SUMMARY OF WATER SUPPLY STATISTICS. During the year 1896 a public water supply was introduced for the first time into the towns of Hatfield, Rutland, Walpole, Weston and Winchendon, and a new supply was introduced into the town of Bradford to replace the former supply which had become objectionable, owing to the presence of an excessive amount of iron in the water. The following table gives a classification by population of cities and towns having and not having public water supplies Dec. 31, 1896. The populations are taken from the census of 1895: From the totals given in the preceding table it will be seen that of the 353 cities and towns in the State, 159, or 45 per cent., have a public water supply, and the total population of the places supplied represents 89.93 per cent. of the total population of the State. The number of people to whom a public water supply is available is somewhat less than the total population of the municipalities supplied, but the difference is not large. There are now 10 towns having, by the census of 1895, populations exceeding 3,000 which are not provided with a public water supply. These are given in the following table: In the following table the various water supplies are classified according to the dates introduced into a city when a fairly complete system was first or town: There has been no change in the ownership of any of the works during the past year. All of the 32 cities in the State having an aggregate population of 1,635,767 own their water works. Of the 127 towns having a public water supply, 81, with a total population of 398,395, own their works, while 47, having a total population of 214,289, are supplied by private companies. The total population in both cities and towns owning works is 2,034,162, against 214,289 in those supplied by private companies. The following table gives statistics with regard to the consumption of water in cities and towns of this State, where such records are kept. The consumption per inhabitant has been obtained by dividing the average daily consumption by the total population of the city in 1896, and, consequently, is somewhat less than the amount used per consumer, because there are in all cities and towns some who do not use the public water supply. This difference is most marked in towns containing villages to which the public water supply has not been extended, and in towns where the works have been in operation but a short time and where water has not come into general use. In some towns the population during the summer months is much greater than is shown by census returns, and in such cases the consumption per inhabitant as given in the table is somewhat higher than it would be if allowance was made for the increased population in summer. Statistics relating to the Consumption of Water in Various Cities and Towns. |