Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
Contrary to Reason and Practice.

The nature Of improvements to tn,
water distribution system contemplated
under the five-year program and which
the Commissioners ill-advisedly have
recommended should be financed through
twenty to twenty-five per cent in.
crease in water taxes plus a fifty pei
cent increase in main assessments de.
mands that the cost of these new prof.
ects be regarded as direct property
benefits and capital expenditures fol
plant enlargement, and as such should
be paid for from local assessments plus
money taken from the general fund.
These Improvements and additions tC
the water plant are necessitated fos
three reasons.
The first Is that growth of the city
and the enlarged supply system have
increased demands for water and have
made the water available at the pumps
without providing for the correspond
ingly larger burden on the distribution
system, thus requiring new and larger
mains to augment old and smaller
MAINS installation Of new pumps and
the building Of new reservoirs.
The second reason is that real estate
development in such sections as Ana
costa, Chevy Chase, Brightwood and
American University Wesley Heights has
increased the water consuming popula-
ton in those areas, and water in sum-
cient quantity must be delivered through
new main extensions.
The third reason Is that a new main
is needed to connect the Districts water
supply with the pipes of the Washing
ton suburban sanitary district, thus al
lowing Marylanders to tap in on District
water.
There is nothing to justify showing
the cost of these projects to the private
water users of the District.
A committee which drew up the re-
port on the five-year water extension
plan, consisting of z. D. Hardy, senior
engineer of the United States engineer
once; d. W. Holton, superintendent of
the District Water Department: Mai.
Brehon Somervell, United States engi-
neers and Capt. Hugh Dram, Assistant
Engineer Commissioner, declared that
these expenditures are believed to
represent capital investment and hence
should be charged to the general reve-
nues of the District To increase
the rates to take care of these capital
expenditures would not be in line with
ordinary commercial practice"
Yet the Commissioners, in the face
of the difficulty encountered by our
budget trainers in striking q balance In
blue as long SIS the inadequate lump
sum represents the Federal contribution,
override the engineers. override "ordi-
nary commercial practice" and decide
to dump the cost Of enlarg1ng the water
plant on the private water consumer.
The private water consumer In the
District now uses only fifty-three per
cent of the water purified and pumped
into the District. But he pays for this
water alta rate that takes care of plant
maintenance and q portion of plant ex-
tension and furnishes free water to the
Federal Government and its agent, the
municipality.
Increasing water rates to finance
capital expenditures on plant is COM
parable to the gas company's increas-
ing rates to lay new gas main to Ana
costa, or to the telephone company's
increasing rates to string a new cable, or
to the electric light companys increas-
ing rates to buy a new dynamo or re-
build a turbine.
Further inconsistency lies in the fact
that increased rates will not be made
effective merely to furnish new capital
for the projects outlined. When these
have been paid for there will be other
projects, perhaps even greater, such as
high-pressure for fire service in the
downtown area. And there is no Au-
thority vested in the Commissioners to
make a downward readjustment In
rates when demand for new capital Is
satisfied-if it ever will be.
Federal contribution to the water
plant ceased with completion OF the
new supply system. The supply system
would, Of course. be worthless without q
distribution system. Why should not
the Federal Government contribute as
much to improving the distribution sys-
tenn as it did to improving the supply
system? The Federal Government
benefits as much from the one as from
the other. Both systems constitute the
water plant, Of which the Federal Gov
eminent is part owner. This part
ownership assuredly entails more re-
sponsibility than the mere receipt of
free water.
The District water users bill has
been increasing steadily. In 1920, II
was $771,l6l. In 1925, 1t was 81 ,023,-
SOB. In 1880, 1t will be 81 ,3O5, 600, and
the Commissioners now propose q
twenty-five per cent increase to take
effect in the fiscal year 1891.
Congress should reverse the Com
missioners' recommendation and financt
these capital improvements out Of ths
general fund, TO which, as one Of thu
owners of the necessary water plant
and co-partner In the task Of capita
{. maintenance and development, it con.
tributes.