Evening star., 1928-11-18
WATER PRESSURE
BOOST IS FAVORED
Board of Trade Prohers Will
Urge Electric Pumping
System.

An increase Of the water pressure in
the present mains from an average of
IS pounds per square inch TO So pounds
by coupling electric pumps on mains
now fed by gravity, will be recon-
mended by the Board Of Trades sub
committee of its water supply commit
tee as a means Of improving the water
supply for fire protection in the down.
town business area of Washington, ac-
cordine to Asa E. Phillips, consulting
engineer and chairman of the sub
committee.
In outlining his plan to The Star
last night, Mr. Phillips made it clear
that the proposal, which will be made
in the form of a report to the Board Of
Trades permanent water supply COM
mittee, represented his own ideas and
we're not to be taken ~ this time as
having the approval Of the board.
Concerted Action Sought.
The purpose of making public find
ings of the subcommittee before the
Board Of Trade has had an opportunity
to act upon them, Mr. Phillips said,
was to afford other organizations and
individuals time 10 consider the PROJECT
simultaneously with the Board of
Trade. so that. if approved, it may be
presented to Congress at its coming
session.
According TO Mr.. Phillips, the terri
tDry now suffering from inadequate
F1~ Slsn S< hot
served by gravity from the reservoirs
under plan installed in 1856 Roughly,
that area lies south Of a ZigZag line
formed by Pennsylvania avenue, and
New York avenue northwest and Florida
avenue and Benning road northeast.
and between the Potomac River and
the AnacoStia River. Within this ter
ritory there are two islands" served
by water under pump pressure of the,
technically speaking. first high area"
These embrace the United States Naval
Museum of Hygiene adjoining Potomac
Park near the Lincoln Memorial. and
the higher ground at Capitol Hill ex-
tending eastward to Seventeenth street.
as far north as F street northeast and
as far south as G street southeast.
The gravity-fed area embraces all of
the city's downtown shopping and office
building district.
The proposal which Mr.. Phillips will
submit includes the installation of set
Of three 25.000,000-g gallon electrically
driven centrifugal lift pumps at the
Bryant street pumping plant, which
would force clear water from the Nc
MILAN Reservoir at First and Bryant
streets into the mains now installed.
The greatest pressure which the present
gravity flow system forces into the
pipes. Phillips declares, is go pounds per
square inch, while the minimum is 10
pounds, or an average pressure of IS
pounds. With the lift pumps operating
at Mcmillan Park. the Board of Trade
committeeman estimates the maximum
load would not exceed 100 pounds. while
the average pressure would be 86 pounds
to the square inch.
Claims Mains Can Stand Strain.
Commenting on the possibility of ex-
eeSsive strain on the mains, Mr.. Phillips
explains that they were installed after
withStanding a pressure of 800 pounds
to the square inch. leaving, in his es-
timation. full safety margin of more
than $50 pounds of pressure II the
pumps are built.
Since the higher pressure by lift
pumps would use the existing mains,
Mr.. Phillips believes the total cost Of
the project would not exceed 100000.
With the present daily requirement of
approximately 35,000,000 gallons of
water, the set of three pumps would be
adequate to meet the demand with twl
in continuous operation and the third
held as a reserve unit The upkeep of
the plant, he contends, should be neg
ligible, since an emergency staff already
is kept on duty at the Bryant street
station in event the new plant at Dale
carlia should break down. The same
staff, now idle, he says, could operate
the business district bumpers.
In event the proposed pumping syS-
tenn at the Bryant street station should
halt for any purpose, the area 1t serves
always could return for temporary
period to the present gravity feed.
The plan. Mr.. Phillips declared, would
provide not only increased water supply
at the downtown fire nydrants, but SUI
fcient pressure to operate efficiently the
sprinkling and standpipe systems OF pri-
vate end Government buildings within
the high value district. These systems
at present, he says, are dependent upon
pressure supplied by fire apparatus
bumpers.
In improved water supply and pres
sure for fire protection in the down
town area is, in Mr.. Phillips opinion,
the most important accomplishment re-
manning in the District of Columbia.
Previous proposals to bring the reilet
were not acceptable and i'll reviewing
them last night, he recalled the sugges-.
ton that a seperate high pressure
system of mains be installed IN the
downtown area with pumping statlon
constructed on the waterfront to force
river water throught the District at
high pressure.
Separate System Opposed.
The District appropriation approved
Nav 10, 1926, he recalls, carried an item
of $4,000 to cover the expenses OF a
committee in framing a report on TINS
proposal That committee, including
George S. Watson, chief of the District
Fire Department; Daniel E. Garges'
secretary of the Board of Comnlls-
sioners; George N. Thompson, secretary
of the building code committee OF the
Department of Commerce; Charles A.
Peters, jr., assistant engineer OF Public
Buildings and Public Parks of the Ma
tional Capital, and David M. Lea, chair
man of the insurance committee OF the
Board of Trade, returned its report
August 8, 1927. opposing the separate
high pressure plan. The Natlonal
Board of Fire Underwriters had reacned
o similar conclusion year earlier when
it considered the feasibility of sepa-
rate high pressure system for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
While it opposed the high pressure
system, however, the water supply COM
mittee, operating under congressional
appropriation. returned four recon-
mendations. The hrst of these cailed
for the installation of new mains and
certain requirements in the general
water distribution system. and the in
stallation of some 400 additional fire
hydrants throughout the District, a. q
total estimated cost OF S636,350. The
second recommendation called for the
inclusion in the Districts budget from
wear IN year of A sum sufficient TO per-