monwealth and 66.76 acres of other lands for which no claims will probably be made.

2. Lands embraced in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery, comprising 26.39 acres in Clinton and 69.75 acres in Lancaster.

3. Areas of streets.

(6) CLAIMS AND SETTLEMENTS FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS. For injury to business caused by the carrying out of the Metropolitan Water Act in the towns of Boylston and West Boylston and in portions of the towns of Sterling and Clinton, settlements were made during the year in 4 cases, the amount paid being $756.82.

The number of claims of this class settled since the beginning of the Metropolitan Water Works has been 326, and the total sum paid on account of such claims has been $153,979.18. All of these claims except 19 have been settled outside of the court.

(7) CLAIMS AND SETTLEMENTS FOR LOSS OF EMPLOYMENT. No claims for loss of employment by residents of West Boylston have been filed during the year. This class of claims seems to be finally disposed of.

The whole number of settlements for such claims effected since the beginning of the operations of the Board has been 477. The total amount paid on account of these claims has been $85,959.65. All of the claims with the exception of 3 were settled without resort to the courts.

(8) CLAIMS AND SETTLEMENTS FOR DEPRECIATION OF REAL ESTATE.

Settlements for depreciation in the value of real estate not taken by the Board were effected in 7 cases, 4 on account of lands situated in the town of West Boylston amounting to $12,735, and 3 on account of lands situated in Boylston amounting to $610.40, making a total for the year of $13,345.40. The 3 Boylston cases were settled in court after trial. All the West Boylston cases were settled by agreement out of court.

The total number of claims for depreciation settled up to December 31, 1907, has been 282, and the total amount paid thereunder has been $278,804.91. All of these claims except 45 were settled out of court.

(9) CLAIMS ON ACCOUNT OF DIVERSION OF WATER. There have been 12 claims settled during the year for damages for the diversion of water, amounting to $2,360.76, and all were for injuries to meadow lands upon the Nashua River, situated in the towns of Harvard, Lancaster and Bolton. The total sum paid under settlements and judgments arising under claims made on account of the diversion of water, since the beginning of the construction of the Water Works, has been $1,138,069.67.

The sums enumerated as paid in these and in the preceding cases do not include amounts paid for expert services and court expenses.

IV. WATER WORKS - MAINTENANCE.

Dexter Brackett, the Chief Engineer of the Water Works, has had general supervision over the maintenance and operation of all the Water Works of the Metropolitan System. He has been assisted by Elliot R. B. Allardice, Superintendent of the Wachusett Department; by Charles E. Haberstroh, Superintendent in charge of the Sudbury and Cochituate Works and of the portion of the Weston Aqueduct above the Weston Reservoir; by George E. Wilde, Superintendent in charge of the Weston Reservoir and the remainder of the Weston Aqueduct, and of all the reservoirs and pipe lines within the Metropolitan District; and by Arthur E. O'Neil, Superintendent of the several pumping stations.

(1) OPERATION OF WORKS.

The maintenance of the Water Works embraces the care and operation of the five water pumping stations, of the Pegan and Clinton sewerage pumping stations, the ten storage reservoirs, the ten distributing reservoirs, the four aqueducts, the various filter-beds, the 84 miles of distributing main pipes, as well as the various pipe yards, gate-houses, siphon and terminal chambers, and other structures connected with the several reservoirs and aqueducts, the dwellings for attendants, and various other buildings used or held for operating purposes. There are in addition the Mystic pumping station and the Mystic Aqueduct, which have not been in active operation during the past year.

(2) STORAGE RESERVOIRS.

The various storage reservoirs of the Wachusett, Cochituate and Sudbury watersheds have normal capacities amounting to 80,823,000,000 gallons, though a somewhat larger amount of water than the stated capacity is at certain periods actually held by some of them. The various capacities are as follows:

The quantity of water contained in the storage reservoirs on January 1, 1907, was 44,153,200,000 gallons. This quantity was increased during the month of January by about 2,600,000,000 gallons, but subsequently, and until the middle of March, there was a loss in storage to an amount of about 2,000,000,000 gallons. From the latter date there was a constant gain until June 11, amounting to a total of about 9,600,000,000 gallons. Subsequent to the last date, and until September 23, there was a continual loss in the quantity of water stored, amounting in all to a quantity about 1,000,000,000 gallons less than the gain which had been effected. The great rainfalls which afterwards occurred and continued until the end of the year increased the quantity in storage by about 20,000,000,000 gallons, so that the entire amount contained in the various reservoirs. on December 31, 1907, was 65,859,500,000 gallons, -the largest quantity ever held in storage.

There has been a large increase in the quantity of water in storage in the Wachusett Reservoir. At the beginning of the year the reservoir contained 31,752,900,000 gallons, and at the end of the year

the quantity was 51,267,000,000 gallons, a gain in the year of 19,514,100,000 gallons. The elevation of the water at the beginning of the year was 364.57 feet above the Boston City Base, or 30.43 feet below the level of the reservoir if filled to high-water mark. The water rose gradually to an elevation of 372.97 feet, but in the summer there was a considerable lowering of the water. During the last three months of the year there was an almost continuous rise, amounting to 15.40 feet, and on December 31 it had risen to a height 10.69 feet below the high-water level.

Water was almost continuously drawn from the Wachusett Reservoir for the Metropolitan Water District, and it contributed the larger part of the entire supply. The only water otherwise discharged from the reservoir was that which was allowed to flow into the river below the dam in accordance with the requirements for the use of the Lancaster Mills. The quantity thus discharged was 3,884,000 gallons per day.

The marginal lands about the Wachusett Reservoir below the anticipated flow line have been kept mowed and in proper condition, and some repairs have been required where the shore had been washed by the heavier rains. Some changes have been made in the operation of the sluice gates and valves in the gate-chambers of the gate-houses by which the noise and vibration, which had formerly been a serious annoyance, has been almost entirely eliminated.

The water of the Sudbury Reservoir, into which is conveyed all of the supply coming through the Wachusett Aqueduct from the Wachusett Reservoir, was in the earlier months kept at a level a little below the stone crest of the dam, in order to provide storage for the yield of the Sudbury watershed. Later in the year, however, the water was allowed to reach Framingham Reservoir No. 3 by flowing over the crest of the Sudbury Dam. The water is supplied from the Sudbury Reservoir to the Metropolitan District through Framingham Reservoir No. 3, and thence by the Sudbury Aqueduct, and also through the Weston Aqueduct. Framingham Reservoir No. 3, from which the water is taken substantially during the entire year, was kept at a level a little below the crest of the overflow.

By an arrangement made with the Boston & Worcester Street Railway Company, under chapter 530, Acts of the year 1906, the company has been straightening and widening the roadways along

both Framingham Reservoir No. 3 and Framingham Reservoir No. 1. This work has necessitated a little filling of the reservoirs at the points of widening, by which the capacity of Reservoir No. 3 will be reduced by about 3,500,000 gallons. The work has been done by and at the expense of the railway company, but proper precautions have been enforced in order to prevent injury to the property of the Commonwealth and the pollution of the water. The company is also to compensate the Commonwealth for the loss of storage capacity.

Water was drawn from Framingham Reservoir No. 2 for the supply of the Metropolitan District for about five months in the middle of the year, and for a few days later in the season water was drawn from this reservoir to replenish Lake Cochituate. From Framingham Reservoir No. 1 water was drawn for short periods in the latter part of the year to replenish Lake Cochituate. Water was drawn for the supply of the Metropolitan District from the Ashland Reservoir for a period of a little more than two months late in the summer and early in the fall, causing a great decrease in the amount in storage, but this decrease was nearly made up during the latter part of the year. In like manner the Hopkinton Reservoir was drawn upon for the supply of the District, greatly reducing the amount in storage, but the reservoir had been nearly refilled at the end of the year. No water was taken during the year from Whitehall Reservoir. The. water of this reservoir has, however, been kept near the high-water mark for use in case of necessity. It has been necessary to make some regulations in relation to boating upon this reservoir, for the purpose of enforcing sanitary regulations. No water has been drawn from Farm Pond during the year for the purpose of water supply.

By an arrangement originally made with the city of Boston, in the year 1885, the Framingham Water Company was permitted to take the waters of Farm Pond and Sudbury River to such an extent as might be needed for water supply for the town of Framingham, the water to be taken by the company directly from the pond or from the Sudbury Aqueduct, as the Boston Water Board should from time to time determine. It was, however, provided that the company should not be required to take the water from the pond during such time as the water should be unfit for domestic use. For this water a compensation was to be paid at certain rates, but