Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-13
PLANS TO REMODEL
Col. Langfitt's Scheme to I'm
prove Water System.
APPROVED BY GEN. BIXBY
Old Georgetown Receiving Reservoir
Becomes an Auxiliary.
NEW AUGMENTATION BASIN
Partial Qualification of Drinking
Fluid Before It Reaches the
Filtration Plant.
NEW AUGMENTATION BASIN


trict water supply system is to he made
during the coming spring and summer by
Col. I.ansfist, the engineer officer in
general charge of the system 1t involves
an extensive remodelng of the old
Georgetown receiving reservoir. located
at the intersection of the Conduit road
and Reservoir street about a mile and
4 quarter above Georgetown. The work
is designed as an essential auxiliary of
the project for the publication of the
|. water served to the residents of the Dis
trict by It's Qualification, so far as pos
sible, before it undergoes its final treat
, ment at the filtration plant, near the
Soldiers Homo grounds
Under the project as approved by Gen
BiXhy, chief of engineers. the water en-
terlnS the system at the Great Falls of
the Potomac will undergo coagulation by
the use of alumina sulphate (alum at
the preliminary treatment plant recently
established at the Dalecaria or receiv-
ing reservoir, at the District line, and
then will flow into scdmentation basin
to be constructed at the Georgetown res
ervoir.
The projected basin will be constructed
so that the mud which has settled out of
the water into the basin may be flushed
easily out of the basin by discharging the
contents of the basin through a suitable
upper or western section of the reservoir,
and the reservoir itself will be otherwise
rcmodeled to meet the required changes in
the system at that point.
Reservoir to Be Remodeled
Col. Langfitt has called for bids for re-
modelling the reservoir, to be opened at
his office April ; next. The specifica-
tons call for the excavation of 1890
| G. of al Cf yx-I,;c
, nearly one-half may be used in the con-
struction of an earth dam; a total fill of
22..'Co cubic yards, the laying of 100 lin
!, ear feet of forty-eisht-inch cast iron
pipe. and the use of AGO cubic yards of
mass concrete for the piers, walls,
foundations and paving in connection
!, with the outlet and the adjacent well for
the slulce gate and stand
1t is estimated that the entire project
will cost S13S.G1O. The sum of $4,000 is
available for the work through an appro-
priation made by Congress in March 1911
1t is expected that the additional $5sOCO
required will be appropriated during tn.
present session of Congress. Based OIL
that expectation, it is planned obegin
the work rs soon the weather will
permit and push 1t to completion before
the building season closes. The officers
who will have charge of the work say
that the reservoir will not be out of serv-
ice for more than one season, and that
by the of the existing hy-conduit
around the reservoir there Will be no m
terruption whatever in the service of
water to the city. The by-conduit con-
meets with the Washington tunnel at
point near the present outlet of the
Georgetown reservoir The tunnel crosses
the northern edge of the city and con-
meets with the Washington reservoir near
Howard University, which is part of the
filtration plant
! Used as Settling Basin.
/ During the progress of the work on the
Georgetown reservoir the Dalecaria
reservoir at the District line will be used
as a settling basin for the entire water
supply from Great Falls. The water will
be thoroughly filtered and purified at the
filtration plant. just is done under the !
existing arrangement.
| In a report to the War Department in |
| regard to the preliminary treatment of |
Potomac water before its admission to |
the filtration plant. the engineer officers |
in charge of the aqueduct system said:
| Experience. extending over many years
in a large number of American cities. has |
| shown that injurious sanitary effect |
need ever be feared from the use of a |
cOagulant applied to the water under |
reasonable constant chemical supervision, |
such as would be employed in this case. |
| The use of alum would be limited to the |
days-estimated to number thirty to sixty |
Il year-on which the water contained an |
| excessive amount of impurities. There
| would be no increase in its hardness, the |
| alum, would disappear chemically. and |
| the alumina, which may be regarded as |
the active principle of the coagulant, |
| would be entirely removed in the course |
| of publication. |
/ View OF the Experts.
THE city water should contain no more |
| of it than if the coagu,ation had never
been resorted to- That this method of |
| preliminary treatment of the water would |
| be necessary was the opinion of the eX- |
perts upon whose recommendation the |
| system of slow sand filtration was finally |
| adopted.
Experience since the first filtration |
plant was put in operation has shown |
| that Washington has been supplied with |
| good and wholesome water. 1t has also |
| shown that there is room for improve
ment in certain directions. The expert
| ments conducted in recent years h>ve
| shown that Washington at all times |
| be supplied with a water that is uneN- |
| ceptionab,e both in quality and in APP
| pearance.