
  and 
  

   upper 
  Hudson 
  for 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  other 
  cities 
  of 
  lower 
  Hudson 
  

   valley. 
  Reports 
  on 
  this 
  project 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  Col. 
  J. 
  T. 
  Fanning, 
  

   chief 
  engineer, 
  under 
  dates 
  of 
  December 
  1881, 
  and 
  November 
  

   1884. 
  Colonel 
  Fanning 
  proposed 
  to 
  divert 
  Hudson 
  river 
  above 
  

   Glens 
  Falls, 
  utilizing 
  the 
  extended 
  area 
  of 
  Lake 
  George 
  for 
  storing 
  

   flood-flows. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  that 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  

   1,500,000,000 
  gallons 
  per 
  day 
  could, 
  if 
  necessary, 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   (2315 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second). 
  Since 
  Colonel 
  Fanning's 
  reports 
  

   are 
  readily 
  obtainable, 
  space 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  give 
  his 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  in 
  detail. 
  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  main 
  elements 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lake 
  George 
  project, 
  as 
  deduced 
  from 
  the 
  topographic 
  sheets 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey: 
  

  

  Elevation 
  of 
  lake 
  surface 
  above 
  tidewater. 
  . 
  323.0 
  feet 
  

   Catchment 
  area, 
  including 
  water 
  surface. 
  . 
  229.0 
  square 
  miles 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  water 
  surface 
  43 
  . 
  4 
  square 
  miles 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  340 
  contour 
  49 
  . 
  2 
  square 
  miles 
  

  

  Storage 
  between 
  323 
  + 
  T. 
  W. 
  and 
  340 
  21,043,308,540 
  cubic 
  feet 
  

  

  Lake 
  George 
  is 
  surrounded 
  by 
  mountains 
  rising 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  

   of 
  from 
  1500 
  to 
  2700 
  feet 
  above 
  tidewater. 
  There 
  is 
  little 
  special 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  rainfall, 
  but 
  it 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  materially 
  different 
  

   from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  catchment 
  area. 
  The 
  outlet 
  is 
  at 
  

   the 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  fall 
  in 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  

   a 
  mile 
  of 
  222 
  feet, 
  which 
  is 
  largely 
  utilized 
  in 
  paper 
  making, 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  at 
  hand 
  indicating 
  a 
  total 
  development 
  of 
  from 
  4000 
  to 
  

   5000 
  net 
  horsepower. 
  Taking 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  waterpower 
  as 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  used 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  Lake 
  George 
  outlet 
  waterpowers 
  may 
  

   be 
  computed 
  at 
  $1,458,000. 
  But 
  since 
  the 
  entire 
  properties 
  would 
  

   be 
  taken 
  we 
  may, 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  estimate 
  that 
  the 
  final 
  damage 
  

   would 
  not 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  $2,000,000. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  large 
  hotels 
  and 
  summer 
  resorts 
  about 
  Lake 
  

   George 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  mostly 
  destroyed 
  by 
  raising 
  the 
  lake 
  sur- 
  

  

  