Evening star., 1925-05-17
NEW CONDUIT USE
BY FALL PLANNED
Elaborate System to Provide
Capital With Water
Being Rushed.


the whole system this week, revealed,
but the conduit itself from Great
Falls to Dalecaria will he completed
during the Summer months and it
will be placed in use Immediately so
that thorough inspection may be
made of the old conduit which has
done service for more than half a
century.
All that remains to be done to COM
plete this waterway 10 the present
Dalecarlia reservoir at the District
line is to finish the $500 foot tunnel
through the rock from the inlet gates
al Great Falls to the point where it
connects with the concrete conduit.
Practically all of the blasting of the
new tunnel is completed and the ce-
ment lining now is being put in. When
this work is completed, the water line
will be ready for service.
Reservoirs Ready in Fall.
The new liberation plant at Dalecar-
la and the two distributing reservoirs
al various attitudes will have to he
completed and the various connecting
pipe lines laid before the entire plant
will be ready. This will be about two
years, although the two high altitude
reservoirs will be completed in the
Fall.
The work is being done under the
direction of Maj. James O'Connor,
United States Army engineer officer
in charge of this district, and under
the general supervision of E D
Hardy. With Mr.. Hardy a representa-
tive of The Star made an inspection
trip of the entire project during the
week from the two high reservoirs in
Georgetown to the intake tunnel at the
dam at Great Falls. The great engi-
neering work behind the whole project
is impressive. and those who turn on
their spigots in their homes to draw
water for various purposes little real
1ze the work of the engineers and the
corps of experts or even the gigantic
plant involved in getting that water to
them. 1t covers a vast territory.
Water Tested Daily.
First an examination was made of
the present filtration plant at McMil-
Ian Park, adjoining Soldiers Home
where one of the great filters We're eX-
amlned. Here each day chemists take
samples of the water and give it a
thorough test to assure a pure supply
With the new plant in operation
once the water reaches Dalecarlia and
passes through the great filters now
being erected there, it will not be eX-
posed to the open air again until it
runs out of the spigots and hydrants
IN various parts of the city, for all of
the new retaining reservoirs are being
covered over with concrete. and the
whole will be topped by a layer of
earth and sod, giving a pleasing park
effect
After visiting the present plant the
party went to the first high reservoir
located on Ridge Road and Randolph
street. A deep hole has been excavat-
ed there. and the contractors already
have finished much of the walling ami
concrete flooring, and soon will be
ready to mold the concrete roof. While
this project will be completed in the
fall, it viii be several years before it
Is actually placed in use because The
connecting pipe lines have not been
laid. However, the contract for the
line to this reservoir has been let. and
the contractors are now at Dalecarlia
making the concrete pipe.
Line Follows Roadway.
This line will follow the south side
or Conduit road from DalecarIia to
Reservoir street to Ridge road to the
reservoir. In this project concrete
pipe Will be used for the first time in
the c1ty's water system, and engineers
believe that it will be much more serv-
1ceabIe than the old cast iron pipe
Ihe manufacture of these sections of
PiPe oIl the scene or the project is an
interesting operation. The first high
reservoir, which will be fed by n 49,
amen pipe line will have a capacity of
l5.oOO,O0O gallons. When completed
thlS and the second high reservoir will
cost about $500, 900 each.
The second high reservoir is located
at what will be Forty-fou-th and War
ren streets. just west of Wisconsin
avenue. Rapid progress is being made
on tnls project also, and it will be COM
Pieteu. IL Is estimated now, by Fall.
1t will be gigantic concrete water
contalner continuous stream of
concrete is kept pouring into tho
HloIds and rapidly shaped up by the
Dalecarlia Plant Studied.
After visiting this reservoir tho
party, plIoted now by c. Z. Swift in
ulrect charge of the two reservoir pro
JeIts; went 10 the Dalecarlia plant,
ritory on the south side of the road
on the north side of Conduit road at
TINS point is the Dalecarlia reservoir
an open lake, now used in connection
with the Washington water svstem
En- route visit was paid to the
tunnel operation at Upton street and
Arizona avenue, where workmen are
drilling through the rock there To
complete the line to the Brightwood
reservoir.
Inc concrete base for the stora ee
reservoir at Dalecarlia is in place, and
the %orkmen now are engaged in
placing the roof and large supDortinp
pillars. Into this the water will flow
after 1t passes through the 20 gigantic
hlters which are being erected. Here
gigantic tower. 200 feet high is
used in the operations of pouring the
concrete into various parts of the
operation. The filtered water recep-
ton basin is located nearest the road.
and behind it will be located the
filters, and off to the east will be the
two coagulating basins where the
water will flow after passing through
the tower where the filtering chemicals
Will be added. To the west of the
whole will be located the gigantic
motor-driven pumps, which will drive
the water to the various parts of the
city and the reservoirs.
Appearance VIII Please.
When this project is completed it
will present a most pleasing appear
ance. The filter water reservoir will
be covered with grass, and the other
parts of the plant, with the exception
of the coagulating basins, will be COW
cred with an attractive building, with
a large tower in the center This
tower Will have an ornamental as well
as a utilitarian effect because it is
here that the water will have added
the purifying chemicals
One of the most interesting parts of
the whole project is the tunnel
through solid rock at the inlet gates
1t Great Falls. The rock was blasted
Far the entire length of the tlppaI