Evening star., 1919-10-15
USE OF WATERHERE
VASTLY INCREASES
Grows 100000 Gallons a
Day in Year, Supt. Gar
=
lands Report Shows.
MUCH WASTE, LEAKAGE

An increase of 100000 gallons a
day in the consumption of water in
the District during the last fiscal year
is shown in the annual report of ]. S.
Garland, superintendent Of the water
department, submitted to the Commits
sioners today.
In statement accompanying the re-
port. Paul Lanham. in charge Of water
survey, y asserts that leakage and
waste of water is increasing rapidly,
and that the present high consump-
tion is not due entirely to the grow
ing population of the city.
Would Combat Leakage.
Mr.. Lanham recommends that "a
schedule Of wages be adopted at once
to permit the securing and retention
of capable water waste engineers to
carry out an intensive drive against
leakage and wasteful practices"
To show how the water supply could
be conserved by such a drive Mr..
Lenham cites the fact that during the
last year total underground leakage
of 100000 gallons a day was found
amount of underground leakage de-
tected during the previous fiscal year
Mr.. Garland again recommends to
the Commissioners that an effort be
made to have the United States and
District governments pay for all the
water they use.
e4,42s,35e Gallons Daily.
His report reads. in part. as fol-
lows:
1.-The mean daily consumption for
the year was s4.42s.36e gallons, while
for the year ended June 80, 1918, it
was 59.606.s70 gallons. showing an
increase Of practically 100000 gall
Ions per day for this year.
TN my report for last year a method
was outlined for an equitable arrange
ment for payment for water used and
to prevent its waste by government
end District departments by charging
said departments for all water used.
Evidently this idea was not accepta-
BILE to Congress. When, however, it is
brought to the attention of Congress
that only so per cent Of the water
used in the District is paid for 1t would
appear to the fair-minded that Con-
gress would Aot allow such state of
affairs to exist and would insist upon
a plan whereby every one who used
l.,
when 1t appears. from the best
sources available, that the relative
amounts invested in the construction
Of the water distribution system Of
the District of Columbia are as fol-
lows:
ment, 1851 .009.10: paid by the Dis
trict government. So. 3.6o1, ,264.30: paid
by the water department, $9,23021156:
total, S20.392. .4S496.
Asks Equitable Plan.
1.-THE above statement shows that the
United states is not the largest con-
tributor to the construction end of the
water system. and when it is further
shown that Congress has appropriated
from water department funds during the
years 1917. 1918 and 1919 the sum of
S537, 500 for the upkeep of the aqueduct
and filtration plants, thereby taking this
sum which was absolutely necessary for
extension of trunk mains for our second
and third high services, it will or should
see that a more equitable arrangement
is made for payment for water used by
both the United States and District gov
ernments. i am of the opinion that
every one who has to pay for water
viii take more interest in looking into
the preventing its waste"
Owing to the high cost of meters and
la Dor, Mr.. Garland reports that little
progress was made during the last fis-
cal year on the task of installing meters
In homes.
Discusses Waste.
Discussing the possibility of re-
ducing the city's consumption of wa
ter by a more rigid campaign against
leakage. Mr.. Lanham, in his section
of the report, says: Millions of gal
Ions daily can be saved by proper pre-
ventive measures which the depart
ment has the power to inaugurate at
once. One million one hundred and
sixty thousand gallons daily under
ground leakage was detected and
stopped by. this division during the
past year annd;i,p IN spite Of the most inefi-
5000 gNllons daily per mile Of main
saryeyeds, Hs,es,sG fGepressnts what was found
Thousands of gallons leakage per
day was stopped merely by the most
supernciaI examinations in sections
which could not be given close
scrutiny. The total leakage found
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