Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-12
WORK IN THE DISTRICT
improvements Under Direction
of the War Department.
TRANSFER OF AQUEDUCT
Gen. Mackenzie Believes District
Should Have Supervision.
PROSPECT OF WATER FAMINE
Accident Would Cut OF Supply
Cost of River Projects
Filtration Plant.
PROSPECT OF WATER FAMINE

oSh' AASAdhuCI NndChcnzlc, CuleI Oh ell
gineers. in his annual report just submit
ted devotes several chapters to important
government works in the District of Co.
| lumbia.
Regarding the proposed transfer of the
Washington aqueduct system from the
office to the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict Gen. Mackenzie calls attention to
the following statement on the subject
contained in the report of the chief of
engineers for 1895:
Under existing laws the chief of engi-
| neers, United States Army, has the i'm
mediate superintendent of the Washing
ton aqueduct and of everything connected
with the same belonging to the United
States His authority is required to tap
all water pipes laid by the United States
(Sec. 1903, Rev. Stat.) He Is in no way
responsible to the authorities Of the Dis
trict of Columbia, though the estimates re-
lating to the maintenance and operation
of the aqueduct are required by law to
be submitted to the Secretary of the Treas
ury by the Commissioners of the District.
The responsibility for the care, storage
and distribution of the water supply Of
the District lies severally upon the chief
of engineers and the District Commission
ers. 1t would seem proper that all the
responsibility OF operating the complete
system of water supply should rest with
when the. work of constructing additional
parts Of the system is assigned to the
chief of engineers. under the War De-
partment, the additional structure, when
completed, should be turned over to the
District authorities to operate.
1.-The notifications of sections 1900, 1893
and 1910 of the Revised Statutes, In accord
ance with the above views, and the ex-
tension of the authority of the Commits
sioners of the District over all completed
structures pertaining to the water supply,
whether within or without the limits of
the District, are recommended"
Renews Recommendation.
Gen. Mackenzie adds to that statement
his present views as follows:
THE conditions which then seemed to
make it advisable to terminate the dual
responsibility for the water supply of the
District exist today, and the recommen-
dalton is renewed. The completion of the
filtration plant will give an added reason
for the transfer, as its maintenance and
operation are even more intimately con-
nected with the distribution system than
is the aqueduct itself"
In a general chapter regarding the dam
gerous condition and urgent needs of the
aqueduct, Gen. Mackenzie says in part:
Attention is again invited to the dan
ger of an interruption of the supply by
an accident to the conduit. This structure
has stood for nearly half a century and
without interruption in its use other than
to. empty it periodically for cleaning. This
fact is no guaranty that it will not be in
terrupted in the future. u
ut includes seven tunnels, aggregating
1884 linear feet in seamy rock and I'M
lined. They cannot be lined until a new
conduit is built. At every cleaning frag-
lodged from the roof. There is an appre-
ciable risk of more or larger pieces falling
in, sufficient to block the tunnel for
considerable time.
fxxynn cfxyc orfo RI III
in made ground. the failure of any one of
which would break the conduit. They
are of massive construction, but equally
strong ones have been washed out, and
these may be.
THE Dalecarlia reservoir is formed by an
earthen dam across valley. In this dam
is the by-conduit. If this dam should
break the by-conduit would be destroyed
and the supply of the District completely
cut off.
Might Cause Famine.
The statement is justifiable that, notwith-
standing its fifty years of uninterrupted
use, the Washington Aqueduct is more vul-
nerable than the average of similar struc-
lures and that there is risk of an accident
to 1t which would cut of the supply for
period long enough to cause a water fam
ine which would involve a cancellation of
all fire insurance and a partial depopu alton
of the city, besides other and more calami-
tOuS consequences. Ih1S risk can be under
written only by the construction of another
conduit, or by increasing the supply in
some other way.
With the idea Of insurance paramount a
new conduit should not be built alongside
the present one, but should follow rad
ically different course, to reduce to a mini
mum the chance of single cause disabling
both. For this reason all possible alterna-
tive routes and sources of supply should be
examined and the preliminary surveys be-
come more important and more extensive
and will require more time.
An estimate Of $4,000 for these surveys
and investigations is submitted and it's IA
vorable consideration is urged The cost Of
these surveys and any probable cost of
second conduit will be a very cheap insur-
ance against the interruption Of the water
supply, which will remain a constant men,
ace to the District until such insurance is
effected
Estimates are submitted for making i'm
provements considered necessary at the
three reservoirs and are explained in detail
in the annual report of the officer In charge
Filtration Plant.
In a chapter in regard to the filtration
plant, for which appropriations aggregating
So, 46S. 405 were made and which has been
in operation since October, 1905, Gen. Mac
kenzie says, in part:
1.-The amount of turbidity has been re-
duced by filtration from an average of 81