Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-12
Selling Water at Cost.

With nearby Maryland shutting down
its own inadequate water system and
tapping the District mains for its en-
tire supply, interest turns to the future
policy to be pursued by the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commission
when the emergency passes-that is,
when it rains again. Will the commits
sion proceed to cut of District water
and rely again upon its own supply
from the Burnt Mills reservoir? Will
it go forward and construct larger dams
for impounding water, or Will it carry
out a plan, discussed some years ago,
of creating a new source of supply from
the Patuxent?
Whatever the Marylanders do Is, OF
course, their business. With plenty of
water available from the Districts sup
ply system, it may be decided, never
theless, to enlarge the Maryland sys-
TEN and to rely upon District water
only in times of emergency or as a
supplementary supply. But an adequate
system. capable Of supplying pure water
for hundreds of thousands of consumers,
is an expensive undertaking and it is
not TO be built overnight. The subur-
ban sanitary water system, constructed
for a population that has long since
grown beyond the contemplated demand,
Is plainly inadequate. Even If the water
is pure, as shown by repeated tests,
1t is not good drinking water because
Of the disagreeable taste. 1t Is possible
that Maryland, with a completed plant
at its own front door. constructed over
many years at cost Of some $35, 000, 900
and supplying fine water in practically
unlimited quantity, will find 1t the bet
ter policy to rely altogether on District
water and to scrap its own source Of
supply. Arlington County has already
taken that step.
II the adjacent suburban sanitary
district. in Maryland, joins Arlington
County, and becomes q regular con-
sumner of District water. however, the
present policy pursued by the Federal
Government and the municipality IN
financing the District water system
EnOulQ De T6FLScu 0Il Tie GiOAA10S va
equity to the District consumers.
MaryIand-the Washington Suburban
Sanitary COMMISSIONS now receiving
water at the District line at cost Of
SIS a million gallons. plus the cost 10
the District of pumping. When pump
ing Is necessary, the rate to Mary
land is SIS q million gallons. hat
Arlington County pays q fat rate Of
SIS a million gallons, doing its own
pumping In other words, water IS
delivered to Maryland and to Arlington
County at cost. The householder in
the District, however, whose water taxes
and real estate taxes have gone into
construction Of the plant, pays for
water at the rate of S93.57 a million
gallons. This price is based not only
on the cost of water delivered in the
home, but upon the cost of plant i'm
provcments and extensions. The water
system makes no profit on the water it
sells to Maryland and Virginia. 1t
does exact Q profit from the District
consumer. whose contributions in the
years past have financed construction
Of plant.
Arlington uses q relatively small
quantity of District water The annual
amount Is less than the Districts nor
NAL consumption on a cold day. Mary
land now Is limited by law to three
million gallons a day. But in future
the consumption outside Of the District
will increase The cost of the individ-
uaI consumer in Maryland and Ar
Engton, now relatively high, should tend
to decrease as they pay for their dis
tribution plants. According to present
policy, however, the cost to the District
consumer has been mounting steadily
as the local distribution plant is en-
larged and improved.
The District consumer should pay
for water at cost. Capital expenditures
on plant enlargement and extensions
should be financed from the general
revenues. The larger the number of
consumers, the cheaper should be the
cost Of water.