﻿698 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Just 
  before 
  entering 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  the 
  stream 
  enters 
  a 
  broad, 
  

   flat 
  valley, 
  extending 
  to 
  Phillipsburg, 
  and 
  varying 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  

   five 
  miles 
  in 
  width. 
  The 
  floor 
  of 
  this 
  valley 
  is 
  flat, 
  both 
  longi- 
  

   tudinally 
  and 
  transversely, 
  with 
  its 
  slope 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  so 
  slight 
  that 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  usually 
  flooded 
  during 
  the 
  spring, 
  

   although 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  water 
  drains 
  from 
  the 
  flats 
  

   through 
  the 
  river 
  channel, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  through 
  several 
  artificial 
  

   drainage 
  ditches. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  consists 
  of 
  high 
  hills 
  with 
  steep 
  sides. 
  The 
  hills 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  are 
  slaty, 
  slightly 
  covered 
  with 
  soil, 
  while 
  the 
  hills 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  are 
  of 
  granite, 
  marble 
  and 
  limestone. 
  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   the 
  valley 
  is 
  underlaid 
  with 
  calciferous 
  sandstone, 
  generally 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  black 
  soil 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  detritus 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  filled. 
  The 
  geologic 
  structure 
  indicates 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  underground 
  flow 
  above 
  Phillipsburg, 
  although 
  

   Mr 
  Freeman 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  Comptroller, 
  also 
  made 
  in 
  1900, 
  

   expresses 
  a 
  different 
  opinion. 
  In 
  his 
  view 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  

   of 
  doubt 
  whether 
  the 
  Wallkill 
  reservoir 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  safe, 
  because 
  

   of 
  the 
  large 
  leakage 
  from 
  the 
  sides. 
  The 
  writer 
  does 
  not 
  share 
  

   Mr 
  Freeman's 
  apprehensions, 
  although 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   thorough 
  examinations 
  the 
  question 
  is 
  an 
  open 
  one. 
  .About 
  25 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  wooded. 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  reservoir 
  on 
  the 
  Wallkill 
  would 
  be 
  as 
  soft 
  and 
  

   colorless 
  as 
  the 
  Croton 
  water. 
  This 
  conclusion 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  and 
  analyses 
  and 
  on 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  surface 
  flow 
  

   of 
  the 
  streams. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  erect 
  a 
  dam 
  at 
  Phillipsburg 
  which 
  will 
  im- 
  

   pound 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  flood 
  the 
  valley 
  from 
  twenty 
  to 
  

   thirty 
  feet 
  in 
  depth. 
  The 
  general 
  elevation 
  is 
  about 
  390 
  feet 
  above 
  

   sea 
  level. 
  If 
  the 
  water 
  level 
  be 
  raised 
  to 
  410, 
  sufficient 
  storage 
  will 
  

   be 
  provided 
  for 
  a 
  daily 
  draft 
  of 
  250,000,000 
  gallons 
  by 
  drawing 
  the 
  

   water 
  in 
  the 
  reservoir 
  down 
  5 
  feet. 
  The 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  catchment 
  

   above 
  Phillipsburg 
  is 
  465 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  area 
  submerged 
  at 
  

   elevation 
  405 
  is 
  49 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  at 
  elevation 
  410 
  it 
  is 
  51 
  

   square 
  miles. 
  Hence, 
  only 
  about 
  5 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  would 
  be 
  

   exposed 
  on 
  drawing 
  the 
  reservoir, 
  enough 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  yield 
  of 
  250,- 
  

   000,000 
  gallons 
  daily. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  impounded 
  would 
  be 
  

   approximately 
  200,000,000,000 
  gallons 
  (26,700,000,000 
  cubic 
  feet) 
  

   of 
  which 
  53,000,000,000 
  gallons 
  (7:,100,000,000 
  cubic 
  feet) 
  would 
  

  

  