Evening star., 1901-07-22
RECKLESSLY WASTED
Local Consumption of Water Entirely
Too Much.
ANNUAL REPORT OF COL. 4. N. MILLER
Work on the Reservoir and FiItra-
ton Plant.
TUNNEL HAS BEEN LINED

scheme for the increase of the water sup
ply of the District is one of the interest
ing features of the annual report of Col
Alexander M. Miller. Corps OF Engineers.
submitted to General Gillespie, chief of en-
gineers. today. This particular work Is be-
Ing prosecuted under an act, approved June
30, 1S'S making appropriations for the ex-
pehses or the government OF the District
for the fiscal year ended June 80, 1893.
That act directed the completion Of the
ashlngton Aqueduct tunnel and it's acces-
series and the Howard University reservoir
IN accordance with the plans of a board of
experts appointed by General Craighill
formerly chief of engineers.
The Work of the Year.
Col Miller summarizes this work as fol-
lows: During the year total Of S25 linear
feet of lining has been completed in the
tunnel. completing that work Other work
completed was the construction of an invert
In that part of the tunnel formerly lined
the repair Of defective lining. the drainage
OF the tunnel west of Rock creek, the IRON
lining of the tunnel under Rock creek and
filling voids in the dry rubble backing of
the tunnel. The west gate house is COM
pleted SO far that it is now in condition to
supply the tunnel through the by-conduit
of the distributing reservoir. The east gate
house is in an advanced stage toward COM
pletion and will probably be ready for serv-
ice in three months.
The air shafts are completed except sur
lace construction. The power house at the
east shaft for the Bacon air-lift pumping
plant is nearly completed. The working
shaft at Foundry branch has been closed.
Rock creek shaft has been lined with iron
and is completed with the exception of the
top section. The blow-of at Rock creek
shaft is nearly completed. The pump pit
and connections are completed ready to re-
ceive the centrifugal pumps The boiler for
these pumps is in place. At Champlain ave-
nue. shaft the power house Is under way
and the shaft for a distance of siXty-Six
feet has been filed with concrete and lined.
At the east shaft new brick lining twelve
feet thick has been placed inside of the old
lining.
Progress on the Reservoir.
The Howard University reservoir has
been cleaned up, the circulating conduit
completed, line of four 4e-inch pipe laid
connecting east gate house with the
filter gate house, and the revetment of the
banks completed, except in front Of the
gate houses. 1t is expected. says Col. Mil
ler, that the new reservoir will be placed
in service during the coming fall.
The tunnel Is now completed from the
west shaft to Howard University reservoir.
Col. Miller says that the funds available
are considered sufficient to complete the
work and the estimate for care and main
tenance is included in the estimate for the
Washington aqueduct. The amount ex-
pended on this work in the past fiscal year
was $780,, ,6O3. and the amount estimated
and available for the completion of the ex-
isting project Is $1l7,822
The Filtration Plant
By act approved June 6. 1850, $4,000 was
appropriated for establishing those por-
tions Of filtration plant which are essen
tial to the operation of either system Of
filtration adopted. including necessary land,
grading, masonry and appurtenances," and
by act approved March 1, 1901, 100000
was appropriated towards establishing a
slow sand filtration plant"
with this appropriation 1877 ,619 square
feet of land in the vicinity of the new
reservoir have been purchased at the uni
form price of 45 cents per square foot
amounting to $6l9,92S. Drawings of vari-
Gus details Of the filtration plant have been
made, buildings and derrick erected ex-
cavations made for the clearwater reser-
voir and forms for the same, and excava-
tions made for the intake for the pumps
to supply water to the filter beds topo-
graphical survey of the site for the filtra-
ton plant has also begun. Four forty
eight-inch pipe lines have been laid from
the east shaft gate house of the new reser-
voir to the filtration gate house.
LAS Congress has stipulated that the slow
sand system Of filtration shall be adopt
e.. says Col Miller. IAN estimate of
81. 100000 (Which has my approvaD is SUBJ
mitted by the officer in charge to continue
the work during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1903" The balance available for
amount required for the completion of the
existing project Is 81. 7S6, ,123.
Warrington Aqueduct Repairs
With special reference to the Washing
ton aqueduct, Col. Miller summarizes the
operations Of the past year in part as fol-
lows: Small repairs were made to the rip
rap backing of the dam at Great Falls
gate houses. store houses and watchmen's
houses were kept in repair. The grounds
at all the reservoirs We're kept in good or
der and the fences whitewashed, The
channels around the Dalecarlia reservoir
were cleaned and concrete steps construct
ed from the Conduit road to the north con-.
nection. The paving on the embankment
at the distributing reservoir was repaired
The Conduit road has also been repaired
A 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 by-conduit at the Dalecarlia reservoir
has been repaired by constructing a one
ring brick lining inside the old rubble ma
sonry conduit in that portion of the con-
duit between the north connection and the
tunnel. and grouting a portion Of the old
rubble masonry conduit between the tunnel
and the south connection. Small repairs
were made to the pavement Of bridge No
and Cabin John bridge. and to the floor
OF the bridge at the Dalecarlia reservoir
al the bridges are now in excellent condi-
ton.
Reckless Waste of Water
During the past year the extreme fiuc-
tuation Of the water level in the distrtbut.
ing reservoi, was 4.S9 feet Measurements
of the daily and hourly consumption and
waste of water were made each month
and gave daily average of 49,075,94O gal
Ions. The consumption and waste meas
ured June 26. 1901. were found to be 3d.
,99S gallons per diem. This is the Iarg-
est June measurement ever taken and es-
timating the population of the District of
Columbia at 279, 293 gives a daily per capita
consumption and waste of 1873 gallons
This shows" says Col Miller. that
there is a reckless waste of water in the
District. Careful and trustworthy investi-
cations 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
waste. This extravagant use of water has
become serious menace to the supply of
wafer nv the WaShinefop anvod,,ct NTH