Report on the Water Supply of Albany. 221 



thing to see water running to waste from numerous lo- 

 calities, for much of the winter season, simply to prevent 

 freezing ; while in other places in the higher parts of the 

 city, the inhabitants are often unable to obtain enough for 

 ordinary domestic use, or even a drop for days together. 



So far as our observation has extended — and the same 

 has already been publicly stated — there is always, or at 

 least for a great part of the time, a large amount of water 

 allowed to run to waste (so far as domestic use is concerned) 

 along the Patroon's creek. It seems to be a rational sug- 

 gestion that this excess of water for the supply of the lower 

 reservoir should be pumped up to supply the present 

 Bleecker reservoir, or another reservoir on the high ground, 

 instead of being allowed to flow into the river. The eleva- 

 tion required to be overcome is less than half as great as 

 that from the. river level, and the quality of water is far * 

 superior. 



Another suggestion as to sources of water might be 

 made in this connection. The clay, which is the prevail- 

 ing and almost universal superstratum of Albany, is over- 

 laid on the west by the loam and yellow sand. The water 

 falling on the surface penetrates to the clay and oozes out 

 at the junction of the two strata, or from the upper beds 

 of the clay, everywhere along the margin of the river val- 

 ley. All wells excavated in the clay thus become simple 

 reservoirs, and are filled with water percolating from above 

 which is held by the impervious nature of the clay. 



This clay, which is variable in thickness, rests upon a 

 stratum of water- worn gravel, below which is a bed of 

 glacial clay and boulders. This gravel is pervious, and 

 water in greater or less quantity, depending on the thick- 

 ness of the gravel bed and the contour of the rock below, 

 is always flowing through this porous material towards 

 the river. This fact can be observed wherever excavations 

 are made along the base of the hill extending down to the 



