Research


New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Bureau of Water Permits Application Files Pertaining to Public Water Supply Systems


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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
This series documents the regulation of public water supply systems that are owned and operated by municipalities, as well as private companies, organizations and individuals. The series include water supply application files and maps. The application files reflect the process of applying for and receiving permits for proposed public water supply systems. The application maps contains maps, blueprints, profiles and drawings depicting the location of main water lines, reservoirs, aqueducts, water basins, dams, tunnels and related water works structures.
Creator:
Title:
Application files pertaining to public water supply systems
Quantity:

4.5 cubic feet

369 microfilm rolls

Inclusive Dates:
1905-1980
Series Number:
20653
Sponsor:
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Arrangement

Organized into two subseries: 1. Water supply application files (279 reels). 2. Water supply application maps (90 reels). Arranged by project number and/or alphabetically by permittee.

Administrative History

The Laws of 1905 (Chapter 723) established the Water Supply Commission to administer a systematic plan for maintaining water supplies for New York State's municipalities. The act also stipulated that "no municipal corporation or other civil division of the state" shall "acquire, take or condemn lands for any new or additional sources of water supply, until it has first submitted the maps and profiles thereof" to the Water Supply Commission for approval. The duties and functions of the Water Supply Commission were assumed by numerous successor agencies, and were ultimately assigned to the Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Water in 1970.

Scope and Content Note

This series documents the State's actions to regulate public water supply systems that are owned and operated by municipalities, as well as private companies, organizations and individuals. The series has been divided into two subseries: water supply application files and water supply application maps. The water supply application files document the process of applying for and receiving permits for proposed public water supply systems. The water supply application maps contains maps, blueprints, profiles and drawings depicting the location of main water lines, reservoirs, aqueducts, water basins, dams, tunnels and related water works structures such as pumping stations, gatehouses and water towers.

Alternate Formats Available

Duplicate use copies of the microfilm in this series are only available through the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Microfilm: 279 reels; 16 mm 90 reels; 35 mm.

Related Material

16827 New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Minutes of Division of Water Predecessor Agencies

16828 New York State Water Supply Commission Survey Questionnaires, 1905-1906

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Reel list.

Location of Originals

Only original camera master negatives of this accretion are held by the State Archives at the Records Center. No reproduction copies are available for research use.

Processing Information

This collection's description was enhanced as a part of the New York State Archives Environmental History Virtual Research Collection Project, 2004. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided funding for this project.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.

Access Terms

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Detailed Description

Subseries : Water supply application files

Dates:
1905-1980
Physical Description:
279 microfilm reels

Scope and Content Note:

The water supply application files are largely routine in nature and documents the normal process of applying for and receiving permits for proposed public water supply systems. Typical files include application forms for permits; engineering and state health department recommendations; public hearing notices, official minutes of hearings; statutory proceedings from the Water Commission detailing their decision and copies of final permits issued by State agencies. The files also contain: incoming and outgoing correspondence between State agencies and local officials regarding technical aspects of proposed water supply systems; notices of completed applications; engineering calculations and related technical data; financial records; project review summaries and analysis reports. The application files were filmed in three different stages and the arrangement changes accordingly. Rolls 1-189 were filmed in 1965 and are arranged alphabetically by permittee. Rolls 190-219 were filmed in 1980 and are arranged numerically by project number. Rolls 220-279 were filmed in 1983 and are arranged alphabetically by permittee.

Subseries : Water supply application maps

Dates:
1905-1980
Physical Description:
90 microfilm reels

Scope and Content Note:

The water supply application maps are arranged by project number and contains maps, blueprints, profiles and drawings depicting the location of main water lines, reservoirs, aqueducts, water basins, dams, tunnels and related water works structures such as pumping stations, gatehouses and water towers. These maps and plans were submitted in conjunction with applications to create public water supply systems and provide detailed technical information regarding the proposed systems' design, layout, capacity, and limitations. Some of this detailed information includes location of springs, daily water consumption and stream flow charts, water shed calculations for annual yields and blueprints for special castings of water filter equipment. Arrangement for the water supply application maps is numerically by project number. There are a few gaps in the project numbers.