The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-26
IMPROVED WATER SERVICE
Work on the Aqueduct Tunnel and
Howard University Reservoir.

/ The Pumps TO he Set in Motion in n
Few DuyS-How the Residents of
! the City VIII He benefited by the
improvements Now Being Made.
! w A Mcfarland. Superintendent Of
/ the Water Department says the Wash
I inEtou AgU,ouct tunnel and the Howard
/ University reservoir are rapidly nearing
/ completion, and viii be ready FOR service
/ within a few weeks. In fact he said the
/ only thing in the way OF iettlug water
/ into the reservoir and starting the new
/ middI, service is the testing of the new
+ pumps and In, working OF the machinery
| for e. few days until il is I'm perfect rIU-
! ming order. Mr.. Mcfarland said that
/ htt, work remained 60 Doe done upon the
/ tuuue. ami "a little upon tine reservoir but
/ that IL could be- accomplished within
/ short space uf time when the pumps are
! ready
! Tho aqueduct tunnel and the reservoir
4 have been constructed under Jhr super
/ vision Of the War Department. md the
/ work is in the hands of the Chief OF En-
/ giDcors and under the personal charge of
/ Colonel Miller. the officer i'm charge of
/ the Washington Aqu. duct The property
/ belongs to the United States Government
/ and not TO the District Of Columbia. q
/ was built however. for the distribution
! of Potomac water throughout the city of
I Washington and the tunnel and reservoir
are part of the general system connected
| with the conduits and the Georgetown
reservoir.
II was found several years ago that the
four mains leading out Of the Georgetown
reservoir down NJ Street toward the city
were inadequate to supply the growing
( demands upon the system. Mr.. Mcfar-
! land explained that this was due for the
| most part TO the loss Of pressure by frIc-
/ ton in the small mains. To obviate this
| the construction of the tunnel and the
| Howard University reservoir was under
| taken Mr. Mcfarland explained the re-
J suit to be obtained through the new ser
/ vice 10y saying that there was a loss Of
/ twenty-five feet in the pressure between
| the Georgetown reservoir and Capitol Hin
/ through the old mains and that il would
/ amount to only about foot through the
| new. This means. he said that i'm bring
] ing water down the NJ Street mains the
! water on Capitol Hin would rise only to
| point twenty-five feet below the sur
/ face OF the Georgetown reservoir. This
] ne said, Is due to the friction OF the water
J running through the pipes, Of which there
/ az. -puE OF comparatively small dimeE-
Si'L@. The tunnel carries stream Of wa
! ter between the Georgetown and the How
I ard reservoirs nine feet In diameter. and
} Mr.. Mcfarland explained that-the friC-
u'u upon this larger main would be re-
| Guctd TO one foot This, he said shows
/ the advantage TO be obtained through the
new system
! The initiative In building the A4ueduct
! tunnel and the Howard reservoir was ia
I ken by Congress in the act approved July
l j.. l,S2, i'm which the Secretary OF War
was directed TO undertake the work and
Z the bill carried appropriations amounting
/ I" Sir-N- So. Tor the purpose. This sum
! Included $3.50 for the purchase Of land
J for the tunnel and Of S35 go for the land
: whore the reservoir now is. The plan had
4 been worked out previously and reported
on 20 Congress by tn" Chief Of Engineers
| The work proceeded FOX several years,
Mr. Mcfarland explained, and was sus-
pended by bad methods OF work done by
I the contractor. in which large sums Of
money had been SquanderCd I'm work that
had 10 he replaced
Work was taken un again under the act
7 Of June 20. 1895. In which the Secretary Of
I War was directed to proceed with the
task according 70 the original plans. An
uneZpendtd balance Of appropriation
/ amounting to 1927 1880 was reappropri-
atod. and "a new appropriation Of a similar
\ amount was made. Subsequently Con
/ gress appropriated various amounts
! which brought the aggre gate up 20 81 Co.
I 61G.31, which is the amount the tunnel and
] reservoir have cost under the later period
: Of work
! The Howard reservoir. according To the
I original plan has capacity OF 1'N.eNHNlO
. gallons ana d- soon as the WNFk Is READY
: for service portion Of the District viii
I be supplied from this source.
Mr. Mcfarland stated that this system
l belongs 10 what is known as the middle
/ service. The lowest parts 81 the city win
I be served as before through tho VI Street
| mains by gravity. The Howard reservoir
/ when fun viii have its surface l44 feet
( above tide 1t viii be used 10 supply that
part Of the city between % feet anu 40
/ feet above tide. From 20 also H. said
] would be fed tho Trumhull Street pumping
! station. which carries water To the Bright
WOOD and Reno reservoirs. from which
/ the higher levels Of the District VIII be
! supplied. Mr.. Mcfarland also explained
that there was a plan under consideration
! to pump supply for Capitol Liu which
J Will incre-se the pressure there At
! present ne said the reservoirs mentioned
/ are filled from the T. street pumping sta
ton.
I The Superintendent 81 the Water De
| partment expressed great satisfaction over
| the completion Of the tunnel and reser-
! yCir and said that IL wpuio place the
] water service Of the District on IN en-
/ tircly new basis Of efficiency.
| The filtration system. for which the land
J has been purchased and plans prepared
/ remains to be hLilt within the next two
! or three years. The TrumbUll Street
| pumping station also will not be- ready
( before 1903