Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13
NEW WATER PLANT
| TO OPEN IN June
Most Modern System Pos
sibIe to Supply District From
DaIecarIia Structure.

turn on faucets in their homes after
next June they will get supply Of
water unexcelled in purity and II
such amounts as they care to take
without fear of a shortage. At that
time the new filtration plant and ad
ditional water supply system will be
put in commission, marking the Ma
tional Capital as having the most
modern plant that science and en-
gfnecring have been able to provide
as an insurance against diseases
which come from impure water. The
new plant and the old one, the latter
in some places now being rebuilt
will furnish a supply with margin
of safety that will not be wiped out
until about the year 1000, so far as
the experts are able to forecast the
population increases of the National
Capital and the metropolitan districts.
The present filtration plant at Nc
MILAN Park, just south of the
Soldiers Home. will still be kept in
commission, but its supply will go
largely to the gravity-supplied area
in the business district and a small
strip of territory Immediately ada
cent. The new supply, to come
through the new filter plant, will go
for the most part to the residential
districts and to Arlington County,
which has made plans already to cut
in on the new line at the Chain
Bridge.
Tests to BE Frequent.
Tests Of the water will be made
almost every hour as it flows in and
c., 1t the filters at the new plant,
paw nearing completion at Conduit
road and the District line, and corps
az chemists will see that 1t Is pure
wfren it enters the distributing
reser.cir, under the parking sur
rounding the buildings Of the new
plant. Not only will its purity be
watched at the plant, but frequent
tests will be made as II comes from
the taps in the consuming areas to
ascertain that 1t gathers no baclli on
its run from the new plant.
The new plant will be able to supply
from $4,000 900 to 100,000,OOO gallons
of filtered water daily. while the COM
hined output of the two plants VIII
be in the neighborhood of $4,000, 900
gallons. the need for all Of which. it
has been figured. will not become a
reality until the year 1895.
The new concrete conduit, lying
alongside the old one, was completed
some time ago, and has been in use
for several months, while the old one
has been drained and is being re-
paired They are cross-connected, in
sections, so that any section may be
cut out for repairs and the remaining
portion used or if a section in each
should fail at the same time, then
the water can be raced around the
breaks.
Tower Contains Tanks.
The modern features of the Ultra.
ton plant at Conduit road and the
District line are in the immense
brick building below the Dalecarlia
reservoir. There. too, will be located
the Offices of the water works and
the chemical laboratories where the
water tests will be constantly made.
The great tower erected on the build
ing is for utility purposes, and not
for architectural decorations. In 1t
are to be located great tanks which
will contain the chlorine and sirup of
alum, the former for publication and
bacilH killing, and the latter for CO.
agulating purposes.
AS the water flows from the Dale
carlia receiving reservoir into which
the two great conduits will dump their
supply, 1t will pass under this tower.
receiving, as it passed, the purifying
materials. The water then passes
into the mixing basins, which are
nothing more than battle plates to
stir it up as it passes through and to
mix the publication materials. Mixed
here, it flows into either of the two
coagulatinS basins to the east Of the
building. 1t is here that the alum
does it's work. AS the water passes
slowly through the basins, remaining
in them from three to six hours, the
alum gathers the dirt or suspended
matter, forming it into jelly, causing
it to drop to the bottom of the basins.
incidentally, 1t might be stated here
that the materials for treating the
water will be mixed at the plant.
After leaving the coagulating basins,
the water passes again to the building
into 20 great filters there, drain
ing through the deep layers of sand
and gravel, which remove any sus-
pended matter that might remain and
then to the covered distributing reser-
yoir. From this point electric-driven
pumps will drive it to the high alti-
tudes of the first, second, third and
fourth high reservoirs, three Of which
have been completed and the latter
of which is yet to be built from funds
which are to be provided in an appro-
priation bill now pending.
Filters Under Flooring.
The great filters are under the
flooring of large white, pillared
room in the rear of the building. In
these filters, too, will be found a new
feature. The filters will be cleaned
daily instead Of every three months,
and will be cleaned automatically. To
clean the new filters, all that will be
necessary is TO send a flow of water
under pressure back through the
sand and gravel which will take all
the mud from the top, and this water
will be dispatched by pipe lines direct
to the river nearby. In the old plant
it is necessary to drain each filter
men with shovels cleaning off the top
layer into hoppers which lead to pipe
lines, which, IN turn, go to the clean
Ing basins where the sand is separated
from the mud, the former used over
again.
Everything in the new plant re-
fleets a pure atmosphere, the interior
being constructed of thing and white
stone, which even goes as far as the
fnotor-driven pump room, where six
xtYat pumps are provided, two for
each line, so that in the event one
fails there will be another to take
It's place.
The electric power to be used in
driving the motors will be furnished
from wateruriven turbines located
on the edge of the river, but con-
trolled from the switchboard room in
the main building This plant, will
contain two 1.500.kilowatt turbines
and generators. The surplus water
brought down from Great Falls will