Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-21
I'LL TRAT|ON BED IN USE
Plant Sends First Installment
Into Main.
PROCESS BEGUN TODAY
CAPACITY OF BED THREE MIL
LIONS OF GALLONS.
Others to Be Put Into Use at Rate of
One Every Other
Day.
PROCESS BEGUN TODAY

Day.
The first filtered water entered the mains
of Washington today from the $3,OOOC0O
purifying plant at the head of North Capi-
toll street. The process of starting the
operation Of the plant was begun Tuesday,
but that involved merely the turning Of
water into the first of twenty mine beds,
each having capacity of 3.OO0OOO gallons.
About twenty-five OF the beds will be con-
stantly in use when the plant Is in full
operation The water has to be run into
the plant very slowly. requiring twenty-four
hours for the passing Of the necessary
amount disturbing the distribution of
the sand, and another twenty-four hours
must elapse before the filtering becomes
thoroughly effective.
AS soon as the first bed was ready the
water from 1t was carried into a second
from the bottom, and when the second one
was ready, which required another forty
eight hours for completion. third was
filed. The filing Of the third was
complished this morning. The supply from
the first bed was then turned into the city
mains, and each second day from now on
another 100000 gallons of pure water will
be supplied to the city, displacfng like
daily consumption. Thus, today. about
per cent of the water supplied Is filtered.
On Monday. when another bed is opened
into the mains. something like 10 per cent
of the supply will have been filtered, and so
on every other day an increase of about 5
per cent of pure water being added until
the total Of 100 per cent is reached.
There are of course considerable num-
Der of beds which have the sand and gravel
in them and are, to that extent, ready for
operation, but pipe connections ana other
details are yet to be completed, and 1t mas
been figured that one bed every other day
will be about the rate at which they may
be opened with the speediest practicable
construction.
In First Stages.
norton of the filter beds has just passed
the first stages of construction which IN
clude the laying of the floors, erection OF
dividing and retaining walls and pillars
for supporting the roof and the putting on
of the roof. all of which are of concrete
construction This work is now expected
to move along without interruption, SO that
there need be no delay to the present plan
The water which will be purified at the
filtration plant and which is the present
total supply of the city, is brought from
the Potomac at Great Falls through the
Washington Aqueduct. 1t passes through a
series of reservoirs before being delivered
into the pipes of the city, and In those
contained in it when taken from the river
are removed by sedmentation or the nat
ural settling of suspended particles 10 the
bottom of the reservoirs.
The first of these storage basins is the
Dalecarlia reservoir, situated short dis
lance beyond the District line above
Georgetown. This reservoir has a capacity
of thirty-nine millions of gallons. Here. by
reason of the fact that the water passes
into its first quiescent period after leaving
the river, IS per cent of the foreign mat
ter, such mud and vegetable particles,
and 81 per cent of the bacteria, are re-
moved. Since the daily consumption Is
over sixty million gallons, it may be COM
pretended that the above result is accom-
plished In a little more than half day,
during which the water must traverse the
entire length of the reservoir.
Process of Further Publication.
Next. the water is carried into the
Georgetown reservoir, a mile or so nearer
town. which has a capacity of 100000
gallons. Here a further publication Is eff
fected by sedimentation, though. by rea-
son of the particles now left, being much
smaller, the percentage Is much less,
amounting to 81 per cent OF suspended
matter and 21.2 of bacteria.
In this connection, and by way of COM
ment on the controversy about the dredg-
ing of the Dalecarlia reservoir and the
port that it had been thrown out of use,
the officials at the aqueduct office explain
that this reservoir has not been so shut Off,
and that even if the water had been allow
ed to pass through the by-conduit around
the reservoir, the decrease in the degree of
publication would have been trifiing.
amounting perhaps to about or per cent.
The clearance accomplished in the Dale
carlia reservoir would have been more than
equaled in the Georgetown reservoir
The last receptacle through which the
water passes is the Howard University res
ervoir, lying just south of the Soldiers
1~tr, 1cf Nd ctr
capacity of this basin = 1913, 900, 900 gallons.
The water is brought to this reservoir from
the Georgetown reservoir through what Is
known as the Lydecker tunnel 1t enters
this last basin on its west side, is carried
near to the north end by large pipes, and
Is fed into the city mains through the
Trumbull street pumping station from its
southern end.
end is located the pumping station for the
filtration plant This station contains three
large pumps. each having a capacity OF
40 600 900 gallons per day, which will lift the
water from the reservoir to the filter beds.
One of these is now in operation supplying
more than enough water to the beds now in
operation the surplus water from the pump
being sent back into the reservoir.
Drainage System.
AS the water filters through the sand and
gravel Of the beds 1t Is drained off through
a series Of perforated terra Gotta pipes laid
on the floor of the filters and carried into
the clear water reservoir. which has a ca
pacity Of 20, 600, 900 gallons, or about one
third of the present daily supply. This
reservoir is situated near the pumping
station and adjacent to the southern end of
Howard University reservoir. 1t runs along
the west side of LIST street about block, is
about 100 feet wide. about 80 feet deep at
the southern end and 10 IL feet deep at
the north end.
From the clear water reservoir the water
will be released by series of valves into
pipes leading under Howard University res
ervoir to the Trumbull street pumping sta
ton, whence 1t will be pumped into the city
After being lifted by the pumps to the
level of the filter beds the water moves by
gravity alone until it reaches the Trumbull
street station pumps.
Boyds and Vicinity.
Special Correspondence Of The Star
L Acr