The Evening critic., 1881-06-25

1unueu anu SI1,USD Interest ptlu 10 slnKlnp 1unu.
THESE expenditures and estimates, not Included
Ia footings, being charged 70 special water fund
$3.50 charged to appropriation of 1SIs-'T0.
sD126 charged to appropriation of 1S7S-70.
Lieut.. Hoxic says:
"The revision of the special assessments
has been continued in conformity with the
acts of Congress approved June 10, 1873, and
June 81, 1879, and the rules adopted by the
Commissioners, as given in my former re-
port. The pressure of work to complete the
revisions before the coming session of Con-
gress has prevented the preparation of the
tabulated statements of revisions in time
for incorporation with this report
Under the head Of drainage and sewerage,
the Lieutenant says: "WOrk upon the large
auxiliary main sewers now in course of
construction, is progressing favorably. The
New York avenue sewer is completed to Four
tecnth street west, and the Boundary sewer
has reached Fifteenth street cast. Minor
lateral sewers have been constructed in
various parts of Washington aad George
town. Details of construction are shown
upon the accompanying plans. (See APP
pendix Nos !, ., 3 and O and ~
1.-THE general features of the present plan
of drainage and sewerage for the District of
Columbia have been heretofore presented.
Rainfall and sewage are carried off in the
same conduit, properly constructed for the
purpose, to deep water in the Potomac
river. The work now in progress besides
extending the system, is intended to in
crease the capacity to carry off storm water,
to adapt the crOss-section of the sewers to
the variable flow of dry weather and storms,
to lower the plane of flow in the low
grounds, and to gradually introduce the
proper means of thorough ieratiOn of the
interior of the sewers. 1t has been already
explained that this work is necessary for
drainage and can be used for sewerage un-
til sufficient reason appears for separating
the two systems. Should it be decided to
do this, it will be necessary to add such in
tercepting sewers as may be required for
conducting the sewage to the pumps, and u
separate system of sewers for areas draining
below tide level, together with the neces-
sary pumps and appurtenances, and u con-
duit from the pumps to the point at which
it may be decided to locate the Outfall.
The present system now constitutes
a part of what would be the new
one, and would in the new one
continue to serve double purpose down to
the level of high tide. The question for
the future is the necessity for the change of
plan Of disposition of sewage, which would
involve the additional expenditure. To
every large city adopting the water car
riage for sewage similar question is pre-
sented, but the circumstances of each must
govern the decision"
He then goes into u generally able and
instructive discussion of these questions so
important to the health, comfort and clean
illness of the city, showing extensive read
ing, much study and thought, in which he
makes special study for comparison with
Washington of the London system and cX-
pcrience, in the course of which he finds
that the proper disposition of the question
for the present is the joint one, that is,
drainage and sewage combined; that this
method to be effective requires II large
water supply; that the water supply of Lon
don is about thirty gallons per capita. That
of Washington and Georgetown is five
times this or $50 gallons per head; that
here there is as yet but little
trade refuse also other favorable
disparity of population, and the additional
important one that the mean daily flow of
the Potomac will displace in four days the
entire volume of water in the new water
front of Washington and Georgetown, from
all of which he concludes that, AS the city of
London is stilldebating the question whether
the crude sewage of London may be turned
with impunity into the Thames, with re-
spect, not to the city itself, but to the river
and jewellers on its banks, where the actual
outfall of the sewage is, and the Metropoli-
tan board is on the affirmative side of the
question; we lin Washington may proper
ly postpone the question of distant outfail
here, which Is Il matter of great interest to
the citizens of Alexandria, as he says; " 1t
will not be an easy matter to overcome the
prejudices of neighborhood in the location
of a sewage farm, and the simple transfer of
the sewage to the river near Alexandria
will never be accepted by the AleXandrians
as Il satisfactory solution of the problem"
The Lieutenant further states that, "The
sewage of Washington and Georgetown is to
be turned into deep water of the Poto-
mac (sec drainage map at the natural out
lets of the sewers, ut four points on the Po-
tomac front, where the storm-watcr of
the corresponding drainage areas has its
exit. The Boundary interccpting sewer is
to convey ordinarily, no sewage whatever
to its outlet. 1t is simply watcr-coursc to
the Eastern Branch, into which the sewers
of its drainage area will overflow in time of
storms An intercepting sewer along the
Eastern Branch, with Oyerilows for storm
water, wiz carry the dry-weather flow of
the sewers in the contiguous drainage areas
to deep water below the bridge; and a sim
liar interccpting sewer along the basin be-
low the Long Bridge will turn the CORE
spending dry-weather flow into the james
Creek canal.
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