Evening star., 1924-04-22
$500, 900 FOR WATER.
Budget Figures Met on Fund for
New Conduit Work.

For continuing the project of pro-
viding an additional supply of water
for the District of Columbia a fur
ther appropriation of 100000 is rec
commended in the bill, which accords
with the budget estimate. This prof.
ect was authorized in the Army ap-
preparation act for the fiscal year
1922. Originally it was estimated
that 1t would cost $685. 900. A re-
study and falling prices placed the
ized cost at ss,73S,0O0. The latest to-
tai estimated cost is s9.169,000. The
increase Of sf31 900 is ascrfbed by the
chief of engineers as due largely TO
the advance in prices of construction
materials" and this bill establishes
this latest figure as the authorized
cost of the project.
There has been appropriated to date
on account of the work $4,000, 900,
and authority has been granted to in
cur obligations to the extent of ST.
$4,000 in excess OF appropriations
already made. Upon the recommend
alton of the engineer officer in charge
OF the Work the committee is propoS-
ing that contracts may be entered
into up to total of sS,900,000, to-
ward the satisfaction of which S3.-
100000 has been made available and
sSoo.0UO additional is proposed to be
made available in the bill This is
looking to the completion of the
project by July 1, 1927. and means
that it will be necessary to provide
an appropriation next year. probably
upward of s3,000,000. and the re-
mainder, between 1,669, 600 and 81
10000. for the fiscal year 1927. 1t
was testified that the work could be
completed by January ], 1927, if a
larger amount Of cash were made
available, thus making il practicable
for contractors to proceed with more
dispatch.
The present supply of water is 20
100000 gallons per day the committee
reported The new system will supply
So,o00,000 gallons per day additional.
This will he accomplished by (. new
aqueduct running nearly parallel to the
present one from Great Falls 20 the
Daiccarlia reservoir, which straddleS the
District line. At or in the immediate
vicinity Of this point additional water
supply works are to be built which viii
be used for purifying and supplying
water to all the high areas within the
District of Columbia where pumping is
required TO lift the water TO the required
elevation. These include a rapid sand
filtration plant pumping station and
hydro electric plant The project also
includes two new reservoirs one to be
located between the Dalecarlia reservoir
and the bureau Of standards and one a
short distance to the eastward OF the
Georgetown reservoir. which lies along
side OF the Conduit road short distance
out from Georgetown. The old filtration
plant and Mcmillan. Park reservoir will
then be available solely for supplying
the areas now served by gravity, and
which consume, at the present time,
about half Of the present supply.
1T should be understood. however
that the new supply can be diverted
wholly or partly either to the present
system of distribution or to the high
areas exclusively. II cannot. however, as
at present projected, be delivered tc the
gravity y-supplied areas through the high
areas In this respect the project is de-
ficient, because if any serious break
should occur in the main conveying
water to the Mcmillan Park filtration