Evening star., 1928-12-03
SS,658,S79 SPENT
ON WATER SYSTEM
Virtual Completion of D. C.
Project Within Cost Limit
Hailed by JadWin.

Virtual completion of the project for
increasing the water supply of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and its successful
operation, within the limit of cost fixed
by Congress at $9,169,000, is an out
5Ianding feature of the report of Maj.
Gen. Edgar Jadwin, chief of engineers,
on local engineering operations, sub
mitted to Congress today. The total
expenditures on the new system to
date are stated Ct $8,658,S79 and only
a few items of mechanical equipment
remain to be provided
The expenditures on the work dur
ing the past fiscal year were $746. .496,
and Gen. Jadwin says that $3.50, 900
can be profitably expended during the
fiscal year beginning July /, 1929, in
the maintenance and operation of both
the old and new water supply plants,
including all the reservoirs, filtration
plants pumping plants, the old Lydeck-
er tunnel the Conduit road and other
auXiliaries 1t is stated that the new
water supply works are to be used
mainly in supplying filtered water to
all the high areas within the District
The total expenditures to date on the
old water supply system, which has
been in operation from Great Falls
since 1868, are stated at $15,912,337.
Up to June 80, 1916, the expenses of
the old Washington Aqueduct were
divided equally between the United
States and the District of Columbia
but sir"n that date have been paid
wholly C, = the revenues of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Publication Satisfactory.
During the past year the average
consumption for water from both sys-
TENS was 72,460,0 gallons per day
and the average per capita consump-
ton was l34 gallons per day. Gen.
Jadwin says that the publication Of the
water was very satisfactory, the aver
age turbidity having been reduced from
1875 to 016 and the bacterial content
from 1.743 to 2.6 per centimeter. The
average daily consumption of water in
Government buildings was highest at
the Washington Navy Yaro, at 814,-
392 gallons, with the Bureau of En-
craving second at 804, 4,667 gallons, the
Government Printing Office third at
565,484 gallons, the Agricultural De-
partment fourth at 433,771 gallons and
the Post Office fifth at 1872, gallons
a day.
Operations on the Potomac River at
Washington during the past year were
ginia channel and to the maintenance
of the levee around Columbia Island. at
q gross cut of SITS, 9,285, leaving a bal
ance OF $91, IT'S for continuation of the
work during the present fiscal year.
Gen. Jadwin estimates that it will cost
$4,000 to maintain the improvement
during the fiscal year beginning July !.
1929. He says that deep draft vessels
can now enter the harbors of Washing
ton and Georgetown and that COM
n1erce has been facilitated and freight
rates reduced as result of the i'm
provementS. Terminals and transfer
facilities are considered Inadequate and
the Wharves on the Washington chan
mel, excepting those operated by the
Federal or municipal governments. are
reported to be in very poor condition,
1t is shown that $414,046 has been
expended on the project for dredging
the shoals IN the lower Potomac, and
providing a channel "a feet deep at
mean low water and 200 feet wide. be-
tween the mouth of the river and this
city, distance of 108 miles, with the
result that deep-draft vessels can now
reach Washington and Alexandria.
thereny increasing commerce and re-
duclng cost of transportation. Gen,
Jadwin says that $4,000 can be profit
ably expended during the next fiscal
year in maintaining the improvement.
Removal Of Bridge Urged.
Enactment of House bill 1921, Sew
entieth Congress, appropriating $228,-
600 for the removal of the old Aqueduct
Bridge across the Potomac River at
Georgetown, is again strongly recon-
mended by Gen. Jadwin. He says the
bridge is in bad condition and totally
abandoned having been closed to all
traffic since January, 1923. 1.-The Struc-
ture serves no useful purpose" he says,
'and is very unsightly beside the grace
full Francis Scott Key Bridge"
According to the report, the project
for the reclamation of the valley of
the Anacostia River from the navy
yard to the Maryland line and its de-
velopment into a public park at an
estimated cost of $4,125, 900, is 53.5 per
cent completed after a total expendi-
ture to date of $2,215,323. It is stated
that available funds amounting to
S445,636 will be virtually exhausted on
operations during the current fiscal
year and that an additional $4,000
can be profitably expended during the
fiscal year 1880 in the construction of
sea walls, levees, trenches, etc. The ef-
feet of improvements to date is sum-
married in the report. Sections A, C,