Evening star., 1934-06-06
D. D.C.-CUMbER[AND
WATERWAY COST
SET At 46 MILLION
Future Power Development
on Potomac Outlined
in Survey.
ROOSEVELT SUBMITS
REPORT TO SENATORS
Requests for Specific Laws to I'm
prove Water System in East
Will Follow.

navigation, are comprehensively out
lined in the governmental report on
the rivers of the entire country, Just
submitted to the Senate by President
Roosevelt In response to a resolution
adopted last February.
The report outlines plans for a
waterway suitable for modern barge
transportation from Washington to
Cumberland. in combination with the
development of potential water
power, land the extension of this
waterway to connect with the Mis-
sissippi River system through the
Youghiogheny and Monongahela
Rivers"
The cost CT such navigation i'm
provement to Cumberland. utilizing
the pools that would be created by
dams or the comprehensive power
development, is estimated at s46,-
000, ,000," the report continued The
route for waterway connecting
tidewater on the Potomac with the
present slack water improvement on
the Monongahela River would require
a tunnel through the mountains
about 16 miles in length. Excluding
the improvement of the Potomac
River to Cumberland. this connecting
waterway is estimated to cost $780,
| 100000 if fully co-ordinated with
power development. These estimates
are exclusive of interest during con-
struction."
No Requests Now.
! None of the plans discussed in the
report is recommended for immediate
action. In fact. the President sug-
gested in his message of transmittal
| that Congress regard these documents
as merely a preliminary study. land
allow me, between now and the as
! sembling Of the next Congress to COM
plete these studies and to outline to
the next Congress a comprehensive
plan to be pursued over long period
| of years.
The report is made up of sections
dealing with various areas Of the
country. The foregoing analysis Of
! the Potomac basin is included in a
| study of the whole Atlantic region by
! an Inter-departmental Technical Ad-
, visory Committee The committee
selected for detailed study IL of the
most important river basins of this
region, including the Potomac. the
James. the Roanoke, the Delaware and
| the Susquehanna. 1t also undertook
/ to determine the order of priority of
| these river basins, and placed the
Potomac fifth out of the IL.
The possibilities for water power
on the Potomac, which have been re-
ported to Congress many times in
the past, particularly with regard to
! Great Falls, is described again in this
document. After pointing out that
! present power installations are limited
in number and in size, the report con-
| tinues:
"A plan for the comprehensive de-
velopment Of the water resources Of
| the Potomac River for power de-
velopment includes the development of
| plants at number of sites in the
upper portion of the river and its
principal tributaries, the development
of which as independent plants would
! not be justified, but the storage at
which would greatly increase the
power production in the three prin-
| cipal sites along the lower river. The
total installation in comprehensive
system of 20 developments for oper-
| alton at Is per cent load factor,
aggregates about 100000 kilowatts.
The annual production of primary
| power is somewhat in excess of D.
000,000,000 ,kilowatt hours and of a
secondary power, about 1000 900 ,000-
kilowatt hours. The total cost of the
power developments would aggregate
SAB, 900 900. The most important sec
| ton of the river from the power stand
point lies between Harpers Ferry and
the northwestern boundary of the
District of Columbia. Practically the
entire run-off of the drainage basin
can be developed over a gross heae.
of about 235 feet in this reach Plants
located here will receive the full bene..
fit Of any storage which may be de-
veloped on the main stream or its
! major tributaries.
Could Develop Power.
THE power of this section of the
river could be developed by several
possible combinations of plants. The
three most promising sites are desig-
mated Chain Bridge, Lock II and
Great Falls sites. The average output
of the three sites is about 1,440 OOO-
kilowatt hours"
The report then lists So possible
;v,o H., H.
prehensive plan for the Potomac and
its tributaries with the estimated cost
of each. For the China Bridge prof.
ect the cost is placed at $10,997, 100;
for Lock IT, a cost of $7,247, 500;
Great Falls, $22, ,201 300. The total cost
of the So projects listed is $147,717-
6OO
Flood damage in this area is rela-
lively small, the report states While
some of the towns of the Potomac
Basin are subject to flood damage,
most of them would not suffer any
large damage from great flood. The
report suggests that floods in the
vicinity Of Washington could be con-
trolled by two large reservoirs on the
Potomac, one just above Great Falls
and one near Millville. The cost Is
estimated at Sl2,200,000.
The report stated that the power
projects, in a comprehensive plan for
improvement CT tine Potomac Basin,
would be for the first 10 developments
approximately in the general order
below: Great Falls. Lock II and
Chain Bridge. 1t is also pointed out
that a complete study of all potential
navigation, power, flood and irriga-
ton possibilities Of the river has been
made under the chief of engineers and
that report is now being published as
a House document. D.