Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-03-29
Sheriff. TACKLES
ACUTE PROBLEM Of
BATHING BEACHES
Considers Substitute for
Tidal Basin, Closed by
Congress Action.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
ARE SEVERELY Affected
Men and BOYS to Chance Polluted
Waters of River During
Hot Months.

Washington's outdoor bathing prob
lem. made acute by the determina ton
81 Congress to stop bathing In the
Tidal ia sin. is beinS carefully studied
nv col. {. .. Sheriff.. superintendent
al public buildings and grounds, and
officials of the District government
with a view to recommendations 10
Congress.
PROPOSALS under consideration look
TO:
L. The use of the Potomac River
or parts of it. for bathing purposes
after steps have been taken to min
imize pollution of the river.
.. The construction OF bathing
:beaches" and smaller pools. which
will be filled with filtered water and
further purified by the use of chemi-
Gals.
Appropriations Needed.
The adoption of any or all of these
PROPOSALS would require appropria-
tions by Congress and could only De
carried into effect in the future. The
construction and use of beaches and
pools in which filtered water would
he used would not be possible OF
fulfillment, it is pointed out by Col
Sheriff. and officials of the Water
Department of the District, until af-
ter the completion of the work now
under way for an additional water
supply for the capital. This addt-
tfonaI water supply will not be fully
available, 1t is said, until 1927.
The city, however, faces the comm
!. Summer months with no bathing
facilities for the people except the
small municipal pools near the Wash
ington Monument and small pools at
the Central High School and some of
the Fairgrounds. At the tidal basin,
the number of bathers ran 1000 or
5000 a day, and sometimes as high
as IL, 900. Many of these bathers will
seek the pools already constructed
and many others will go to the river
itself. Those who go to the river
face the danger of drawing and Of
contracting disease from the polluted
waters.
Guards Are Suggested.
Steps should be taken, 1t is urged
In some quarters, to provide at least
a few guards at stated places along
the river shore, and some place in
which bathers could leave their cloth
ing in safety while they are bathing.
This could be done to meet In meas
ure the immediate needs, IL is said,
while the plans for permanent de-
velopment are being worked out.
In the opinion. of Col. Sheriff. one
of the most important steps that
could be undertaken would be a sur
rey of the Potomac River to deter
mine how the pollution of its waters
could be so minimiZed as to make
bathing in the stream safe so far as
infection is concerned. A survey should
be undertaken by the Government
engineers with this idea in view, he
said yesterday, that would cover the
Potomac Valley for a great part of
its length The adoption of a compre-
hensive plan to prevent pollution, he
pointed out, would be of great value
ton, but also to other people who live
along the river.
Finds Water Dangerous
Col Sheriff. said that as a result OF
his Investigations so far made, he
had become convinced that the waters
of the Potomac anywhere along the
Washington water front and running
up TO Chain Bridge were dangerous
to health is used for bathing and
swimming. At the time the District
appropriation law for the fiscal year
1926 was under consideration during
the last session of Congress, and the
items for the bathing beaches In the
Tidal Basin were stricken out, the
Senate appropria tons committee. de-
termined to request Col. Sheriff. to
submit recomme to it for con-
sideratlon at the next session of Con-
gress rocking to the establishment OF
bathing facilities for the people here
Col. Sheriff. has about determine ed
to recommend the establishment OF
bathing beaches" TO be located in
two or three parts of the city, which
VIII be large enough to accommodate
the bathers and which will be filled
with filtered water and purified by
the use of chlorine. He calls then
beaches instead of pools, because il
Is his pan to have the wading anc
swimming surfaces surrounded BY
sand beaches, where the bathers may
rest, and where sun umbrellas may b,
set up. In fact, they are to be as Xix.
the bathing beaches bordering tn,
ocean and the lakes as possible. Dur.
ing the recess, Col. Sheriff. plans t
frame estimates for such fathinl
beaches for submission to the Bulge
Bureau in preparation for the nex
Congress.
Cost Would he Heavy.
The construction OF such beaches
with the necessary lighthouses and othel
equipment, would cost a considerable,
sum, Col. Sheriff. admits. But he be
lieves that Congress is in earnest in 1t.
desire to provide adequate and SAT,
bathing facilities for the people of tn,
District, and would give the plans care
full consideration. Senator Phipps o
Colorado chairman of the Subcommittee,
which handles the District appropria
ton bills made it clear before he lef
here few weeks ago that he was mos
DESTROYS of providing bathing beache!
TO take the place OF those eliminated
from the Tidal Basin.
With the additional water supply
of the District available in 1927, i
will be possible to fill such beaches
il is said, and to keep them clean
There will be time enough to get tn,
Legislation through Congress and Il
do the work of construction reces
sary by the Summer of 1927.
The District now owns two larg,
concrete basins, both or one of which
might be utilized for such bathine
beach as described by Col. Sheriff.
They constitute the BrightwooI Res.
erVoir, on Sixteenth street. This res
ervoir will no longer be needed, anc
in fact will not be, available for usf
nr pa