Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-04-16
ACUTE SITUATION DEVELOPED
IN GREAT FALLS WATER SYSTEM
Inspection Shows People of Washington
Depending Upon Unsafe Sixty-Year-
Old Brick Conduit

CITY. AFTER being delivered by the con-
dult into Dalecarlia reservoir. is con-
Veyed to Georgetown reservoir and
thence by tunnel under the city to the
filtration plant at Mcmillan Park
If the Tyler plan is put through
the present system of conveying
water through the Georgetown reser-
voir to the filtration plant will be
continued. with the exception of the
water that is filtered at Dalecarlia
which will be sent direct to the pro-
posed distribution reservoir back of
the bureau of standards and to Reno
reservoir.
Excess May BE Utilized.
Because the new conduit. operating
in conjunction with the existing one.
will deliver more water than will be
required for several years, it is pro-
posed to utilize the excess supply in
generating power for the operation
of the pumping station and filtration
plant TO be built on the Daleca ria
reservation. This will produce a saw
ing, it Is estimated. sufficient to pay
interest on the investment Inasmuch
as II will relieve the pumping station
at 1st and Claiming streets of the
necessity of filling the Brightwood
and Reno reservoirs, considera ble
coal saving to that institution also
is expected to result.
DaiecarHa was our first stop on the
way to the falls. Maj. Tyler went over
the site of the proposed filtration
plant. 1T is on the summit of the
wooded hill east of the reservoir, and
may be seen from Conduit road
AT Cabin John he pointed out the
plan that will be followed in getting
the conduit across. the creek. The
present tunnel runs through Cabin
~ h,,t ~,
wide enough to carry an additional
CONDUIT. So 1t has been decided to
get the new line across Cabin John
creek by means of an inverted syphon
which will be constructed alongside
the bridge.
The problem of connecting the con-
dult with the river at Great Falls
presents no engineering difficulties
1T viii be necessary to tunnel under
the Chesapeake and Ohio canal. The
present dam at Great Falls is con-
sidered sufficient for the purpose of
new conduit. so that the cost of
construction at the intake will be com
paratively small.
lnasmuch as the government now
owns land paralleling the conduit all
the way from Great Falls to Dale
carlia- 1t has ready right-of-way
for a new line. which is a big factor
in the plans of the Army engineers to
get the work under way the minute
Congress sanctions it.
Maj. Tyler proposes to build a con-
crete conduit, with diameter Of nine
feet-which is the diameter of the
present tunnel AS soon as the new
line can be put in operation. the old
one will be repaired and used as an
auxiliary
Although he is charged with the re-
sponsibility of delivering water to the
District mains for distribution, Mai.
Tyler has never been through the con-
duit and does not know the condition
of its interior. He can only conjecture
as to how it is standing up under the
strain of conveying an average of
65,000,000 gallons of water daily, when
it was intended. back in 1860 to deliver
but 55.000.O00 gallons. AS the conduit
cannot be closed down long enough for
adequate inspection and repairs. the Dis
trict engineer office is holding itself in
readiness to act on a moments notice
of a break in the line. 1t has built
wooden fumes and made other antici-
patory arrangements for such a con-
tingency.