Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-17
and Georgetown are more fortunate

fifty feet in fourteen miles over a succession Of
Ialis AID rapids. Its minimum dry weather
flow is thousand million gallons per day.
There is not a remote probability that the
water will ever cease to be the pure and ordi-
nary clear water of mountain stream, subject
rains. With thousand million gallons of water
to draw from it was only necessary when the
problem Of water supply presented itself to fur
red t 9raSR OF me
Ct eighteen miles to supply Washington and
all Of the city. OF Georgetown, except the
aesh meted ~hon msst span5
the problem was confded to a gentle
man who discarded the illusions Of nearer
sources OF supply In Rock Creek. or the
the Little Falls and inaugurated the present
permanent system Of gravity supply from the
Great na, Falls. o In designing the Washington
yond the requirements Of the time in which 1t
was constructed and, now, with the additional
Work which was contemplated by him at that
time, tie completion OF this dam across the Po-
tomac, the AQueduct will bring to the distrio-
uting reservoir near Georgetown a water sup
ply more than double the present requirements.
The time has arrived when tniS additional work
must ne done. and additional area of distribut
Ing pipe or conduit be provided. or some repres-
sive system be adopted to control the distrbu-
ZION ,l OF the present supply. The alternative OF
repI esslon notably by the use Of meters to
diV1Ge the supply, eGuitably proportioatng the
cost 1Of edcl consumer to the quantity con
sumed, Is the first to suggest Itself, being on
the line OF retrenchment. IL the experience of
al other localities it seems to be the last to be
adopted. The report quotes from report of Mr..
JAS. L. Davis, he city engineer OF Boston, as to
the methods of limiting or preventing waste;
also from Mr.. ChesbTougn, City engineer of Chi
cago for 1878, as to repfessive measures adopted
there's ana from the report OF Mr.. Campbell as
commissioner OF public works for New York;
and. continuing. says:-Clearly the sale of
water by meter measurement Is difficult Of en-
forcement. though the method Is absolutely
ir1cf nfg6 t.,
waste Of water will fail unless there be an OBJ
stac!e almost impossible to increasing the sup
ply. In Washington and Georgetown more
water Is consumed per capita than in any other
locality, but there are sufficient reasons for
this.
WATER USED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
a.. The 2: S. government takes large proper
ton OF the whole amount. A list of all the .,uo-
estimated consumption OF water forel 4 daily.
Conspicuous among them are the TO! irving,
with gallons OF ,Eater:-U. S. Capitol 100000;
state department sao Post Office depart
Navy department., 400 900: Government Printing
ONCE, 100000; Navy Yard, 100000; Agricultural
building, 100000; Smithsonian Institution.
800, hVe; Botanical gardens, 200 900; &c. making
altogether $3.50, 600 gallons, to which add gov.
eminent fountains In various squares, 1,25O.OOO.
and showing q total Of 100000 gallons daily.
Deduct1ng this total from the average daily
supply OF 24,0OO,O00 gallons there viii remain
about 100000 gallons, which is used for ali
municipal as well as domestic purposes.
IN TIE VARIOUS METHODS PROPOSED FOR IN
CREASING THE SUPPLY
the real difference of opinion Is as to the amount
that the dam at the Great Falls must be com
pleted 1irst. This will make the aaueduct
available for delivering at its full capacity into
the distributing reservoir. From the latter
additional area Of distribution pipe or other
conduit is needed, and here the plans diverge.
A table Is appended showing some OF the COM
parative advantages of the several methods.
Continuing he says, if iron mains be laid they
should be properly located within the city to
form part Of the permanent distribution sys-
TEN. The large mains as far as practicable
belong upon high ground. because they main
tain IN the elevation of the water in equivalent
OF pressure, and this elevation the water loses
rapidly as it flows to consumers through the
smaller mains. 1t is to be observed
for the supply OF Washington in order to pre-
selve the proper elevation Of the water. There
Is sufficient head at the distributing reservoir
for gravity snpgy but liberal con S ca
available is far less than that in other large
cities where smaller pipes will answer the pur-
pose. 1t Is also to be remembered that while
pipes Of certain capacity If the water could
be delivered at a constant uniform flow through
out "a hours, yet this can never be the case
tages of the different measures for supplying
more water to Washington and Georgetown
from the distributing reservoir assuming the
completion OF the dam at the Great Falls, and
that the level OF the water in the reservoir Is
kept at 145 feet above city datum, which is
mean high tide. Means Of bringing the supply:
SO-inch iron pipe, Is OCo feet long, $4,000 gal
100 81. feet and 15Oce, 600 at Gas above tide.
cost $500 000; 36-tnch main, 100000 gallons at
ls5 leet ~ eco Geo at ~ 63, $4,000 600 at 1ls4s
costing cost asneh main at 1875
100000 gallons at S4.35, costing $500 900; brick
conduit to 10th street west 5000 feet, 600
gallons at 135 feet, gallons at 1l9 feet,
costing 100000; brick conduit to site OF pro-
posed new reservoir, LOCO feet, 17s,OO0 900
gallons, at 1876 feet; costing 1855, 600. The
plans for the brick condnits require an ad-
city mains. The first requires no reservoir, and
the second will cost $4,000 additional to reach
the site for reservoir, and $4,000 for the pur-
Of the former is ss24,ooo, and Of the latter
$4,000. He notes that the price of iron is ad-
vancing, and the estimates may be too low. II
we take !. s6c a main we viii repeat the ex-
while we are continuing to multiply the num-
Der of small independent conduits from the
distributing reservoir. The 4-foot main is out
while their capacities for delivery at
the same elevation are as 80 to 43
me cost Of the present ss,inch main, with the
500, 900, and when the cost OF the next one Is
added, and it cannot be long deferred s., 300 900
Will have been spent for temporary purpoSes-a
sum equal to the estimated cost OF the extern
sion OF the aqueduct, including the dam across
the Potomac, new reservoir and gate house, q
roadway over the line of the conduit, condeIn-
nation OF land &C The united capacity OF three
such lines is to that Of the nine foot conduit
one-thfrd OF their united length-as Al to 24s;
too great discrepancy. Clearly liberal ex-
pendlture now is good economy. After quoting
from Mr.. Tanning, he says Baltimore has a
daily supply Of 49, OO, 900 gallons, the conduit
capacity Of 17O,O00,OO0 per diem, total reser-
vO1r capacity Of 1855 100000, besides storage
reservoir OF 1900, 600, 600. The present daily
supply OF Washington and Georgetown is about
900 gallons, the new supply now pro-
posed 100000, and the maximum reservoir
capacity 2ap, 1000, covering ninety fave acres
He says the present plan selects an available
site for an additional reservoir OF small capac-
ity, which can ts made absolutely safe from
accidents; and this should be secured, because
the present reservoir capacity is not sufficient
for the requirements OF modern civilization
falling to Keep the water supplied for use from
being turbid. 1t Is an evil which has no other
remedy, Is caused by the increased consump-
ton OF water, and Will increase with it. The
cost Of an increased supply, II the United
States will assume it, can be paid in accord
ance with the principle established in the pres
ent organic law Of the District-0ne- half by
the general government, the other half by the
District. If, in addition to this the government
will pay as water taker, as In other Cities
the usual rates consumed In public buildings,
the water fund will be greatly benefited.