Evening star., 1897-02-09
w ASTE OF WATER
Some Startling Statements Made by Capt.
Gaillard, in Charge Of the Aqueduct.
Eject Of the Cold Snap I'm January
Upon the ConsumptiOn-SOme
Tests to BE Made.

Can't GailIard the engineer officer in
charge of the Washington aqueduct, in
report to the chief of engineers, makes
some startling statements il regard to the
great waste of Potomac water during the
recent cold spell. THE water level in the
Daecarlia or receiving reservoir, says
Captain Gailard, has varied between
1I5.0S and 146O above the datum plane dur
ing January. This variation, although iess
than one foot, is relatively great, and was
caused by the abnormal consumption of
water during the very cold weather, las ting
from January % to February /, Inclusive
a rate of consumption which for geven tcn-
secutive days was about IO..N,D0 gallons
per day above the normal rate for this
season."
Accompanying tables show that the total
consumption January ~, was 42.2JO.00
gallons, January % it was A, 10000, and
that from the last Eamed date mp TO ani
including February =, it was over 50.000,OO0
gallons per day. The consumption was
greatest January 81, when i reached 'i;.-
In,v0 gallons, and EeXt greatest, january
26, when it amounted to 52,S0o.000 gallons.
Continually Running.
During periods of very cold weather."
says Capt. Galllard, "the quantity of wa
ter actually used for all necessary do
mestic and public purposes is less than
usual. and the abnormal consumption is
due solely to the fact that the water pipes
in large number of buildings
located to be in darger Of freezing un-
less the water is kept continually run
ming during the night (and in some cases
during the day ALSO. From experiments
made in this Office it is shown that an
increased consumption of 1o,UO,O0 gallons
per day would correspond to about { 60,
house spigots running continually for
twelve hours per day at the rate usually
employed to prevent freezing. The worst
featUre of This abnormal waste is that it
does not cease promptly with the return
of miider weather, but invariably continues
for several days thereafter, gradually be-
coming less from day to day
According to the officer in charge on the
approach IF warm weather ii is proposed
to make IN extended series of current me-
ter observations not only on the section
of the conduit between the receiving and
distributing reservoirs, but also at various
points between Great Falls and the re-
ceiving reservoir. with view to the ac-
curate determination of the ultimate
pacity of the conduit in order that the
daily consumption of water may be COM
puted from the readings of the automatic
tide gauges located in the two reservoirs
without the necessity of shutting off the
water between them, as has heretofore
been necessary.
Clear Every Day.
The report also contains tables showing
the condition of the water at various points
of the system during the month of Janu-
ary. from which it appears that the wa
ter drawn from the distributing reservoir
was clear every day during that month
According to Capt. Gaillard this is most
but unusual condition of af-
lars, which has continued without inter
ruption, however, since October 20 1896;
He says that this condition will probably
socn be changed by the thawing of thc
srotrd and the melting of the snow, which
during the latter part of January ac-
cumulated or the Potomac watershed