The evening times., 1896-02-19
MUDDY POTOMAC WATER
Unfit for Either Drinking or
Washing Purposes.
FILTER is BADLY NEEDED
War Department Officials Estimate
That 1t VIII Cost Over One Million
Dollars to Construct Such II Plant.
Experiments Are Now Being Car
ried on at the Aqueduct Office.

The muddy condition of the Potomac River,
whose wateris served to the people OF Wash
ington for drinking and other purposes, is
calling forth general and decided kick
from those who have to use the yellowisli
mixture before ii has passed through Il
filter.
1t is impossible to state, with any degree
OF defniteness, how long this condition OF
affairs will prevail. 1t depends, in a
great measure, upon the weather. The
hare rains ana melting SHOW waal The mud
into the river. This is done to a greater
extent in winter than summer, the grass
on tie ground retIinS a great deal OF he
mud and dirt. The only pernna ncnt relief
is the construction OF Il filter.
The water at Great Falls is clearer now
than il has been since the ith Instant. 1t
registered five degrees yesterday. In other
words, 1t was possible 10 see IA lead ball
for the distance of five inches in the water.
On the 81 instant ClcarncSs OF seven
degrees was reached, hut on the 9th the
heavy rains had stirred up the mud and the
ball registered but one degree. The maxi
mum is thrty-siX degrees. 1t Is needless
to say that has not been attained this win
ter
The officials in charge Of the aque,iuct
can give 10 hope for clearer water until
summer, and even then heavy rains will
cause the old familiar cflronIo-Colcr 10 re-
appear
As statet. above, the only hope OF preIna-
nent rehc; is in the building of filter.
Witn this il operation the water would b.
colo:e'i more or less. The primary use of
Il lister Is 10 clear the wafer uf germs.
COST OF A FILTER.
No approximate estimate has been mace
on the cost of filter since Sai. At that
time Col. Elliott. in his report 10 the Chief
nT Enpp...rS nf W1r NJ. ri q,
voted Il great deal of attention to this sub
ject and submitted figures based upon
the then consumption of water. This has
Increase 10 such an extent That those Zig
ures would hardly meet the requirements
now.
The present consumption of wafer In
the District is 5u.OOO,UUO gallons a day,
but ii is safe TO say this will reach
T5.0O0,o00 by the time filter could be
built, and estimates would bayc to be
made on that latter figure.
No estimate for Il filter has ever been
made on the present consumption OF water"
said Capt. David A. Gaiilard, who has
charge of the aqueduct, 10 a Times re-
porter this morning.
Coz. Elliott, in his report for 1894,
however estimated the Cost OF TWO styles
OF filter, both OF which are being used in
Europe.
The system which has given the most
satisfaction Is what is known as slow fiji
ratiou- IL consists of filter beds, made
Independently of each o!her, with water
tight bottoms, in which are placed layers
of gravel, coarse and fine sand.
Tine colonel estimated that 1t would
cost 81 900 900. in round mum bers. 10
build such a filter, but that figure does
not include the purchase of the land FOR the
filter beds. II would require thirty acres
of land for such beds, and that would cost
a great deal of money, as the land would
have To be purchased near Washington.
Tire yearly expense of maintaining this
filter would be about S5G, 800
AQUEpUCT OFFICIAL EXPERIMENTS.
Capt Gaillard has erected q small filter
in his office on the plan or the system de-
scrihSi above, with which he is expert
meuting. AT the present time he is able TO
clear the water about 13 degrees, but cX-
poets tc get better results than this.
The new Da!cc3rIiI reservoir, which has
been IL. operation since August, is intended
to contain n store of water which can be
used in case of an accident TO the aque
duct 1t was also thought that. - allow
ing the water TO stand, it would, to a GER
tain extent, clear itself, but the mud in
the Potomac water possesses a tcnacity
beyonC human comprehension.
A bottle OF river water has been standing
undisturhed in Capt Gaillard's office for
the past fifteen or sixteen days, and from
present appearance it will have to remain
there many more days before it loses its
sckly, yellowish tint. While the Dale.
carlil reservoir acts as sedimeDtary 10
n certain extent. II has been cle1 riy demon
Onstrated that such q system is of but
littl. value 10 This city.