Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-10-23


distant outfali near small towns is measure of
sfcaIious relief. II the sewage, after all,
must be purified before dlseharglng
It into the river O nearer point or discharge
may answer the purpose remote from other
towns. 1t is equally clear that when system
has been adopted. like that OF water-carriage for
S methods which may tend to ePbarrsss It's
operation should not be hastily decided upon.
The success Of the London plan depends upon
free use OF water, and the outfan sewers are
made OF sufficient size to carry it. Their cost
was over s2o,OoO,oo0 In addition to the cost OF
the city sewers and drains, but this liberal ex-
transfer OF sO-called nuisance from one point
to another, was necessary, in order to impose
no restriction upon the use OF water. The sys-
TEN was devised about twenty years ago, and
contemplated the use OF covered reservoirs at
the outfall, and possible detection OF their
contents by lime or other chemical agent u the
feTtdizinC contents should become commercially
rd'udble. Gen. Scott's supplementary plan as
sumes first cost for tanks of s5oO,000 and a
small profit thereafter upon the process of ctdr
itCdtiOn by the sale of resulting fertilizers. The
daily dry weather discharge OF the sewers is
100 900, 900 gallons,a large quantity to deal with,
aud such enterprises have, heretofore. been
the artificial Qualification proposed is OF greater
cost with free use OF water and tends to dis
courage It, and the clarified water still contains
seyeI-eights OF the salts of sewage.
THE WASHINGTON SEWERAGE SITUATION.
The water supply OF London is about thirty
Georgetown is five times this amount per
capita, and there Is here but little trade refuse.
Other conditions here are much more favorable,
besides the great disparity OF population. The
Use Of the tide Is three feet Instead OF seven
cen. and the average daily flow OF the Potomac
is greater than that OF toe Thames. The ebb
and flow OF the tide In the Potomac will fill and
empty twice each day reservoir three feet
Deep the upper end OF which Is at the Little
Falls. This reservoir, above the AQueduct
Bridge, will have an area of about TO- 100000 So.
font OF Washington and Georgetown 1t will
have an area Of about II 900 900 so. it. The
united tidal capacity of these areas Is about
164 10000 Gu. #. This Is less than the mean
daily now OF the Potomac, so that, the tidal &C
emulation, occurring twice each day In this
part of the river, is, ordinarily one-half COM
posed OF the downstream flow of pure water.
With water sectional area OF 24,5)0 So It.
the river channel, opposite the new water front
VIII contain about 53T 900 Gu. It. OF water.
The mean daily flow OF the river Will diSplace
ana renew this whole volume OF water In three
or four days.
This is a condition of affairs far better than
that OF the city OF London In the same respect.
Ii then, that city Is still debating the question
whether the crude sewage OF London may be
turned with Impunlty Into the Thames, not
with respect to possible injury to the city OF
London, but injury to the river and the dwellers
on its banks where the actual outfal OF the
sewage Is. and the Metropolitan Board is on the
affirmative side OF the question, we may prop.
erly postpone the question OF distant outfall
here.
PURIFYING POWER OF WATER.
Here, as at London, the success OF the present
plan depends upon the thorough assimilation OF
the sewage by the river water and the action OF
the atmosphere upon IL. No other agents than
water and air are employed for rendering the
sewage 1nnoXious- The problem Is submitted to
the laboratory of nature Opponents or the
plan contend that water has no purifying power,
no power OF neutraliZing sewage; but their the
cries are controverted by the stubborn logic Of
facts. Water does purify itself, and In mar
ye!ouSly short space Of time. Whether it de-
StroyS the impurities contained In 1t, or exposes
them to destruction by the oxygen it contains.
or by animal and vegetable organisms, it is
none the less the powerful agent or publication.
This Is too we'll known to require argument In
the case CT running water, but l have seen IL
stated that the water OF the Thames Off Lon
don, Is shipped for drinking wafer for long voy-
ages. and While barreled up destroys the impuri
ties contained 1t In, and becomes SWeeS and clear.
In the auxiliary methods or distant ou5fal
With Its pumps and interCepttnJ sewers and the
sewage farms or supplementary tanks and
chemicals Tor clarifying or purifying, economy
water: so that these devices involve great ex
penaiture for methods which handicap the
original intention, or abandon t5 ALTO
make use OF every available expedfent TO en-
sure the best conditions for success under the
present plan, and to exhaust every expedient
before changing 'front.' and abandoning the prin-
c1ple. or embarrassing It's operation with other
dev1SeS- We must solve the problem OF what TO
do with the sewage before we cal tel whether
It Is necessary to take lie anywhere rof the pur-
pose.
In the meanwhile. the proper disposition OF
sewage IS still engaging The attention OF able
minds In localities Wnere the pressure OF popu-
lauOn upon limited natural resources advances
their necessities far beyond our own and we
shall profit by their conclusions. It may be
that there is future az had when mattress
great circle OF waste and renewal shall be nar-
rowed In to the boundaries OF hum IN convent
ence- the chtmera OF Lagado may Yet be mar
messed. like ether phahtOms OF the brain TO
human toll; but, as yet. sanitary science Is ollv
stumbling on The threshold OF discovery, and
gets no further than present economy ami CA
Venience. The local government board OF Great
Britain In report pre- 5entet TO Parliament In
1876, AFTER an elaborate investigation give gae
Following conclusions:
I. That town sewage can oest AMI most
cheaply be disposed OF and purified by the pro-
cess OF land irrigation for agricultural purposes
where local conditions are favorable to It's ap.
pllcatl0n, out that the chemical value OF sewage
Is greatly reduced to the farmer By the fact
that 1t must be disposed or day by day through
out the entire year, and that It's volume Is gen.
orally greatest when Ii Is OF the east service to
the land
S. That land irrigation is not practicable In all
cases; and. therefore, other modes OF dealing
with sewage must be allowed.
Q. That towns, situate on the sea coast or on
tidal eStuarieS, may be allowed to turn sewage
into the sea or estuary, below the line OF low
water, provided no nuisance Is caused; and that
SUCH lHOuS Cl SSJtlDS Ell OF sewage may De
allowed and justified on the score Of economy
As long as the precautions to be taken prevent
the creation or nuisance, SO long may we
postpone the costly conveyance OF a refuse TO
other and distant points, to be utilized az loss
upon sewage farms, or treated b. artificial pro-
ce5oeS OF doubtful results Ii will not be an
easy matter 10 overcome the prejudlce3 OF a
neighbOrhood In the location OF d sewage farm
and the simple transfer of the So wage TO The
river near Alexandria Will never De accepted bg
the AleXandrlanS as a satisfactory solution or
the problem.
THE SEWAGE OF WASHINGTON AND GEO RGETOwN
is 10 be turned into deep water of the Potomac
at the natural outlets OF the sewers at four
points on the Potomac front, where the storm
water OF the corresponding drainage areas has
It's exit. The boundary inJercepting sewer is TO
convey. ordinarily, no sewage whatever to its
outlet IL IS simply 4 water-c1ur5a 10 the East
ern Branch, into which the sewers OK It's drain
age area VIII overflow In time OF storms. An
intercepting sewer along the Eastern Branch
with OyeriOwS for storm water, Will carry the
dry weather How OF the sewers In the contig-
uous drainage areas 10 deep water below the
bridge: and a similar inCercepting sewer along
the basin below the Long Bridge will turn the
corresponding dry weather flow into the James
Greek canal Under this plan each OF the prin-
cipal main sewers, following the line OF natural
channel into deep water at Intervals along
the water front. This is advantageous In dir.
fusing the sewage through the water In the
main channel The sewage is checked for
time in the outlet canals by the influx OF the
do yVh Iut WI thao OIL,