Evening star., 1898-01-12
Report Of Captain Burr, Assistant to
Engineer Commissioner.
REMEDIAL LEGISLATION SUGGESTED
Result Of the Experiments Made
With Water Meters.
MR.. M'FARLAND'S REPORT

mitted to the subcommittee of the House
appropriations committee. having charge OF
the District appropriation BILL copies OF
reports recently received from Capt. Burr
assistant to the Engineer Commissioner
in charge of the water department of the
District, in connection with the estimates
of the water department for the fiscal
year Of 1898. The reports relate to the
waste of water ard the means for its pre-
vention.
In their letter the Commissioners say:
SHOULD the water be sold by the ac-
tual amount Consumed it Is proposed to
make a minimum charge of 50 per annum
which would allow the use of 100000 gal
| Ions, tie amount used in excess Of this
to be charged for at the rate of three
cents per thousand gallons. In the re-
ports the waste is determined by the flow
| between the hours of midnight and 4 am
when there is little or no legitimate use
Capt. Burr, in his report says:
Il nave the hoLor to submit the follow
Ing report with regard to the proposed
| extension Of the Use of water meters to
all classes of consumers. with request
that 1t be considered in connection with
SO much Of my annual report for the fs-
cal year ended June 80, 1897, as relates
to the same subject.
Since the date of the annual report ad-
ditional data bearing upon the use and
waste Of water in the residence section
or the city has become available. These
data bear out the deductions made in my
annual report as to the excessive waste
in residence sections. They also show
that i'll the smaller class of DWELLINGS, S,
where undue economy in the use of water
Is TO be feared the proposed minimum
rate Will furnish all the water necessary
for use and will not be exceeded except
by reason of leaking fixtures or deliber-
ate waste. They bear out strongly the in
equality OF the existing system of selling
water by the so-Called schedule rates and
exhibit the waste due TO leaking fixtures,
even in cases where the leak seems in
consequential.
Report of Examina tfOns.
The accompanying table shows in detail
the results of examination and inspections
and the meter measurement of water used
and wasted in the following premises, the
| numbers referring to the items in the table
above mentioned.
Il. Eight small two-story frame dwell
lLgs In Rosedale street, occupied by good
class of white tenants, six occupants per
mouse. Water fixtures, one yard hydrant
and one yard water closet for each house
Condition Of fixtures good Total supply
per day per capita, q gallons-waste s
gallons; use, p gallons. Schedule charge
per house per annum, $3.50. Value of wafer
supplied per annum, S1.17.
~. Forty-one two-story brick dwellings in
Chester court, occupied by negro tenants,
80 occupants per house. Water fixtures
one yard hydrant ard one yard water closet
per house. Many fixtures leaking and much
trouble experienced in having leaks cor
rtcted, several houses being finally cut off
for failure to repair leaks after repeated
notice to do so. Total supply per day per
capita before inspection, 167 90 gallons or
more; after inspection, supply II gallons,
waste, 5S gallons (of which "a gallons was
In mains and service), and use 13 gallons.
Schedule charge per house per annum
$3.50. Value of water supplied per annum
SO.
y. Twenty-three small two-story brick
modern dwellings in alley, square $50, occu-
pied by good class of white tenants four
occupants per house. Water fixtures, from
three to six taps per house, in good condi-
ton. Total supply per day per capita, Al
gallons; waste, gallons; use, 81 gallons
Schedule charge per house per annum, $i.5u.
Value of water supplied per annum, s1.9l
T. Three-story modern brick dwelling in
r street. Number of occupants, o. Mum
Der of taps, IL. Condition of fixtures good
with the exception of one tap leaking
slightly from defective washer Amount
supplied before repair of leak, 81 gallons
per capita per diem; after repair, 3S gal
Ions. Waste, 43 gallons per capita. Sched-
ule charge per annum 1888. Value of wa
ter supplied per annum before repairs
S.95; after repairs, 1912
''5. Dwelling in 1 street Size of house
and number and condition of fixtures un-
known. Number of occupants, Z. Total
supply per capita per diem, A gallons
Schedule charge per annum, s22.92. Value
OF water supplied per annum, $3.39.
&C. Dwelling in Mount Pleasant Size Of
house and number and condition of fixtures
unknown. Number of occupants H. To-
tai supply per capita per diem, % gallons
No schedule rate. Value of water supplied
per annum, $3.50.
"a. Dwelling in Brown street; occu-
pants. Seven taps in good condition.
Per Capita Consumption.
Gases to s, inclusive, are the only
other dwellings in this city for which meter
statistics are available. These statistics
are for only short periods and indicate
little but the varying per capita consump-
uon In individual cases, with no leaking
fixtures, excepting in case 4. In case 4
when the meter was applied. one hot water
faucet was leaking slightly, but to no
greater extent than is common with such
fixtures and without attracting much at
tention. This small leak was found to
waste more water than was used by a
family of nine people.
The data above more or less in
complete, but are correct in the main
points The general inequalities of the
schedule system and waste of the charac-
ter shown in cases and can only be
fully and permanently corrected by fur
nishing water by measure through meters
In case much time was devoted to re-
QulrlnS COrreCtlOn or leaking nXtureS but
with only Indifferent success and by cut
ting off the supply of water from several
houses. To effectively control waste of
water it must be made to the interest of
the consumer to promptly repair leaking
fixtures.
1T should be noted that the examina-
tions the results of which are noted above
were made during the fall months when
water is not used for irrigation and when
the waste due to permitting fixtures to
run continuously to prevent freezing in
cold weather has not begun. The moder-
ate cold weather of the last week in De-
cember produced the usual increased waste
from this cause. This waste is felt most
severely in the territory on Capitol Hill
and the northwest supplied by the 4S-inch
main. This territory has not experienced
the effect of the recent increase in the
number of meters under the present law
The 4s-inch main supplied almost entirely
residential section, in which there are few
business premises to be metered, and the
waste can only be reached by applying
meters to all classes Of consumers.
Water Free Of Charge.
''Cases and 10 represent two instances
out of many Of promises supplied with
water free Of charge. In case the total
supply of water per capita per diem was