Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-18
Waste and Complacency.

a Spigot and fill a bathtub whenever
he wants to is not going to lose any
great amount of sleep over the Water
Departments revelation that about one
third of the city's water supply leaks
away, or is otherwise unaccoupted for.
So long as the leakage does not affect
his own household and ruin the wall
paper he is content to let it go on
Stopping leaks is somebody else's bust
ness anyhow.
But the leakage, or water used with
out being paid for, is easily trans
lated into dollars and cents and the
householders of the District are letting
about $4,000 of the money they pay
in water rents Seep away into the
ground. Putting it another way, this
unaccounted-for water costs about $685.
900 a year for chemical treatment and
pumping. ut is also needed for use In
the hydroelectric plant at Dalecarlia
lur pumping power, and If so used WOULD
have value in excess of 5000 a year,
thereby reducing the present cost of
purchased power by that amount. The
water users of the District, paying for
their own water and for free water for
the Federal and municipal establish
ments and financing maintenance Of
plant and extensions to the distribution
system, are in addition paying $4,000
year for wasted water.
The Water Department, of course,
knows this. Despite the limitations
that might lead one to believe that
the Water Department has been surrep-
titiously drinking or otherwise diSposing
of one-third of the citys water supply
without paying for it, the Water De-
partment has for some time been trying
to check up on the leaks and the I'M
accommodation use of water. The de-
partment has asked in this years esti-
mates, zfor instance, for a fund of
$4,000 with which to resume" an in
tensive water survey to find the sources
of wasted water. Whether this item
will be granted is not known. If the
Water Department experiences the same
difficulty in getting money to find the
leaks that it has experienced in get
ting money to install and repair meters
in the District, the leaks will not be
found.
For the situation in regard to meters
indicate a complacency on somebody's
part that is hard to understand. The
District is about Is per cent behind
in its installation Of meters, and of
those that are installed about 10000
are out of order. The Water Depart
ment explains that for the last five
or six years estimates have been sub
mitted for increasing the annual allot-
ment of $4,000 allowed for repair and
installation of new meters. But these
estimates have been Topped off, and
the District is able to maintain only
a partial meter service. Two years ago
Mr.. Garland testified before the House
appropriations subcommittee that the
District was about IL or Is per cent
short of putting in water meters for all
private services. This year the annual
report of the Water Department reveals
that only 84.6 per cent of the total
water services are now metered.
Why has there never been real
effort to keep abreast Of meter install
lation, or to keep all meters in repair?
The answer is probably found in this
interchange of remarks, which took
place in the hearings on the 1929 ap-
preparation: 1
Mr.. Grifin-Do you find that there
is any advantage to the District in the
way of income from the installation Of
meters in private homes?
Mr.. Garland-No, sir, I think there
is only one way that 1t benefits the
District, and that is in the way of
detection of leaks, etc. We really do
not get as much under the meter
service as we would under fiat rate.
And again, in the hearings on the
1880 appropriation bill
Mr. Simmons-In the installation of
water meters to what extent is that
being carried out? It is being kept
current, but you are not gaining very
much?
Mr. Garland-Not gaining very much
in that appropriation.
Mr.. Simnons-The probability Is that
the District Is not losing very much by
not having meters in?
Mr.. Garland-I do not think they are
losing very much. because, as a rule,
We get little more money for the
unmetered section than we do for the
metered section.
Suppose such testimony were intro
duced during hearing on a public
utility's meter policy, such as the gas
company! What a furore there would
be! And yet, for many years past
the District government and Congress,
theoretically dedicated to the principle
of charging for water according to
meter-registered consumption, have al
lowed meters to go unrepaired and ap-
parently have deliberately curtailed
meter service below demands, possibly
because the District loses nothing. But
how about the water users?
--N-aeS-S-