Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-25
POSSIBLE POTOMAC
WATER POWER TO
BE TOLD CONGRESS
Second Report on Potential
Development Will Be Made
in Few Days.
HYDR0ELECTRlC SURVEY
OF RIVER is COMPLETED
Planning Commission Weighs Re-
suits Plants May Have on
Parkway Project.

Nine years after an engineering report
on the feasibility of hydro-electric
power development at Great Falls was
submitted to several interested author
tiles in Washington by the Federal
Power Commission, another report on
possible development of power by har-
Messing the waters of the Potomac River
is nearly ready for final action by two
commissions and will be submitted to
Congress within few days.
The report Of nine years ago, made
after an exhaustive survey of the posi-
bilities for development of hydro-electric
power near Great Falls, bore the sigma
ture OF Maj. NJ. c. Tyler, then an engi-
neer in the Office of the chief of Engi-
neers. The current report, which is now
awaiting action by the Federal Power
Commission and the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission, has
been made under his supervision, for he
now has the rank of lieutenant colonel
and is assigned to the Federal Power
Commission as its chief engineer.
The report, which will shortly be sent
to Congress, has been closely guarded
as to its details, and has been made as
the result of q House resolution passed
nearly two years ago, calling for a COM
plete report on power development at
Great Falls as 1t relates to the bill for
creation of the Potomac-Great Falls
Parkway, submitted by Representative
Louis G. Cramton of Michigan. The
House resolution set forth that the Fed
eral Power Commission should issue no
licenses for power development at Great
Falls until q complete and up-to-date
report had been made by the commits
sion on the water power development
possibilities of the Potomac.
Wanted Power Studied.
The American Engineering Council
recently took action in executive COM
mittee meeting which urged the author
tiles in charge of development of the
proposed Potomac Great Falls Parkway
not to overlook the potential water
power development on the upper Po-
tomac.
The original power commission report,
usually referred to as the Tyler report,
declared that hydro-electric develop.
ment at Great Falls and in the adjacent
territory along the Potomac is feasible
whether developed by the Government
or by commercial concern. A com.
pariSon with figures for power Develop
ed by commercial steam plants in
Washington to consumers here showed
the kilowatt hour rate of power de-
veloped by Government operated
plant at Great Falls to be only a frac-
ton of a cent lower than Of steam
plants where power is developed from
coal. Since 1921, when the Tyler report
was published. reductions in the kilo-
watt hour rate have been made by the
local electric power company.
Commission Has Applications.
Three applications for water power
development on the upper Potomac are
now before the Federal Power Commits
sion and under the resolution calling
Tor the latest report, cannot be acted
upon until the new report has been
placed before Congress and considered
by that body. The report is under
stood to be complete, and now is before
members of the Federal Power Com
mission for action by that body, and
also before the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission It may be
issued as joint report of the two COM
missions, although this has not been
made known.
Col. Tyler yesterday drew a parallel
between the great Conowingo power de-
velopment on the Susquehanna River
between Baltimore and PHILADELPHIA
and the potential power development
along the Potomac. Although the water
head at Great Falls is not as favorable
at all seasons of the year for power
development as that at Conowingo, as
pointed out in his original report, the
area around the National Capital has
great potentia! purchasing possibilities
for any excess Of power not consumed
In Washington and its environs. He
said that much of the power developed
at Conowingo is sold in and near Phila-
delphia and in the area between the
Conowingo dam and Philadelphia.