Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-21
Suburban Problem of interest
to District Officials.
INVOLVES NEARBY TOWNS
Connection With District Mains
Planned Under General System.
Their Construction by Suburban
Communities Would Defeat Plan
to Keep River Unpolluted.

one of the biggest questions in sewer
engineering affecting the District will be
taken up and discussed within few
days by a board composed of Asa E.
Phillips. superintendent OF sewers; E. H.
Thomas. corporation counsel, and DR.. w
c. Woodward, health officer. The matter
is closely related to the hard problem OF
keeping pure and clean the waters Of the
Potomac. Rock creek and the Anacostia
river. and could we'll be considered the
first steps in the big metropolitan sewer
system" which had it's conception in the
brain Of Mr.. Phillips.
Just at present the Districts engineers
are wrestling with the problem to do
with the drainage and sewerage from
the Chevy Chase section Of Maryland and
the towns which lie near the little
stream known as Little Falls branch. II
the entire section of the country drained
by the three main streams, the Potomac,
Rock creek and Anacosta river could be
treated at once. and the big metropoli-
tan system could be installed in all its
details simultaneously, every town with
In radius OF perhaps thirty miles of
the capital would get it's fine sewer serv-
Ice. the whole to be connected up with
the present District service, and with
enormous additions to the present serv-
ice. which are all a part of Mr. Phillips
comprehensive scheme.
Sewer Now on Paper.
For the benefit Of the towns in the
Chevy Chase and Little Falls Branch
district there is projected and now on
paper big pipe running from the re-
ceiving rese. voir along the Potomac
river to the sewage pumping station near
the navy yard. When the day comes
when the District Is ready to connect
up with the big Maryland section the
Chevy Chase and Little Falls district
sewerage will be taken into that pro-
posed pipe The technical name Tor a
pipe OF that SOFT Is 'tnterceptor.' 1t in
tercepts the sewage and Aeeps it from
Draining into a clear stream.
There Is already big inte. ceptor which
runs along Rock Greek and which Is
large enough tor the towns in the area
which that stream drains out in Ma y
land. The Rock Creek interceptor runs
along the creek through Rock Creek Pack
and is ready to be connected at almost
any time.
seve. al meetings of property owners in
Bethesda district nave recently been held
in Chevy Chase to discuss q sewerage
system for that section OF Montgomery
county. The plan meeting at present
with greatest favor contemplates secur-
ing by condemnation proceedings right
Of way for q sewer from Chevy Chase
down the Little Falls branch to the PO-
tomac river, with q branch line as far
north as Wo0dmont. Estimates Of the
cost OF such a project are under con-
sideration.
Denied Separate Sewers.
According to the District engineers who
are working on the problem, the residents
Of Maryland cannot expect to have Q sep
arate sewer system built to run through
the Distric. at any point unless the
metropolitan scheme is taken into consid-
Grafton. If every small town in Maryland
in the area which the Districts three
streams drain were to have a sewer sys-
tenn entirely out Of harmony with the big
plan, when the time came for the big
system to he worked out, the engineers
say they would have q Joseph's coat Of
many colors instead of a carefully plan
ned and thoroughly digested engineering
result
For that reason the residents Of Mary
land who ask that sewers be cut here and
there will be told that the work is pro-
crossing just as fast as human ingenuity,
backed by the appropriations from Con-
gress, will permit.