Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-12
CITY WATER SUPPLY
Chief Engineers Report on
District System.
OPERATIONS IN DETAIL
No Present Need for Construction Of
New Aqueduct.
WORK ON ANACosT1A FLADs
Entire Reclamation Project Is De-
clared to Be Twenty-Five Per
Cent Completed.

The publication Of the drinking water
of the District. the Improvement OF
the navigation Of the Potomac river
and the reclamation of the flats Of the
Anacostia river are the principal topics
of local interest discussed in the an
nual report of Brig Gen. Marshall,
chief Of engineers of the army. to the
Secretary Of War. made public today.
After giving a brief description OF the
existing water supply system. Gen.
Marshall says that its extreme limit
Of capacity at present Is 9O.O00.0O0 gal
Ions a day. or, making allowances for
sudden increases In consumption. safe
limit Of 65.O0O.0O0 gallons a day. AS
a result of recent investigations of the
system. Gen. Marshall says. it has been
found that there is no present necessity
for construction of new aqueduct,
provided the measures for prevention
of waste are completed as rapidly as
can be economically accomplished. Rec
concentrations are made for the compie-
ton of meters In private services. Tor
the metering within one year or all
government services, and for the I'M
mediate construction of the coagulat-
| for use Herewith. as previously rec
i commended.
Entire Supply Filtered.
The Washington filtration plant has
been in continuous operation through
out the year. and the entire water sup
ply of the city has been filtered Ihe
| bacteria have been reduced from an
average of $50 per cubuc centimeter
in the Mcmillan Park reservoir to an
average Of Il In the filtered water res
eryoir. The average turbidity has been
similarly reduced from - to part
! per million. The actual number OF
bacteria in the city water varied from
| $50 to . per cubic centimeter. while the
number in the river water ran from
| %. 900 to 3s The actual average re
| duction by months varied between 1914
and 81 per cent IN
| The work during the year consisted In
cleaning ard operating the filters: In an
| alyzing samples of water, from the sew
eraI reservoirs from each filter and from
| taps in various parts of the CITY, In OPP
Grating and keeping In repair tne p c,sri-
ing station; I'm doing the necessary cieIl-
cal work connected with the once, ano IN
conducting experiments with view 10
! determining the results OF dinerent rates
of filtration All work was done by oay
labor.
Quality Varied at Times.
The total quantity of water pumped TO
the filters during the year was .2,ASo.Io
million gallons. or an average Oh ol.i'
million gallons per day. During the year
246SS cubic yards of sand were washed
and q, 49, cubic yards were replaced In
the filters. While the quality Of the city
filtered water was excellent for the great.
er part of the year, there were several
periods when the number of bacteria
exceeded what is considered by experts
| to be the proper standard for uttered
water supply. The filtered water was
for a considerable period Of the time
This confirms the experience of the three
previous fiscal years and also the Judg-
ment Of the three experts as expressed In
their report. dated February IL, ivoi, 10
| the chairman Of the Senate committee on
| the District OF Columbia. The cost per
| million gallons filtered was $3:S8
In order that the city OF washington
may at all times be supplied with q
water that is unexceptional both in quail
| ity and appearance 1t Is recommended
| that works for preliminary coagulation
| be constructed, and estimates for this
| Improvement are submitted
Appropriations Total $27s,0O0.
Among the estimates submitted for the
| water supply system are the following:
\ For the operation of the filtration plant.
| $9J 600: for operation Of Washington aQue-
duct. S33,OE:; fop remoieling the George
town reservoir and constructing works for
| the preliminary treatment of Potomac wa
| ter by means of a cOasulant. $l3O.OOO. and
for an emergency fund. $4,000
| II is also recommended that an apprO-
priation of $4,000 be made for continuing
| the Improvement Of the grounds around
Mcmillan Park reservoir. Gem Marshall
| Gays that the ground of McMnMn Park
has no covering of soil and VIII not sup
port a growth Of either grass or shrubs.
| Ii will therefore be unsightly in appear
ance. he says. until 1t Is covered with soil
and the work OF parking has been COM
pleted.
In a chapter regarding the improvement
of the Potomac river at and near Wash
| ingtOn. 1t Is shown that the amount ex-
pended on the work Of the existing project
| to date is $2.75s.564. Of which $415.356 has
been applied to maintenance since March
3, 1890 The expenditure resulted in the
! dredging of q channel 10 feet deep and
$50 feet wide through the bar above Long
| bridge, in increasing the width OF the nat
| ural channel just below Long bridge by
10 TO 800 feet. and in deepening 1t to -
| feet in dredging channel 3J feet wide
and 20 feet deep through the bar IN the
Virginia channel near Giesboro point; In
dredging the Washington channel to
width Of 40 feet and depth of 20 feet;
| In dredging the tidal reservoir Q1l acreS
to a depth of about 8 feet; IN the con,
| bridge for the tidal reservoir; In the con-
struction of IS. $50 linear feet Of sea wall.
and In the building of $685. linear feet of
| training dixie.
Area Of Land Reclaimed.
The area of land reclaimed by these
operations Is 6cs acres Tor. including
| reservoir, 739 acresD. which. by act of
March 3, 1897, was declared to be a pub
lie park, under the name Of Potomac
Park"
The entire project 10 now about 30 per
! cent completed.
The maximum draft that could be
| carried June 30. 1909, at mean low water
| over the shoalest part of the Washing
| ton channel was twenty-one feet. For
the Virginia chanel 1t was eighteen feet.
| The mean range OF tide is about three
| feet.
The benefits to navigation from the i'm
provement made have been marked. Yes
| sells of much deeper draft than those
| formerly used are now engaged in this
| trade. and II IL understood that freight
rates have been materially reduced.
| 1t Is proposed to apply the funds on
| hand and the additional appropriation
recommended toward completion of the
| tidal gates. reconstruction of about TO-
100 linear feet of damaged sea wall.
dredging in the Washington channel and
| prosecution of the project.
The additional work proposed is for the
purpose of extension of benefits and for
the maintenance OF the Improvement in
q serviceable condition.