34 Fourth Annual Report of the 



With regard to our developed water powers all agree that these 

 should be utilized to the highest degree of efficiency and the pres- 

 ent capacity increased wherever possible, and if need be, the 

 agency of the State employed to accomplish this result upon some 

 basis which will be just and equitable to the State, the mill owner, 

 and the citizen. Various plans have been suggested and strenu- 

 ous efforts made to formulate a practical policy, which so far have 

 largely failed by reason of legal obstacles or conflicting interests. 



Stream Regulation 



A very considerable part of our water powers are situate upon 

 inland streams where at certain seasons there is a superabund- 

 ance of water, and at other times a great deficiency exists. It is, 

 therefore, apparent that if efficiency is to be secured, storage 

 reservoirs which will provide a regulation of the stream flow are 

 essential. This is of prime importance. By these means the 

 developed powers will be greatly increased, and those undeveloped 

 made more valuable and commercially attractive. Stream regu- 

 lation is in fact one of the fundamental requirements of proper 

 economical hydraulic development. 



The construction of a reservoir on the Sacandaga at an esti- 

 mated cost of live millions of dollars ($5,000,000) will increase the 

 total low-water power of the Hudson river at the developed sites 

 below Hadley from twenty-nine thousand four hundred and ninety 

 (29,490) h. p. to ninety-one thousand three hundred (91,300) 

 h. p. ; and at undeveloped sites from eight thousand eight hun- 

 dred and eighty-five (8,885) h. p. to sixty-one thousand five hun- 

 dred (61,500) h. p. In other words, the low-water power of the 

 stream will be increased nearly four times its present capacity. 

 These figures include the power between the Sacandaga dam and 

 Hadley, which will be thirty-four thousand five hundred (34,500) 

 h. p. at the minimum. Moreover, in considering this project we 

 must remember that the commercial value of stored water is 

 greater than that from the ordinary flow of the stream, for the 

 reason that the mill owners can use the same at a time when their 

 mills would otherwise be idle, thereby enabling them to increase 

 the capacity of their plants. By the construction of the Sacandaga 

 reservoir and a proper regulation of the stream it would be pos- 



