Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-08
.GOTWALS URGES
ROCK CREEK ROOF
/. TOM|T|GATE DOORS
Doesn't See Any Reason for
Parkway, but Road Could
Top Cover.
LEVELING AND PAVING
OF BED is PROPOSED
Attempt to Check Up Sewage Lines
to Stop Leaks Would Cost
Too Much, He Says.

Roofing over of Rock Greek from
about G street to the Potomac River
was put forward today by Engineer
Commissioner John C. Gotwals as a So
luton of the problem of sewage in the
creek.
Maj. Gotwals inspected this section
of the creek yesterday in company OF
Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, and came
away with the impression, he said to-
day, that the section referred to was
"a chasm between two ash dumps"
AS for the Rock Creek Potomac Park
way which eventually is expected to
thread it's way along the bed of the
stream from Potomac Park mp into
Rock Greek Park, Maj. GotWals said he
couldn't see Cor the life of him why
any one would want to travel down
there. But if the demand for this
boulevard persists, then 1t might well
be put directly on top OF the roof ne
proposes to put over the waters OF the
creek.
Realizes Controversial Nature.
Mai. Gotwals said he realized he was
discussing a highly controversial sub
ject, but that was no reason Tor MIN
to hesitate in expressing his views, even
If they do not meet those of Col. Grant,
who is strong for the boulevard.
The day chosen for the inspection
was in many respects unfortunate, as
far as impressing any one with any
beauty that may be said to lie In this
section of the creek. The prolonged
drought had reduced the flow to mere
trickle. Pools of stagnant water had
formed everywhere, casting the stench
of decaying sewage. Maj GotWalS op-
served all of this critically.
Other Aspects Fail to Please.
The terrain had other aspects that
did not please him. There were storm
water sewers emptying into the creek
These were bone dry, but underneath
the sewers there was a trickle of sew
age, escaping into the creek probably
from private drainage lines or from
leaks in other parts of the regular SAM
tary sewer system.
The banks are exceedingly steep. To
build a boulevard by the side OF the
stream, it appeared to his engineering
eve, would mean expensive cutting
back of the banks in order to reduce
the slope to a pleasing curve.
What 1 would do right now, II
had the money, would be to put work
men On the job of altering the grade
of the stream so that there is an even
would level of The bed and pave 1t
with round cobble stones. This would
do away with the chain of pools in
which water stagnates and bacteria
breed.
OdOrs Would Be Killed.
"The action of the water in bubbling
over the cobble stones would be to
aerate ito give 1t the oxygen which
it needs, and which now Is being con-
sumed by the sewage bacteria. This OF
itself would kill the awful odors that
now persist in this section OF the creek.
IF we never get anything more than
this done, the situation will be greatly
improved" he said, but I think the
roof over the stream is the only flnal
answer. In order to keep sewage out
of that stream it would practically mean
tearing Washington apart. Sewage gets
In not only from our system, but from
private drains and other mysterious
sources about which we know notnlng
Changing our own sewer system by
itself would be an enormously expensive
job. AS to the other, nobody knows
how much expense we would run into
after we once started.
Cites Stream i'm st. Louis.
'"The objection to putting the boule-
ward over the roof would be that 1t
would be higher than the present pre-
posed boulevard, and traffic would have
trouble going under the bridges. But
since this would be in the center of
the bridges, where they are highest, I
do not think there would be sc much
difficulty. Although the present pro-
posed level for the boulevard would be
lower than mine, the traffic on that
would strike the bridges at their lowest
point"
Mai. Gotwals pointed out that there
is a similar situation in st. Louis, where
stream through the center of the city
was eventually covered over, after long
and heated debate, at cost OF $l2,-
900 900.