The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-07

There are two important problems facing
| the District of Columbia with reference TO
] its water supply One of them relates to
| the amount of water consumed and the
| other to the clearing of it from bacteria
and the condition of murkiness which char
acterizes the Potomac water for the great
er part OF the year. The first Of these
problems is tc be solved by decreasing the
consumption or by increasing the supply Or
both. and the second by filtration
The water supply OF the District is takea
from the Potomac River at Great Fails,
| about fourteen miles above the city. A
stone dam was built across the river at
| that point and by means OF a conduit,
gatehouse, and an aqueduct the water Is
conveyed to the distributing reservoirs, one
| five miles above the city and the other at
| Georgetown. From these reservoirs the
water is conveyed through iron mains to
the various sections Of the city available
| by gravity, while for the higher portions
pumps are used and several supplemental
reservoirs for distribution over circum-
scribed territory have been constructed.
The conduit is niEe feet in diameter and
about twelve miles long. while there are
nearly 100 miles OF water mains within the
| bounds of the District, by which the water
! is carried to all parts OF the city and the
most thickly populated suburbs. The cost
of the system has been in the neighborhood
| Of Sc, 000 0GG
There is a daily consumption of water, as
shown in the report of the officer in charge
of the Washington AquedUct where all the
water comes through and where it is meas
ured, of rs, +59, 97z gallons day. On the
i basis of 27S,T1S population shown by the
| last census there is an average daily con-
sumption Of water in the District OF 1873
| gallons per capita, which Is denominated
/ by Brigadier General Wilson as reckless
waste of water
| From an estimate made by the Water De
| partment Of the District 1t is shown that
about zoos, $50 gallons a day are used for
municipal purposes, the balance beng
/ charged to domestic and manufacturing
purposes Upon this waste Of water Gen
| erai Wilson says in his recent report:
! This extravagsnt use of water has be-
come a serious menace to the supply OF
water by the Washington Aqueduct with
! its present capacity-T6, 00G. Geo gallons
I and at the rate of Increase the ultimate
! limit would be reached in about twelve
years. In the opinion OF the local engineer
officer in charge Of the aqueduct the exist
ing conditions suggest two remedies
either the reduction OF the consumption to
:
| per diem. b. the use Of meters. or the in
| crease Of the present supply to keep up
J with the present demand by the building
/ of a second conduit from the Great Falls
I Of the Potomac The necessary surveys OF
practicable routes for this conduit should
/ be taken in hand at once. and an estimate
| for this work Is submitted by the officer
! in charge"
| With the Potomac sweeping maiesticaify
past the city with almost an unlimited sup
ply IL seems strange to talk about limit
/ ing the consumption of water and il is
probably true that the best equipped cities
/ in this respect place 20 structures upon the
use of water. except in special ways in
/ manufacture and the running of elevators
Fer domestic purposes. it is believed by
! these who have given the matter close at
+ tention that there should be no limit. But
/ the problem as stated above is one which
must be carefully consider d. for an in
+ cTease Of the supply by building a new
! conduit would entail tremendous cost, and
! it is likely that some measures will be
/ taken TO cut down The consumption OF
! water to 100 gallons daily per capita be-
! fore the task Is assumed of connecting the
/ Great Falls with the distributing reser-
/ vcjrs by second conduit With reference
! 10 the proper method of decreasing the
! consumption of water. Capt. D, d. Gail
/ lard s recent report to the Commissioners
says:
The only practicable method of reduc-
! ing the consumption OF water is by the
/ introduction Of meters. This method has
been shown by actual experience in other
cities to accomplish the desired results
but when II has heretofore been brought
to the attention Of Congress and of the
public CT this city, 1t has not met with
approval. 1t is not improbable that fur
ther attention may yet be given to this
! subject, as. under the act approved June
s. 1900. an appropriation was made for es-
| tabitshing certain portions of q filtration
plant, thereby apparently giving the sane
ton OF Congress to the future filtration
CT the water supply OF the District OF Co
lumbia"
The question of the filtration Of the
water supply has been reduced to practi-
cal shape by experiments made by Colonel
Miller. the officer in charge of the Wash
! iDgton Aqueduet. During several months
of the present year he conducted expert
ments at his office with what are known
as the English and the American methods
Of filtration. He found that the English
! method was unsatisfactory both in strain
] ing cut bacteria and in removing the
sediment, while the American method
gave satisfactory tests in both particulars
The cost of the English plant sufficient
for the city OF Washington is estimated
by Colonel Miller at s., Isl, 1913, and that
of the American method at 81 0S1. 377. The
cost or maintenance was estimated at
1851 and S. 10. respectively. including in
terest charges. while without interest
charges the cost OF maintenance would be
S344 and $561, respectively. Taking all the
facts into account, the Commissioners
have recommended to Congress the ap-
preparation OF sl,0S0, 3S7 for the installa-
tiGn Of the American system of filtration.
With reference te the cost of the filtra-
tion of water under the present rate Of
consumption, General Wilson says:
THE present consumption and waste
have also an important bearing On the
subject of filtration. A report on this
subject was called for by Congress and
was submitted March IS 1900. It is prob
able that the cost of filtration will be
about Sc per million gallons, or at the
present rate OF consumption about 5000 per
day or s110 900 annually. This is large
charge, and can be reduced only by ie-
duction in consumption