Evening star., 1925-09-04
POTOMAC FILTHY,
UNFIT FOR BATHING,
SAYS i. S. REPORT
Typhoid, Cholera and Other
Dreaded Germs Found
to Infest River.
GETS SEWAGE FROM D. c..
MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA
Results of Tests Kill ANY Chance
Of Creating Beach Under
Present Conditions.

The Potomac River is little better
than a great uncovered sewer which
receives the daily refuse and pollu-
tion not only from the entire District
of Columbia but from parts OF Mary
land and Virginia as we'll
1t is literally alive with the dread
germs of sewage borne diseases
typhoid fever, paratyphoid, cholera
and other violent intestinal infec-
tions-and would be a menace TO
public health if used for bathing pur-
poses.
This is the gist of a formal report
prepared by the United States Public
Health Service, which, in co-opera-
ton with the District Health Depart
ment, has just completed an exhaus-
tive study of the Potomac River to
determine whether or not ii would
be safe to provide Washington with
a bathing beach along its shores.
Not Fit for Bathing.
In blunt language the chemists and
sanitarians who made the analyses
have declared that at no point from
far above Great Falls to miles below
the mouth of the Anacostia River
does the Potomac anywhere nearly
approach the sanitary conditions
necessary for protection of health
and public safety.
This, in the opinion of expert SAM.
tarians and medical men, definitely
removes the possibility of making a
bathing beach along the Potomac in
the near future. 1t is regarded as
putting squarely up to Congress the
necessity for finding elsewhere a sub
stitute for the Tidal Basin bathing
beach. which was abandoned early
last Spring
In view of the fact that the Public
Health Service experts, in the same
report, pronounced the waters of the
Anacostia River and Rock Creek even
more deadly, and that they found
every siZable stream emptying into
the Potomac polluted, this is admitted
to present a difficult problem, but one
that must be solved at the coming
session.
Safe Beach Demanded.
Through one of the hottest spells of
record, Washington sweltered early
this Summer without a single safe
place, outside of few pools, where 1t
might cool off. Thousands of wilted
persons took a chance in the polluted
streams Many were drowned; how
many more were made i'll is not
known. But the authorities have pro-
tested another Summer must not pass
without the creation of a safe bathing
beach here.
The report of the Public Health
Service experts occupies so typewrit-
ten pages. The survey was made
during July. Specimens of water
were obtained from hundreds of
places on both the Washington and
Virginia side, between some distance
above Great Falls and some dis ance
below the conjunction of the Potomac
and Anacostia-
1t shows that whereas sanitarians
everywhere have agreed that not more
than 10 per cent of the samples Of
water taken over considerable pc
riod shall contain more than 100 bae-
terra per cubic centimeter, some sam
pies from the Potomac River disclose
95 900 bacteria per cubic centimeter.
Few showed as low as 700 bacteria,
| and none below that number.
No Part Clean.
At the very outset the report says:
During the latter part of July,
1925, no section of that part of the
Potomac River which forms the west
ern boundary of the District of Co
lumbia could be considered free
enough from pollution with sewage to
permit its use for bathing without q
potential danger to such bathers OF
This period was one of about aver
age Summer conditions and the pollu-
ton at this time was about that which
may be expected to exist at lea st some
time during the bathing season of any
year in the river as it flows past the
District.
These statements are based upon
the results of meteorological examina-
tions of the water in this section of
the river and upon conditions observed
in other areas bordering the river both
in this section and for a few miles
above it, together with a study OF
records OF various sorts covering sew
eral years past.
"A brief description of this section
of the river and of that Immediately
above it, together with statement OF
the possible sources of sewage con
tamination is necessary that one may
| fully understand the method of ar
irving at the above conclusions which
are derived from the data presented in
! the following pages.
Outlet for Sewage.
"The Potomac River above Great
| Falls has received the sewage of many
cities in Virginia and Maryland. Be
tween Great Falls and Chain Bridge,
there is a large, rapidly growing su-
| burban district considerable portions
of which are served by local sewers
which discharge either directly into
| the river or into small tributaries of
the river.
"In some of the latter the sewage
may accumulate during dry weather
and remain more or less ponded until
| flushed out into the river by the nat
ural rainfall discharge of the streams.
This fact probably accounts for some
of the periods of high pollution, last
| ing only short time, that are noted
subsequently, as occurring in the river.
Two thousand feet above Chain
! Bridge a sanitary sewer discharges
from the Maryland side. Between
Chain Bridge and Key Bridge three
small domestic sewers discharge from
the District of Columbia. The sewage
from one of these is ponded at the out
fall A small unsewered area on the
District side, together with a large
unsewered area on the Virginia side,
drains into this section of the river
ION the Virginia side there are a
| few small sewers that discharge into
tributaries that flow quickly into the
river. Between 1900 and 1000 per.
sons on the District side and a some