Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The Commissioners replaced Douglass with John B. Jervis.A self-trained
engineer with vast work experience, Jervis served as a supervising engineer
on a portion of the Erie Canal (1823) and as Chief Engineer of the
Delaware and Hudson Canal (1827). In both cases, he had worked his way
up through the ranks of the projects. Based on his canal experience, he was
in demand for many other similar ventures.
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In regard to the task facing
Jervis on the Croton project, the historian Larry Lankton noted:“This was
no ordinary engineering work, no mundane railroad or canal. It was liter-
ally to become a lifeline to Manhattan, sustaining hundreds of thousands of
lives. It had to be exceptionally dependable and durable. It had to work and
it had to last.”
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Jervis confronted the task of building what was to be the largest modern
aqueduct in the world with great aplomb. Innovative design techniques had
to be employed to make sure that the aqueduct could remain operational
across a variety of terrains and could withstand the intense winter cold.To
maintain a uniform grade, the aqueduct ran through tunnels dug into hills
and was carried by bridges constructed over ravines and streams.When the
Croton Aqueduct was opened on July 4, 1842, it safely carried 75 million
gallons per day, 15 million more than Jervis originally calculated. At the
time, it seemed that the project would meet the demands of the city for
years into the future. But by 1860 the Croton Aqueduct was delivering its
maximum, and it was pushed to provide as much as 105 million gallons per
day before a new line was built.
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New York's need to supplement water supplied by the Croton Aqueduct
became apparent in the 1870s. During droughts and in cold winter months,
more water was consumed than was received, requiring the drawing of
extra water from other sources in the city. Refilling the reservoirs took a
great deal of time because of the limited capacity of the aqueduct, while
millions of gallons of water ran over the Croton Dam simply unavailable
for use.
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Despite its great overall success, the Croton system had not been built
without technical difficulties, input from several special interests, contract
irregularities, and discrimination in service delivery.The insurance industry,
for example, wielded substantial influence in seeing that the aqueduct was
completed quickly in order to reduce fire damage claims. The industrial
community likewise was anxious for a pure and abundant supply of water.
Construction work however, was sometimes haphazard, as when water
mains were run through sewer lines.And despite the fact that the aggregate
