National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-01-22
THE WATER SUPPLY.
What the Commissioners Have to
Say About 1t.
Their Reply to the senate Resoiutlon-The
Reason why Capitol Hill Gets no Wa
tcr-A Wanton Waste In other
Sections of the CIty-Repres-
sivo Measures and Me-
tiers Recommended.
Some Fact. from the District Commissioners


Senate:
In compliance with the following resolution
OF tho Senate
Tint the Commissioners Of the District OF Coum.
biu be, md hereby are directed Ia ppIrt to the
senate what action 10y Congress- fnny Is necessary
10 secure to the resident, Of Capitol Hill and other
elevated portions oil the city Of Washington proper
supply of water: whnt appropriation of money II
any is required for this purpose aud to transmit to
deem important
The Commissioners have the honor to report
Numerous considerations enter into this
question ofwltcr supply TO most of which any
thing moro than brief mention would involve
length Of report aud degree of elaboration for
which there is no time and probably no occa-
sion. The Commissioners are net prepared to
state details and so reported in their report to
Congress ut the opening of the present session.
Either of two measures for improving the
water supply may be res1rtcd TO first, incre's-
ing the am unit brought to the city; second
rcprossivc measures designed to control the
waste Of the supply already delivered.
To give more than crude estimates of the
amount of labor aud time involved in carrying
into execution any plans for an increase of
supply that Congress might adopt would call
for extended examinations by competent Gu
| ginccrs. There are two met rods of increasing
| supply--frst, to lay an additional main from
the distributing reservoir and second, to eX
tend the conduit to the high landsnorth of tho
I city. The cost of the main and proper dis.
| tributiug connections would be say Sl,iOOOJO.
The extension of the conduit and additional
reservoir would cost much more, but would
bring permanent supply to the immediate
vicinity ofthc city.
| Tho first consideration presenting itself in
| order Is the financial condition and ability of
| the water department ITSELF which, under
the present rate of water rent, has yearly in.
come of about $4,000, derived from n scale Of
rents which has remained unchanged from
that originally established at the time of the
introduction OF Potomac water. The Legisla-
tive Assembly authorized the levy of a tax for
distributing mains amounting to l cents per
square foot contained in each lot fronting
upon the street in which such mains are laid,
payable in five y.nstalments The same
property can be taxed but once TO pay for such
mains. OF this tax there is now an unc0l.
ected balance of Sll2,2SiS2
The department is burdened with q bonded
debt of $4,000, bearing Z per cent. interest,
the interest and sinking fund together involv-
ing yearly payment at this time OF Sli6lO.
The debt was created by authorityof the Lcgis-
lative Assembly, July 20 1871, to pay for the
T 36.inch main, which has now been laid about
six years. Deducting the amount Of interest
and sinking fund, there remains of water-ront
reccipts about :i0,S90 to pay all the expenses
Of the water department, including present
payment Of the greater part of the cost of dis
trbuting mains, and also all repairs, tho cost
of pumping w'ter in Washington and George
r town, Sc. The watcr.msn taxes are largely
delinquent, and the revenues of the depart
mcnt are inadequate to meet current demands.
} 1t is therefore .manifestly not in condition to
enter into an expensive outlay for an addi-
tional main, to do which would involve a large
increase of the bonded debt of the water de-
partmcnt and addition to present water rents
: much beyond what the Commissioners have
had in view.
The main mot get one-fifth paid for), laid
, but six years since, has a capacity much larger
: than the combined capacity OF both of those
: in use prior to that time. Yet within six
+ years the supply, then more than double, has
again become inadequatc-not by doubling
. OF the population for that has not happened,
, but in a larger part by the lavish use and
waste of water Were an additional main to
be laid, 1t is evident from past experience that
a within five or six years VIC would hnd our
selves in the same difficulty. Another main
would be required and, it laid, the water debt
would be increased a second timo, some year!
1, even, before the final payment Of the debt now
4 existing. In addition to these facts is the fur
ther serious one that the mains now laid are
4 becoming old and must within limited time
: be replaced involving an expense as great a'
their original cost,
l. There has been no legislation in the past, ~
o wise policy would have directed, to provide
a The Legislative Assembly imposed upon TIN
. Water Department many burdens withou
, making provision by change in the waite
+ rates to meet them. The Commissioners nov
=, find it absolutely necessary to ask authority q
q do what what was thus neglected. They ar
Il of the opinion that the foregoing fnanca
" statement shows that the time has arrived t
IL adopt rather a reprcssive system, aud by con
10 trolling waste remove the necessity for in
,. creasing the supply. They consider this
wiser policy than to enter upon an increase @
q debt, which will, it is thought, rather encOur
<, age greater waste and corresponding in
ia crease per capita in the future demand.
There are now pumped into the standpip
at the head of Sixteenth street 100000
gallons of water daily, or all the suppl
at present reaching the pumps Abou
ma 1900 houses are attached to the pipe A
present the 100000 gallons does not afford
sufficient supply. Thus between 200 and 30
n gallons (say eight barrels per capita is dali
st consumed in that section aud the supply
n. inadequate to the demand. The best know
"a authorities upon the water supply estimat
- sixty gallons per capita as a liberal and amp
allowance in any city. At this rate tho stan,
u pipe would supply $4,000 people with waite
Such waste is unreasonable and not to |
H. justified upon any theory of health, comlor
4. on utility. Tho Commissioners know of BIT
~ one way to prevent this waste, aud that is i
OF measurement Of the water used. They prOpu!
to test this system first upon the high scryic
ut and do not doubt that then tho standpipe wi
4 be found to amply supply the two districts
the city for which ii was dcsigned--the mort
ON west section and Capitol Hill.
II. 1t Is contemplated to carry an addition
e, supply to this pump, and, If the need arise
ne additional pumps can be erected without lar
~. expenditure IL will thus be seen that Il
Commissioners favor the idea Of checking Il
be increasing tendency to wusto--a tendency tn
ms experience shows TO have been rapidly ncrca
Ia ing, and to husband the resources Of tho wat
m. department to enable it eventually aud wht
the actual need comes to bring the conduit
n self to the high ground In tho vicinity of Il
ng city, which is doubtless the best plan for Il
nn future increase Of supply, but one that wi
In its connections, will involve an outlay prob
mr.. bly, Of - 100000. The Commissioners propo
to have the examination and estimate mad
nm with view TO inform Congress, ut It's ne
' session, more fully and exactly in respect
OH the future water supply.
ly Besides the connections Of Capitol Hin wi
for the standpipe, the ground service OF that 81
If ton aud South Washington can be incrcas
per by running II inch main from the 30 in
,GSH main on X street along Fifteenth street to
~ inforce the Pennsylvania avenue main, al
- from Fourteenth street below PGnnsylyal
q, avenue 10 Ohio avenue, ana thence down FoI
"" teeuth street, along south l. street, to COuuC
w with the 2O-inch main on that street, fri