Evening star., 1909-05-02
GREAT WASTE FOUND
Water Discovered Flowing
Into a Sewer.
VALVE IN MAIN OPEN
Over 100000 Gallons Day Lost
to Consumers.
LEAK IN THE CAPITOL GROUNDS
Result Of Recent Investigations of
the Pitometer Squad-Temporary
Disuse Of Brightwood Reservoir.
.EAK IN THE CAPITOL GROUNDS

A waste or inferred water from The DIS
trict's water mains amounting to 737,O0O
| gallons day was discovered a couple OF
days ago by the pitometer squad Of the
water department in the Capitol grounds
| near the Peace monument.
This waste amounts to oG9, ,OO5, 900 gal
| Ions year, which at the consumers rates
of cents per 1000 gallons amounts to
$40, 76O year. AS the waste has prob
| ably been continuing for years, it is es-
timated that the loss, at meter rates, has
amounted to over 100000
AS this immense mount Of water flowed
directly into a sewer which runs at a
level lower than the Potomac river there
has been the expense to the District of
pumping this water to a higher level and
of sending 1t through the sewage pump
ing station. District officials have made
no attempt to estimate accurately what
this waste has cost the District
Flowing From an Open Valve.
The water which was wasted flowed
through an open valve leading from a
twelve-inch water main and empsied into
sewer nearby. 1t was carried away
without any indication on the surface of
the ground that there was any leakage
In the water main at tha. r,oint With
out the pitometer instruments the waste
might not have been discovered for years.
The squad, which spends all it's time
testing water mains to see If there are
any leaks. discovered about a week ago
thta there was an abnormal flow Of water
through twelve-inch main running into
the Capitol grounds near the Peace monu-
ment. Then the SQUAD set out to deter
bine how much the waste was and where
lav
the endeaNors to find the cause of the OBJ
normal flow.
A wide-open three-inch valve from the
main was then discovered There is a
nisn pressure of water in the main. and
1t was throwing three-inch stream into
nearby sewer day and night, twenty
four hours each day and 36J days in the
year. Ihe SQUAD lost no time in closing
the valve and shutting off the waste.
Although the records and charts of the
water department of the District govern
ment and of the Capitol are accurately
kept, 1t was found that they contained no
record of the installation of this valve
How long it has been there cannot be dis
covered from the records, but it is sup
posed to have been put n to provide Tor
a flushing of the sewer. The, sewer 50
close by carrying off the wasted water
prevented the leak from showing on the
surface of the ground.
This is the largest leak in the wafer
mains which has been discovered by the
special leak-finding squad These tests
of the water mains have been going on.
under the direction of w. \. Mcfarland.
superintendent of the water Department
for several years, and many cases of
wasted water have been discovered, but
this latest find makes the other leaks
look like drippings
First Leak of the Kind.
1t Is also, according to officials Of the
w ho
SO far discovered. In other cases. water
mains have been found to have become
unconnscted or broken or house plumbing
connections have been found to be loose.
But not before has an uncharted valve
of large size been found open.
In discussing the finding of this i'm
mense waste of water yesterday after
noon, Supt. Mcfarland declared that the
saving OF the water as a result of this
one find justifies the expenditure for the
pitometer work for the year. The pito-
meter squad costs the District $25, 900 per
year. 1t is estimated. The water wasted
during the year by this open valve
amounts to 269O05,O0O gallons a year.
This costs the District at least 1 cent
per LOCO gallons. Therefore. the saving
to the District is at least $2,69O or more
than 10 per cent return on the invest
ment Of $4,000.
Brightwood Reservoir in Disuse.
Supt. Mcfarland said yesterday that an
increase of algae in the water supplied
from the Brightwood reservoir has re-
suited in the temporary disuse of the
reservoir on the hills between Brightwood
and Rock creek. The water has all been
run out Of the big pond and its walls
and bottom have been exposed to the
sun for two months This exposure. il
is believed, will kill out the growth of
the troublesome algae in the reservoir
and when its use is begun again it is
expected the odor given the water by that
growth will be entirely gone.
Supt. Mcfarland declares that the algaa
in the water is harmless and unnoticed
by some.