The Washington times., 1901-12-30
PeCuliaritieS Of the POtO-
mac to Blame.
FILTRATION THE ONLY REMEDY.
Superintendent Mcfarland Dis
cusses the Present Conditions
Remarkably Fine Clay of River
Bed Carried Into Reservoirs and
Mains.

There is an alleged joke that has been
repeated around the committee rooms OF
Congress for the last five years to the
effect that the Potomac water gets muddy
just about the time Congress meets. and
gets clear with amazing rapidity the mo
ment the National Legislature adjourns.
The point of the joke, if 1t has one, is
that the engineers in charge Of the Wash
ington Aqueduct so manage gate houses
and cut offs as to send the water from
the Potomac directly into the mains.
without opportunity for sedimentation in
the reservoirs.
/ II is said by those who affect to see
! little humor in the statement that the
engineers give this object lesson an
nually, in order to impress members of
Congress with TIE need OF establishing a
costly filtration plant.
There is, of course. no truth in the
statement, but the wise men frem the
States who iegislate for the District of
Columbia. and for political reasons are
unwilling to do their duty by the muni-
cipality keep repeating this stale effort
at being funny as q cloak for their own
shortcomings.
Real Cause OF Muddy Condition.
The facts in the case are that the
present facilities for bringing the water
from the dam at the Great Falls into
the city are taxed to their utmost all the
time Between the Great Falls and the
city there are two reservoirs OF com
paratively small dimensions. The Dale
carlia reservoir has capacity of 150,-
900 0O0 gallons. and the Georgetown reser-
vor holds a similar amount OF water.
From the latter the water for distribution
tl-oughout the District is drawn. and the
daily consumption is such that in neither
reservoir can the water remain long
enough for sedimentation
In speaking OF the matter recently. Mr..
w. A. Mcfarland. Superintendent of the
District Water Department. said that
when the Howard University reservoir
was finished and the supply for the mid
die service was taken therefrom, there
would be some relief in the higher parts
of the city, but not in the lower sections.
Relief by Filtration Only.
Mr.. Mcfarland declared that there was
no way in which relief could be obtained {
from present conditions short OF Ultra
tion. He said that the Potomac water 1
was different from that OF most rivers /
In Baltimore, for instance, the water sup I
ply was drawn from small streams, and /
the sediment which II contained was cas- /
lily precipitated. As a result, Mr. McFar- 1
land said. the holding of the water in the I
storage reservoirs for twenty-four OF 4
forty eight hours was sufficient to make /
il clear. but that was not the case here. |
Mr.. Mcfarland stated that a glass OF /
Potomac water might be set aside for a /
week and it would not become clear by 1
sedimentation. Even a month. he said. /
fine Particles Of earth held suspended in |
the liquid.
Peculiar Bed of Potomac.
Mr. Mcfarland explained that the
Potomac River flows for a long distance
through a bed of clay so fine that its
particles seemed 10 be OF about the same
specific gravity as the water. As a con-
sequence they ioated undisturbed by grav-
ity for a long period in the liquid. Only
filtration could be depended upon TO re-
move them.
MIR. Mcfarland said that untll altra-
tion came II would be useless 10 expect
Improvement in the condition OF the
water. He thought that the conditions
would grow gradually worse.
Mud in the Mains.
He said that good deal OF sedimenta-
tion was going on all the time in the
water mains. and that in all parts Of the
city the supplying mains were nov half
full of the river mud.
Mr.. Mcfarland explained that house,
keepers sometimes we're made uncomfort-
ably cognizant OF this fact vlen. for any
reason, 1t becam' ~9cessary TO disturb
main.
Mr.. Mcfarland IS Of the opinion that
he matter cannot be too strongly pressed
upon Congress that the filtration plant is
needed not only to clear the water OF
he yellow clay Of the Potomac Valley.
but to free it from the disease germs
which lurk in the polluted mixture given
1ur people to drink.
OF M A wv