Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-15
The Sewage Plan of the Citizens of Ken
sington. Nd
The Use Of Rock Creek MS q Sewer
The Opinions of Several En-
8ineer ORcers.


by Mayor Martin, committee was ap-
pointed to inquire and report upon a prop
osition for the establishment of a pipe line
to drain sewage into Rock creek. The
committee consists of DR.. r. B. DERRICK,
B. H. Warner, DR.. J. L. Lewis ]. F. Stack,
H. L. Milligan, c. F. Scott and H. L. Amiss.
The committee was instructed to make an
equable distribution of the estimated cost
among the property owners directly ben
ehted, and to report its findings to a future
meeting.
A Star reporter talked with several prom
1nent officers of the engineer corps Of the
army at the War Department today in re-
gard to this subject, and found them al
most unanimously of the opinion that the
introduction of sewage into Rock creek
would prove serious menace to the health
of the citizens of the District living near
the line of Rock creek. This opinion was
based generally on the theory that the cur
rent and character of Rock creek beyond
the District line is insufficient to properly
carry off polluted drainage.
Rock creek heads near Laytonsville, Mont
gomery county, Nd, and from that point
TO Its mouth the general trend of it's basin
is a little to the east Of south. The dis
lance IN a straight line from the head of
the basin to the mouth of the creek is be-
tween twenty-one and twenty-five miles.
kensington is situated on Rock creek.
about three miles from the northern boun-
dairy line of the District.
The area of the watershed of the creek
Is about lib square miles, OF this, G0.S1
square miles lie IN Maryland and the re-
mainder, or 1882 square miles, is included
within the District of Columbia Practi-
cally the whole Of the former area is now
agricultural land, possibly one-eighth being
wooded. Owing to its proximity to Wash
1ngton, and to the Metropolitan branch of
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, much of
a hA <1I
take on a suburban and ultimately an ur-
ban character.
From the head Of the stream to the gen.
eral vicinity of the Military road the slope
of the valley and the other conditions are
not regarded by engineer officers as ia
vorable to very rapid discharge: but the
portion of the watershed to that road
southwark is considered as a comparatively
quick one. AS a whole, the basin is free
from ponds, lakes or marshes, the presence
of which would naturally tend to retard
the free discharge of the rainfall. AS al
ready stated, however, this discharge Is
not considered sufficient for the removal
Of sewage received at any distance from
its mouth.
! were considering a proposition for the con-
version of Rock creek into a closed sewer,
Capt William T. Rossell, then Engineer
Commissioner of the District. made a re-
port on the subject, in the course OF which
he said: Rock creek must always re-
main a drainage line for the large area
from which it now carries the water, and
| no plan of sewage disposal should be pre-
pared looking to its abandonment The
creek is not in any sense menace to
| health If it merely carries storm water
| uncontaminated with sewage, whether 1t
| remains an open conduit or is arched
over.
Not ms a Sewer.
On the general subject Of making Rock
creek closed sewer Capt. Rossell said:
| LAS a means of sewage disposal it would
| be wrong in principle and enormously ex-
| pensive But, until works for the proper
| disposal of the sewage can be built, Rock
creek must carry sewage. 1t is greatly to
| be hoped that this time may be short. To
reduce the unsanitary conditions prompt
| ly, the canal company should be required
| to open the gates at the mouth of the
creek every night, and the creek should be
| flushed. From sanitary standpoint, can
| see no necessity fer covering the creek at
all if the sewage can be kept out of it,
Capt. James L. Lusil of the engineer
corps also made a report on the general
subject of the sewer proposed for con-
| veying the waters of Rock creek from
Massachusetts, avenue extended to the
| Potomac river, in which he said: "Consid-
eriEg the question from sanitary point OF
view, l cannot recommend the inclosing OF
| Rock creek as a means of securing the
proper interception and disposal of the
sewage which now poliutes the lower part
| of it's valley.
THAT result, greatly to be desired, can be
much more safely, speedily and economic
ally reached by means which are well I'M
| derstood and which have been officially re-
| ported to Congress. Precisely the same
system of intercepting sewers at practical
! ly the same cost will be necessary, whether
| the stream be Enclosed or not. The sewage
having been satisfactorily intercepted, 1
| believe that the utmost that will be re-
| quired for sanitary purposes will be to
| provide for the stream, at some future
| time, a regulated channel with smooth
and solid invert, which shall conduct the
| comparatively unpolluted water between
parked and terraced banks. l be-
| lieve the construction of the system of in
| tercepting sewers heretofore recommended,
| followed within reasonable time by the
| regulation Of the channel, to be not only
all that is necessary, but also the safest
| and best solution of the problem, consider
| ed solely in it's hydraulic and sanitary as
| poets. If provision be not made in
| the near future for keeping sewage out of
| Rock creek, some temporary measures
| should be taken to flush the bed of the
| stream as often as possible. To this end
| the f1ood-gates at the dam should be raised
every night as soon as the canal boats
| cease using the creek and should be kept
| open as nearly all night as possible. To
assist in the flushing, arrangements should
| also be made to impound suitable guam
tity of water at one of the existing mill
| dams or elsewhere, and to increase the cur
rent in the creek by letting the impounded
| water run off while the flood gates at the
| mouth are raised. 1t should be clearly un.
| uerSCOOQ, however, lHdt no Tenel
| for the existing polluted condition of Rock
| creek can he secured without the construc-
ton Of the system of intercepting sewers
| referred to elsewhere in this report"
The Rock Creek Park.
Capt Rossell's remarks adverse to con
verting Rock creek into a sewer referred
to the section of Rock creek within the
| District and city limits. There are addi
tional and perhaps more forcible reason:
why the creek outside the District limit.
should not be made a sewer. Such a us,
of the creek would practically destroy tn,
attractiveness of Rock Creek Park.
| Speaking to a Star reporter today of the
reported intention of the people of Ken
sington, Mr.. r. Ross Perry, one of the com
missioners appointed to locate and estab
lish Rock Creek Park, stated that the
matter was news to him. He was conf
dent, however that if the report was true
the people of kensington could and woule
be prevented from carrying out their in
tentions. Explaining that Rock creek wa.
a running stream, Mr.. Perry stated thai
the emptying into it of sewerage would, Of
course. befoul the stream. No one no
even town or city, said he has the righ
to befoul a running stream, and he had M
doubt whatever Of the power of the per
| manent park commission conSjStinD nj