HYDROLOGY OF NEW YORK 



293 



Manufacturing Company, has increased greatly in capacity. The 

 laws of 1886, and amendments thereto, have also authorized the 

 taking from Niagara river of large quantities of water for the 

 purpose of creating a water power near the city of Lockport. A 

 ship canal is projected connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario, and 

 the Canadian government has made a concession for extensive 

 power developments on the Canadian side of the river, which are 

 in progress in 1904. Hence it is evident that the future demands 

 for water to be taken from Niagara river and delivered either into 

 the lower river below the falls or into Lake Ontario independent 

 of the river are very large, and the interest which the people of the 

 State of New York have in the runoff of Niagara river becomes 

 exceedingly important. 



A recent determination of the area of the basin drained by 

 the Great Lakes and of the water surfaces of the lakes themselves 

 is that given in the report of the United States Deep Waterways 

 Commission, from which the following general summary is taken. 

 This determination was made in 1896. In 1898 the Board of 

 Engineers on Deep Waterways redetermined these areas but with- 

 out changing any except that of Lake Erie, which was taken at 

 9932 square miles. 



Area of Area of Total area 



water surface, catchment, of basin, 

 Lake square miles square miles square miles 



Superior 31,800 48,600 80,400 



Michigan 22,400 45,700 68,100 



Huron 23,200 52,100 75,300 



St Clair 495 6,320 6,815 



Erie 10,000 24,480 34,480 



Total 87,895 n 177,200 265,095 



That portion of the catchment area of Lake Erie lying within 

 the State of New York is given as 2210 square miles. The area of 

 islands in Niagara river is given as 29 square miles. That portion 

 of the catchment area of Niagara river lying within the State of 



