Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-10
PRESENT SUPPL GO0D
Col. Leach Says the Potomac
Water Is Above Average.
OPPOSES ANY CHANGE
PROPOSED TO SEEK ANOTHER
SOURCE.
Report on Senator Stewards Amend
ment to the Sundry Civil APP
preparation Bill.
OPPOSES ANY CHANGE

The engineer officers of the army do not
view with favor the amendment recently
proposed by Senator Stewart to the sundry
civil appropriation bill appropriating $4,000
ito enable the Secretary of War to exam
inc, with view of ascertainng If there is
a watershed from which a supply of pure
water could be obtained for the District of
Columbia, provided the government should
become the sole owner of such watershed,
and should protect the same and prevent
any occupation thereof except for such
water supply
The amendment having been referred to
the War Department for consideration and
report, it was referred to Col. Smith Leach,
Corps of Engineers. the officer in charge Of
the water supply system of the District of
Columbia. That officer has made a report
to Gen. Mackenzie, chief of engineers and
the report has been forwarded to the Sec
rotary of War Endorsed with the approval
of Gen. Mackenzie.
Col. Leach's Report.
Col. Leach Says in part:
The within amendment appears to have
in view the substitution of some other
watershed for that OF the Potomac river
for the procurement of a water supply for
the District of Columbia. That the condi-
tons of the amendment, viz, that the
government should become the sole owner
of such water shed and should protect the
same and prevent any occupation thereof
except for such water supply can be APP
plied to the Potomac water shed is obvi-
Gus. and no appropriation is necessary to
ascertain that fact. All that is required is
to make an estimate of the cost, which
would undoubtedly be very great.
THE present consumption of water in
the District is about 13.OO0OO0 gallons per
the present aqueduct. The United States
has already purchased and paid for the
right to take 75,O00,000 gallons per diem
additional from the Potomac at Great
Falls, making total water, right now
owned by the United States of 10000, 600
gallons per diem, about one-fifth of the
established low water flow of the river. To
double the supply available, it is necessary
only to duplicate the present aqueduct ca
pacity, while to obtain a supply of 10000
600 per diem from any other source must
involve an enormous expenditure. Reasons
of economy, therefore, strongly impel adj
herence to the present source of supply.
Not Highly Polluted.
1.-The Potomac is not a highly polluted
stream, Notwithstanding a contrary view
is held in some quarters. AS compared with
other streams Of its class, analysis shows
its water to be much above the average in
purity, or below the average in pollution.
Its drainage basin is particularly free from
the sources of pollution which have con-
taminated the supplies of other cities.
There are no large cities in the basin, and
so far | am informed no towns which
discharge their sewage into the river. Com
plant has recently been heard of pollution
from factories or manufacturing wastes,
but there is reason to believe that the i'm
purities thus received into the water are
more obnoxious to fish than to mankind.
The present condition of affairs in the
Potomac basin can be maintained, as the
trend of judicial decisions in late years has
been such. as in my opinion, to make it
possible for the United States to prevent
by injunction any discharge of untreated
sewage into the river or any discharge of
factory wastes which may be found to con-
tain poisonous or obnoxious substances.
Effect of Filtration.
But the raw Potomac water will, in the
near future, be discontinued as the supply
of the District. Aslow sand filtration plant
has been adopted and partially constructed,
which will have the effect of making the
water purer than possibly be obtained
by the natural run of any watershed, no
matter how thoroughly protected, and
purer, in fact, than can be procured by
any known process except distillation. 1t
is an artificial application of the natural
process which produces the purest spring
waters.
SLOW sand filtration is not an expert
ment 1t is a thoroughly tried and eStab-
lished construction. 1t has given entirely
satisfactory results in treating waters much
more highly polluted than the Potomac. and
there cannot be the least reason to doubt
that it will give perfectly satisfactory re-
suits here.
IF the filtration be continued a project
to obtain better raw water is unneceS-
sary, as the Potomac water is plenty good
proposed the other hand to dispense
with filtration and substitute the untreated
run-off of a protected drainage basin, the
step is in retrograde, for the reason that
filtration is Il much more feasible, practical
and reliable method of publication than can
be obtained by any possible basin police.
In view of the foregoing considerations
am unable to recommend the adoption of
the amendment.