Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-23
GotWaIs Gives Senator King
Comprehensive Report
of Urgent Needs.
OUTSTANDING EXPERTS
WOULD BE GIVEN TASK
Proposed Duties of Advisory
Board Include Recommendation
on Disposal Plant.

= "A $4,000 fund to set up board of
experts to study the general plan of the
washington sewer system, including the
proposed sewage treatment plant will
be recommended by the Commissioners
In their 1885 estimates, Engineer Com
missioner Gotwal advised Chairman
King of the Senate District Committee
yesterday.
Such a survey would be in line with
. suggestion advanced by Senator King
following conference with District Of
f1cialS several days ago regarding the
whole subject of sewage disposal and
protection of the Potomac and Ana
costa Rivers and Rock Creek from pol
luton.
AS sequel to the conference, Maj.
GotwalS transmitted to Senator King
yesterday a comprehensive report, out
lining the present urgent needs of the
sewer system, the problems involved in
protecting the streams in and near the
District and calling attention to the
proposed survey they are considering
In connection with next years esti-
mates.
Advisory Board Planned.
The recommendation which the Com
mlSSlonerS have in mikd would call for
the employment of three outstanding
experts, constituting an advisory board,
TO make recommendation as to a sew
age treatment plant for Washington,
and to survey the general plan of the
Washington sewer system"
Commissioner Gotwals suggested that
one of the duties of the proposed board
should be to review report prepared
in 1890 on the local sewer system. to
determine whether the District should
continue to follow the recommendations
In that report in development of the
system. Aside from this general study,
the proposed board would go into all
phases of the question of building a
sewage treatment plant, which has been
discussed for many years.
In discussing the question of building
plant to protect the lower Potomac
Maj. Gotwals' letter emphasized that no
public water supply is involved.
In view of the fact that no publie
water supply is now or is likely in the
near future to be affected by pollution
of the river in the vicinity of Wash
ington," the letter said, A'there appears
to be at present no important public
health problem involved other than the
use OF local waters for bathing"
Cost Is Estimated.
The letter pointed out that all sewage
from the District enters the river near
the United States Naval Magazine. It
mas been estimated that plant to treat
Disrlct sewage for the protection of the
river below that point would be be-
tween S8,000,000 and $9,125, 900, includ-
ing necessary changes in existing facili-
Ties to connect with the proposed plant
II 1t should be considered desirable
TO prevent the development of nuisances
ana make the river suitable for bathing
ana other recreational purposes and
capable OF supporting fish life, it ap-
pears essential that the District of Co
iumola take steps toward providing for
the treatment OF its sewage to relieve
the constantly increasing sewage load
reaching the river" the letter COM
mented. If it should not be consid-
cred 1ustifiable to incur the expense
necessary to reclaim the river for bath
ing purposes. this problem could be
solved, OF course, by prohibiting bathing
in local waters"
Inc letter added that, since the de-
Sign OF sewage treatment works .'of the
magnitude necessary for the treatment
OF the Washington sewage requires
mighty specialized training and ex-
perience, it would appear to the best in
oerestS OF the Government that either
practlcing specialist in sewage design
or an advisory board, with authority to
Optam expert advice, be employed in
.ne study and preparation of plans for
such disposal plant"
Urgent Projects Included,
The Commissioner also included In
the letter list of the six urgent sewer
extension projects, which the Commits
sloners have recommended for construc
Mon as emergency public works under
the national industrial recovery law.
These extensions would prevent storm
water overfoWs in certain localities, and
also would continue work on the inter-
ceptor sewers for the protection of the
Upper Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.
THESE projects, which were made pub
Lie in detail when they were transmitted
recently to the Federal authorities. are
awaiting consideration by those in
charge OF the Federal public works pro-
gram.
In recommending that the sewage
treatment plant be one of the prob
lens studied by the proposed expert
advisory board, the letter of the En-
glneer Commissioner reiterated that
such treatment plant would only
accomplish the publication of the
Potomac River in the immediate vi
cinity and downstream from Wash
tngton to Fort Foote, and render the
river within these limits safe for bath
ing and generally more available for
other recreational facilities However,
q treatment plant would assure against
the obtaining of definite nuisance in
the indefinite future
In addition to the proposed esti-
mate for board to study the entire
sewer system, the letter also stated
that the Commissioners were consid-
ering an estimate for the fiscal year
1885 of $4,000 for applying chlorine
to the sewage at the existing sewage
pumping station during the Summer
months.
The letter reviewed what has been
done in recent years through co-opera-
tive sotion between the District and
the authorities OF the adjacent States
in planning for the protection Of the