Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-27
CONGRESS- FAILURE TO ACT
Shutting Down Power and Heating
Plants the First Effect.
TWO HUNDRED GALLONS DAILY
Amount Of Per Capita Consumption
Capitol Would Be Affected
Danger of Fires.

when any measure for increasing the water
supply in the District of Columbia can be
| ADOPTED In season to prevent probably seri-
Gus danger of water famine
Inc foregoing statement was made to-
| oay by Supt w. A. Mcfarland Of the Dis
trlct water department when asked con-
corning the effect of the action of Con-
gress In refusing to allow either the ap-
| preparation for preliminary survey for a
new conduit from the Great Falls or for
the installation of water meters The for
mer scheme has been urged for at least
ten years, but each time the amount ask
ed Tor making the survey has been dsal-
lowed year ago $500 was appropri-
ated for installing water meters in the Dis
lrict. and 800 meters were put in place in
as many residences
Most of them went into one district-the
squares bounded by 18th, 18th and streets
ana fiorlda aenue northwest. 1t was I'M
oerstoou that much larger appropriation
Wouio De made this year for continuing the
work, and the hopes of the water DEPART
ment We're high when the $1,000 item was
laVorabiy reported out of the committee
linen came the speech by Representative
sims or tennessee. in which he declared
that water should be as free as air" and
the 100000 item fell by the waysde
Installation of Meters.
suffice for placing water meters in about Is
per cent of the buildings in the District of
Columbia, and with this much. done it was
sincerely believed by the authorities that
they would be In a position TO state nosi-
livery whether the plan for increasing the
Dbstrlct water reserve by decreasing the
consumption by use of water meters would
or would not be success
1T was generally conceded that ALL peonle
would be more economical in the use OF
water when they We're required to nav for
just what they used, and 1t was with this
thought in mind that the officials of the
water department SO strongly urged the
appropriation of 100000 for water meters
They regarded the meters largely as n
temporary expedient In that the consump-
tiol OF water might be decreased over a
sufhcient period of years to more than nav
Tor the investment, and further that the
total supply might thus be kept within
press Tor a period during which Con-
sress might make provision for the
future by authorizing the construction of
the proposed additional conduit In any
event the so-called appropriate Of 800 $50
Ior water meters was an appropriation in
name only Tor 1t was provided that the en-
tire sum was to be repaid into the trea surv
out or the revenues of the District water
department-this meaning that the entire
cost or the meters was to be borne by
the District of Columbia.
Analysis of Local Situation.
In his analysis of the present local situa-
tion, as far as water supply and consump-
ton are concerned, Mr.. Mcfarland said
that the existing conduit brought water to
the city at the rate of 100000 gallons In
twenty-four hours
This Is not a guess an estimation or On
approximation, he stated, but it has been
demonstrated by actual test that the con-
dult from Great Falls can bring to the
city reservoirs 100000 gallons of water
a Jay, ana no more. That is "a INIT Of
It's capacity, and when we exceed 80 COO 0D
gallons per day in consumption-then will
come famine.
Many people have an erroneous idea of
what water famine will mean to the city
1t Will not be that there is threatened a
general going thirsty, nor that the populace
cannot wash Its hands or face but the
first effect of shortage In the water supply
will be that power and heating plants gen
orally VIII have to be shut down.
Any shortage that comes will at first be
manifest In the winter when, during any
protracted cold snap. the people let water
In their fixtures run to prevent freezing A
year ago last winter we had taste of the
in, pending danger, when for several DAYS
OF frlgld weather the consumption jumped
from 60,0O0,OO0 gallons per day to as high
as 1O6,0O0O00 gallons. At that time there
was a fall of five feet in the reservoirs, and
IL the cold weather had continued the fam
inc would have been severely felt. In other
words, the per capita consumption of water
leaped from about 200 gallons per day to
upw ard of 300 gallons. Given the same con-
ditions next winter, or winter a year later,
when the increase in population of the city
ESTIMATED at 5000 persons annually, means
a proportionate addition in the consumption
of water, IL needs no analysis to show the
inminence of the danger"
Per Capita Consumption.
A few years ago, Mr.. mcfarland said,
the per capita use of water did not exceed
100 gallons Now 1t is 200 gallons per day,
poly inayplicab1a increa is
steadily growing.
His estimate of an increase of 1900 In
the population of the city in two years
means that the daily consumption of water
in a cold weather emergency time would be
8 COO 900 gallons greater than 1t in the
winter of 1004-05 II the water supply should
be exceeded by the consumption, the first
places to be affected would be the down.
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