﻿GEOLOGY OF THE NEW YORK CITY AQUEDUCT 1 3 



The evident certainty that present supplies from the Croton and 

 Long Island will be very inadequate long before the Catskill system 

 can be completed has influenced the adoption of plans contemplating 

 the construction of certain parts in advance of the rest. To begin 

 with, only the Esopus watershed is to be developed by the con- 

 struction of the great Ashokan dam at Olive Bridge making the 

 reservoir of full capacity. At the same time that portion of the 

 aqueduct between the Ashokan dam and the present Croton reser- 

 voir is to be completed in advance of other parts so as to make it 

 possible to turn additional supplies into the Croton system, the 

 capacity of the present Croton aqueducts being somewhat in excess 

 of the Croton storage in dry years. It is furthermore desirable that 

 increased storage capacity should be secured much nearer to New 

 York city, and with that end in view Kensico reservoir is to be 

 greatly enlarged. It is estimated that this may be made to hold 50 

 days' supply of 500,000,000 gallons daily. 



The development of the Catskill system is being carried on by the 

 Board of Water Supply, which was appointed by Mayor McClellan, 

 as provided in chapter 724, of the laws of 1905. The present board 

 consists of John A. Bensel, president, Charles N. Chadwick and 

 Charles A. Shaw. The Engineering Bureau of the Board is in 

 charge of J. Waldo Smith, as chief engineer, Merritt H. Smith, as 

 deputy chief engineer and Thaddeus Merriman, assistant to chief 

 engineer. 



Influenced doubtless in large part by the unity of certain portions 

 of the project, either because their essential engineering features 

 are distinct, or because their construction is more urgent, or in order 

 to facilitate the work of supervision of so great an undertaking, the 

 following departments have been created: 



1 Headquarters department (executive). In charge of general 

 designs, plans of construction and preparation of contracts. Alfred 

 D. Flinn, department engineer. 



2 Reservoir department. In charge of development of the Cats- 

 kill watershed and the construction of the various dams and res- 

 ervoirs. Carlton E. Davis, department engineer. 



3 Northern aqueduct department. In charge of the construction 

 of full capacity aqueduct from the Ashokan dam (60 miles) to Hunt- 

 ers brook in the Croton system. Robert Ridgway, department engi- 

 neer. 



4 Southern aqueduct department. In charge of the construction 

 of full capacity aqueduct from Hunters brook in the Croton system 



