Evening star., 1925-09-17
BIC BATHING POOLS
PLANNED FOR CITY
Sheriff. Proposes Two to Ac-
commodate 5000 Persons
Each Next Summer.

Designs for two large circular bath
ing pools for the use of Washington S
population next Summer are being
rection of Lieut.. Col. Clarence o. Sher-
rill, director of the Office of public
buildings and public parks of the Ma
tional Capital. One of the principal
features of these pools, which will
have sand beaches around the edge,
instead of concrete coping usual to
such artificial pools, will be that they
will be so arranged as to use either
river or city water.
These plans and designs, together
with the proposal for the breakwater
type of bathing beaches on the Poto.
mac and Anacostia Rivers, will be
submitted to Congress, together with
figures showing so far as it is possible
to do so in advance the cost of build
ing and maintaining each. 1t will be
up to Congress to decide the location
and type.
Cost Not Determined.
1t cannot be ascertained at this
time just how much such pools will
cost, because the matter of location
will have something to do with this,
and Col. Sheriff. Is not prepared to
make a selection at this time. How
ever, 1t Is believed that they can be
constructed at a minimum expense,
and that once constructed the cost
of purifying the water by chlorina-
tion will be cheaper than If break
water pools are constructed in the
river proper.
1t is planned to have the pools of
such a size that they would accom-
from 1000 to 5000 bathers at
a time. The maximum would be al
lowed in at one time, but for a linn
tied period, when they would be re-
quired to come out and others al
lowed to bath, so that the pool could
be used by three or four such groups
in a day.
river would permit of the use of river
water. and pipes would be connected
so that they could also be filled with
water from the city's water system.
Col. Sheriff. said that it would not be
desirable to have pumps to pump the
same water around a purifying sys-
tenn, but that a pump could be used
to bring in the river water. The pool
could first be filled with the purified
city water. and kept pure by pump
ing in river water, or, in case Of ne
CCSSllys luC lltSI WdlSI US
pumped in direct should it not be de-
sirable to drain the cftys system
when heavy demands might be made
on it for various purposes.
Plans for Purity.
To keep the water in the pool at
the height of purity when bathers
are in it, it is planned to have a
small float continuously going around
spraying chlorine in the water. 1t is
believed that the use of city water
will be practicable now, in view of
the fact that the new conduit will
soon be placed in use.
The suggestion has been made that
breakwaters be constructed in the
river proper for bathing purposes.
These would have small openings
from the river. While they would be
protected from the direct current,
water would flood into them on each
rise of the tide. At such periods
chlorinating boats could cruise back
and forth across the entrance and
purify the water, and also during
the time of bathing, to insure it's
purity. The expense of chlorinating
under such conditions would, of
course, it was pointed out, cost
more than chlorinating in the pro-
posed bathing pools, which would be
made by impounding either city or
river water.