The Washington times., 1901-07-23
THE CITY'S WATER SUPPLY
Enormous Waste Shown by the
Annual Report.
Per Capita Consumption of 1913 GAL
lOns-COnsequent Increased Cost of
Filtratfon-SecOnd Conduit From
Grent Fails May De Necessary.

Fer tapitH Consumption OF Ic.t SHt-
IOns-COnsequent Increased Cost of
FiItration-Second Conduit From
Great Falls Mny he Necessary.
Col. Alex NJ Miller. in charge of the
water supply for the city of Washington
yesterday submitted his annual report
to the Chief of Engineers of the War De-
partment. He declares that the per cap
ita consumption is increasing out of pro-
portion. and that in consequence there
must be a great waste of water. The
average daily consumption has been 49,
0,5,940 gallons. On June 26 last the con-
sumption and waste were 53,96O9sS gallons.
the largest measurement ever taken in
the month OF June. 1t is equivalent TO
the use and waste of 1893 gallons for every
man, woman, and child in the District of
Columbia.
Concerning this matter Colonel Miller
says: This shows that there is a reck-
less waste Of water in the District. Care
ful and trustworthy Investigations made
in various cities in the United States
show clearly that the daily per capita
consumption of 100 gallons is ample for
all domestic, business, and public pur-
poses, and that any considerable increase
above that amount must be attributed TO
Nt'Stt- tAlldNdethl USE VI NdNti
has become u serious menace to the sup
Iply of water by the Washington aqueduct
with its present capacity-76, ,G00Oo0 gal
lons-and at the rate of increase the ulti-
mate limit would be reached in about four
years
| THE present consumption and waste of
water will have an important bearing
upon the subject of filtration. 1t is prob
able that the cost of filtration will be
about 81 per million gallons. or. at the
present rate of consumption, about $500
per day, or $4,000 annually. This is a
large charge and can be reduced only by
a reduction in consumption In the opin-
| ion of the local engineer officer in charge
| of the aqueduct the existing conditions
| suggest two remedies-either the reduc-
ton of the consumption to a reasonable
| rate, 100 gallons per capita per diem, by
the use of meters, or the increase of the
present supply to keep up with the pres
ent demand by the building of a second
conduit from the Great Falls of the Po-
tomac. The necessary surveys of prae-
teal routes for this conduit should be
| taken in hand at once, and an estimate
| of 5000 for this work is submitted by the
officer in charge.
| Estimates are also submitted for build
| ing a combined storehouse and stable at
| Great Falls for preliminary surveys, and
one of S33.000 for operation. maintenance.
repair of the aqueduct and it's accessories,
including the Conduit Road, the new res
eryoir and the Washington aqueduct tun-
mel"
The report shows the condition of the
water to have been as follows: Very
/ turbid lO7 days. turbid 81 days, slightly
tirbid days, and clear 2l7 days.
| pletion of the Lydecker tunnel and it's
accessories. Upon this matter the report
| says: During the year a total of SIS
linear feet of lining has been completed
in the tunnel, completing that work
Other work completed was the construe-
! tion of an invert in that part of the tun-
| mel formerly lined. the repair of defective
| lining. the drainage of the tunnel west of
| Rock Creek, the iron lining of the tunnel
under Rock Greek, and flling voids in
| the dry rubble backing Of the tunnel.
fhe west gatehouse Is completed so far
| that ii is now in condition to supply the
tunnel thrGagh the by-coaduit of the dis
tributing reservoir. The east gatehouse
is III an advanced stage toward compile
| ton and will probably be ready for serv-
| ice in three months.
| The air shafts are completed, except
| surface construction. The powerhonse
at The east shaft for the Bacon air,lit
| pumping plant is nearly completed. The
| working shaft lat Foundry branch has
| been closed Rotk Creek Shaft has been
| lined with iron and is completed with the
| exception of thsi top section. The blow
| off at Rock Creek shaft is nearly COM
| pleted. The pump pit and connections are
| completed ready to receive the centrifugal
| pumps The boiler for these pumps is in
| place. At Chemplain Avenue shaft the
| powerbouse is under way and the shaft
| for a distance of siXty-siX feet has been
| filled with concrete and lined. AT the
east shaft new brick lining twelve feet
| thick has been placed inside of the old
| lining"
| The Howard University reservoir has
! been cleaned, the circulating conduit 5om-
| pleted, and much other work done, and
Colonel Miller states that he expects the
| reservoir Will be ready for use early in
| the fall. He1 estimates that the appropria-
| ton already made will be sufficient. Al
! ready there has been expended upon the
| work 1851 sos and the amount still avail
| able is s117. .922
Speaking OF the filtration plant. Colonel
| Miller states that within the appropria-
| tion already made l.3U 6l9 square feet of
| land has been purchased al cost of
| $;l9,92S Drawings of various details of
! the filtration plant have been made, build
| ings and derrick erected, excavations
made for the clearwater reservoir and
| forms for the same, and excavations made
| for the intake for the pumps to supply
water TO the filter beds a Typographical
| survey of the site for the filtration plant
| has. also begun. Four forty -eight-inch
| pipe lines have been laid from the east
| shaft gatehouse of the new reservoir to
| the filtration gatehouse.
| AS Congress has stipulated that the
| slow sand system of filtration shall be
| adopted says Colonel Miller, IAN esti-
mate OF 81 coo 900 (Which has my approVaD
| is submitted by the officer in charge to
| continue the work during the fiscal year
| ending June 30, 1893" The balance avail
| able for this work is S2i,7S5, and the estt-
| mated amount required for the compile
| tion of the existing project is Sl1S6,l23
| Colonel Miller summarizes the opera
| tions of the past year regarding the
| Washington aqueduct in part as follows:
small repairs were made to the riprap
| hacking of the dam at Great Falls, gate
| houses. stOrehOuseS. and watchmenS
| houses were kept in repair. The grounds
| at all the reservoirs were kept in good
| order and the fences whitewaShed. The
! channels around the Dalecariia reservoir
| We're cleaned and concrete steps con-
stuucted from the Conduit Road to the
north connection. The paving on the en-
| bankment at the distributing reservoir
! was repaired The Conduit Road has also
| been repaired 4 rubble masonry wall
| has been built at Great Falls Just inside
| the Government land and along the bank
OF the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the
river bank for the protection of the inlet
| to the conduit.
THE DISTRICT WATER SUPPLY.