Evening star., 1918-06-30


District Commissioners that an in
| creased water supply is imperatively
needed to meet the growing demands
| of the District on account of the
large increase in population and the
| operation of many new government
establishments incident to the war.
| They express the opinion that with
| the help of the officials in charge of
government establishments and of
| the people in conserving the supply
and avoiding all possible waste, the
! existing system will meet all reason
able requirements for the two or
three years that 1t will take to pro-
| vide an adequate additional supply.
Engineers Investigate Subject.
At the War Department it was
stated that Congress has not already
of the water supply system to meet
increased demands. chiefly because of
the desire of the administration to
settle first the question of the feas-
ibility of the use of the Potomac
river in this vicinity for the develop
ment of electric power for govern
ment and municipal uses.
By direction of the President. board
of engineers of which Brig. Gen. w. l..
Marshall, former chief of engineers OF
the Army, is chairman, was appointed
d few months ago to investigate that
subject thoroughly and report as to the
practicability of using the Great Falls
OF the Potomac for the development OF
the necessary power.
That board has had several meetings,
but will not be prepared to report its
conclusions for some time. Action has
been deferred, it is understood, to give
N. S. Thompson, electrical engineer of
the office of the supervising architect
of the Treasury, member of the board,
more time to develop his general plan
to impound the water Of the river above
Great Falls and carry it by canal over
the hills of the Virginia shore to tide
water at Chain Bridge, where a fall of
about $50 feet should supply a 125,00o
iliiowatt hour development. The cost
of that project has been estimated at
about 0,O0o,o 900.
Desire to Have Final Word.
AS it is desired that the report Of the
engineer board shall be the final word
on the subject of the feasibility of the
Potomac for the power development
deemed essential for practical purposes.
the members are moving deliberately in
their consideration of the general ques-
ton. 1t is not expected that they will be
ready to pass judgment during the pres
ent session of Congress.
The question of power development
of the Potomac naturally affects any
plan involving the use of the flow of
that river for increasSng the water
supply Of the District. Because of
that fact the Army engineers in
charge of the water system are not
now prepared to say what they con-
slider the best means of extending the
system. Comparatively little time is
required to study the subject of avail
able sources of supply, as a mass of
data has been accumulated on that
point through careful surveys made
in recent years. What are regarded
as standard records on the gubject are
contained in the report made by the
Langfitt board of engineers in 1913,
and the report of Maj. J. j. Morrow
in 1909. All possible sources of sup
ply were considered in those reports,
including even the use of Rock creek
but only three plans received serious
consideration.
Details Of Projects.
One of these plans calls for building
a new aqueduct from Great Falls to
the filtration plant at Mcmillan Park,
similar to the present system but on