Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-04
THE WATER SUPPLY
Col. Elliot to Continue in Charge After His
Retirement
The Work on the Receiving Reser.
vOir to BE Carried Out In Accord
ance With His Plan.

A coming army change of special interest
| to the residents of the District involves
Col. George H. Elliot the engineer officer,
| in charge of the Washington aqueduct. He
will celebrate his sixty-fourth birthday on
| the 31st of March next, and his name will
| then be transferred from the active to the
| retired list Unless otherwise provided by
| legislative enactment, he will on that date
| be relieved of his present duties. He has
| been most efficient officer, and has gained
the respect and esteem of all citizens hav-
ing the interests of the District at heart, by
his efforts to improve the quality and in
crease the quantity of the District water
| service. He has taken a deep personal in
terest in his work. and has done exceeding
| ly well with the limited resources at his
command.
The Receiving Reservoir.
One of the most important works identi-
fled with Col Elliot's administration of his
present detail is the improvement of the
Dalecarlia or receiving reservoir, about
four and a half miles west of the city.
Through his representations Congress
| made an appropriation of s112,5O for works
designed to cut off the drainage into the
reservoir of polluted waters and sewage
from the surrounding country. This IN
volved the purchase or condemnation OF
certain tracts of adjacent land. the building
of 1,O00-foot tunnel under Delecarlia Hill
and the damming Of several streams. so as
to divert the undesirable drainage from the
reservoir.
The cost of this improvement was limited
to $4,000. In his last annual report Col
Elliot asked for an appropriation OF 49,
500 to complete the work.
The main drainage tunnel under Dale
carlia Hill and the shaft in the valley OF
Little Falls branch, the most important
and difficult parts Of the project for the
improvement of the reservoir, are row
complete except the coping of the shaft
and the retaining wall in the side of the
hill in rear of the shaft and the appco-
priation has been exhausted.
What Remains to Be Done.
There remains to be done for the COM
pletion Of the project" he said "a short
tunnel through the hill on the easterly side
Of Little Falls branch; the permanent
dams across the valleys of Little Falls
branch, Mill creek, and East creek, and the
open channels between these streams that
are to conduct all the polluted waters OF
the watershed of the reservoir into Little
Falls branch, from which they will pass
into the shaft and thence by the main
drainage tunnel around the reservoir and
into the Potomac When this has been
done, the water of the reservoir will be
drawn off, the reservoir will be filled with
Potomac water from Great Falls. and the
water, for which purpose it was originally
constructed, will be renewed. The work
can be completed in the next fiscal year il
the necessary appropriation be made by
Congress"
Col. Elliot to Continue I'm Charge.
That Col. Elliot's work on this particular
improvement is appreciated by some of our
legislators is evidenced by the fact that
the Senate has amended the District Of
Columbia appropriation hill, now under
consideration by that body, by appropriate
ing 81, 500 for completing the Deiecarlia
reservoir improvement, and providing that
said work shall be done and completed
under the supervision of Col G. H. Elliot,
corps of engineers, Notwithstanding his
retirement. 1t is also provided that he
shall receive full pay and allowances dur
ing the continuance of the work The work
will undoubtedly be completed during the
coming summer, inasmuch as the appro-
priation is made Immediately available.
On his retirement Col. Elliot will be re-
lieved of all his other duties, including the
care and maintenance of the Washington
aqueduct and all work in connection with
the water supply of the District, except
that now In progress on the Daiecarlia
reservoir.
The proposed investigation as to the ne
cessity of raising the dam at Great Falls,
to the capacity Of the abandoned tun-
mel conduit, with the propriety of its COM
pletiOn and the utility of the new reservoir
near Howard University, will devolre upon
his successor, to be hereafter selected by
the chief of engineers.