The whole situation is exceptionally good, and the surface of a
reservoir might be fixed at any elevation between 240 and 300 feet above
sea level. With the surface of the reservoir at 300 feet a dam 1,600
feet long and 90 feet high would be required. This lake would have an
area of 28.46 square miles. The drainage area above Millington has,
however, an area of only 53.6 square miles, and the proposed reservoir
would therefore cover more than half of this. Therefore the conservation
of so large a quantity of water would not be necessary nor advisable,
unless the beautifying of the surrounding country were an object to be
taken into consideration, which might be profitable.
A better project, however, would be to construct a dam at Millington 900
feet long and 50 feet high, the crest being about 260 feet above sea
level. There would be formed a lake with an area of 19.41 square miles,
and a capacity of 1,477,600,000 cubic feet, equal to 9.864 feet on the
drainage area. This project is too great for the necessities here
presented, and would not be wisely considered unless it were found
advantageous to improve the country generally as a place of suburban
residence. The land which would be flooded with the reservoir crest at
260 feet is of a wet, swampy character, and its value for agricultural
purposes is somewhat doubtful. Such construction would involve the
flooding of 13 miles of road, which, however, would not involve a great
loss of invested capital, as the roads generally are of a poor
character.
A second alternative would involve the construction of a dam across the
Millington gorge, 550 feet long and 30 feet high, raising the water to
240 feet above sea level and creating a lake of 14.40 square miles. This
would conserve 4,026,000,000 cubic feet, equal to 2.69 feet on the
drainage area. This would be ample for flood purposes and would still
afford a large impounded area, as the drawing off of an amount equal to
10 or even 15 inches on the watershed would not reduce the size of the
lake to any great extent.
The whole project here presented involves few difficulties, and as the
drainage area above is of small extent, the mere question of conserving
the flood waters could be met without great difficulty. The natural
advantages, however, are so great and the land included within Great
Passaic Swamp is of so little value that the surrounding country would
be improved and beautified by the construction of such a reservoir. The
opportunity for varying the character of the reservoir to meet the ideas
of those interested seems unexampled, and as a whole it presents an
extremely interesting field which may be profitably exploited.
SADDLE RIVER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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