﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  841 
  

  

  MUNICIPAL 
  WATER 
  SUPPLIES 
  IN 
  WESTERN 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  1 
  

  

  In 
  1894, 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  before 
  the 
  Buffalo 
  Academy 
  of 
  Medi- 
  

   cine 
  on 
  The 
  Application 
  of 
  Intermittent 
  Filtration 
  to 
  Domestic 
  

   Filters, 
  the 
  writer 
  stated 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  before 
  he 
  had 
  

   had 
  occasion 
  to 
  examine 
  somewhat 
  in 
  detail 
  every 
  possible 
  source 
  

   from 
  which 
  either 
  a 
  temporary 
  or 
  permanent 
  supply 
  of 
  potable 
  

   water 
  could 
  be 
  drawn 
  for 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Kochester. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  the 
  study 
  something 
  like 
  eighteen 
  distinct 
  sources 
  were 
  ex- 
  

   amined, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  showing 
  that, 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  every- 
  

   thing, 
  the 
  choice 
  was 
  really 
  narrowed 
  to 
  Hemlock 
  lake, 
  the 
  source 
  

   formerly 
  selected, 
  but 
  which, 
  while 
  admittedly 
  of 
  unexceptionable 
  

   quality, 
  was 
  still, 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  many 
  citizens, 
  hardly 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  as 
  an 
  additional 
  supply 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  distance 
  

   (thirty 
  miles) 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  must 
  be 
  transported. 
  

  

  The 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  fairly 
  exhaustive 
  examination 
  was 
  to 
  show, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  quality 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  cost 
  of 
  ob- 
  

   taining 
  a 
  given 
  quantity, 
  it 
  followed 
  that 
  Hemlock 
  lake, 
  even 
  

   though 
  thirty 
  miles 
  distant, 
  was 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  preferable 
  source 
  of 
  

   supply 
  for 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Kochester. 
  

  

  Western 
  New 
  York, 
  looked 
  at 
  casually, 
  would 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  

   well-watered 
  region, 
  and 
  since 
  making 
  the 
  examination 
  in 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  it 
  has 
  always 
  seemed 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  interesting 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the 
  repeated 
  selection 
  of 
  Hemlock 
  lake 
  as 
  a 
  natural 
  source 
  of 
  a 
  

   potable 
  water 
  supply 
  for 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester, 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  engi- 
  

   neers 
  who 
  have 
  examined 
  the 
  matter 
  in 
  detail 
  since 
  about 
  1860, 
  

   when 
  it 
  was 
  first 
  proposed, 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  present, 
  should 
  show 
  

   clearly 
  that 
  potable 
  water 
  of 
  high 
  quality 
  and 
  in 
  large 
  quantity 
  

   is 
  in 
  reality 
  rather 
  a 
  scarce 
  commodity 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Since 
  that 
  time 
  employment 
  upon 
  water 
  supplies 
  in 
  different 
  

   parts 
  of 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  has 
  still 
  further 
  shown 
  how 
  exceed- 
  

   ingly 
  scarce 
  potable 
  water 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Pure 
  

   water 
  is 
  a 
  scarce 
  commodity 
  here, 
  and 
  the 
  study 
  must 
  be 
  very 
  

   broad 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  select 
  the 
  most 
  available 
  and 
  least 
  expensive 
  

   supply 
  of 
  proper 
  quality 
  for 
  a 
  town. 
  

  

  1 
  Partly 
  condensed 
  from 
  Report 
  of 
  Executive 
  Board 
  of 
  Rochester 
  for 
  1890. 
  

  

  