Evening star., 1934-12-23
COUNTY POLLUTION
OF CREEK STUDIED
U. S. Commission to Secure
Regional Boards Help.
Apartments Opposed.

=
mission yesterday took steps designed
to eliminate pollution from Rock Creek
and to prevent erection Of apartment
houses In adjacent Maryland, east Of
Georgia avenue.
The organization voted to assemble
its Regional Sanitary Committee. rep
resentative Of District, Maryland and
Virginia authorities concerned with
health and sewage disposal, to con-
slider the Rock Greek pollution prob
lem. The exact date of this meet
ing has not yet been fixed. The COM
mission moved along another front
in the war on pollution when it
named its member, Col. Daniel l. Sui
tan, Engineer Commissioner of the
District, to serve with nominees of
the Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning Commission and the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Com
mission.
Time for Sewers Studied.
Under the Capper- -Cramton park
purchase act, when funds were ad-
vanced to Maryland for the develop
ment of the nearby Rock Creek, Sligo
and Cabin John valleys, the national
commission entered into an agree
ment with the Washington Suburban
Sanity Commission. under which pol
luton would be eliminated when it
became a menace and when park
property became polluted Col. Sultan
and his colleagues will seek to de-
termine If the time is now ripe for
the Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission to carry out its agree
ment to install appropriate sewers
to care for sewage now being dumped
into Rock Greek.
Associated with Col. Sultan, in pre-
serving the interests of the District
and Federal governments. will be J.
B. Gordon, District sanitary engineer,
and John Nolen, jr., director Of plan-
ming of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission. The Pub
lie Works Administration recently ad-
vanced funds for the study of pollu-
ton in Rock Greek.
The National Commission recon-
mended to the Maryland National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion that it disapprove plans for erec-
ton of apartment houses in the area
between Eastern avenue and Blair
road, in Maryland, east of Georgia
avenue. The national group declared
that it is opposed to erecting apart
ments in this single-family house
zone.
ID. C. Zoning Change Feared.
The question assumes particular
importance to the District, said
Thomas S. Settle. the National Com
missions secretary, because If the
Maryland authorities permit the erec-
ton Of apartment houses in that sec
ton. this would probably mean a
change of coming also on the District
side. Arno B. Cammerer. executive
officer of the National Planning Com
mission, Is member Of the District
zoning Commission.
Widening of G street an additional
~ feet between Seventh and Ninth
streets to permit two lanes of traffic
south of the street car tracks was
considered by the commission and
referred to its Co-ordinating Com
mittee, on which are representatives
of the District, the general public,
the commission and the United
States Engineers Office. That group
will give the matter detailed study
and report back to the commission
with recommendations. This work
will not affect the old Patent Office
Building, as will the widening of F
street, to the south.
The commission took final action
on the plan for the Twelfth street
plaza, between the old and new Post
ONCE Department Buildings. This is
designed to improve traffic conditions
and looks to the time when the old
Post Office structure is torn down
and the circular treatment Is COM
pleted, with the Interstate Commerce
Commission Building, the new Post
ONCE Department Building, the Bu-
reau of Internal Revenue Building
and another new building forming its
segmentS. William A. Delano, archi-
tect member of the commission, gave
particular study to these plans.
To Spend on IL Projects.
BY formal vote, the commission re-
affirmed its previous action in decid-
ing that the $507 900 of its hitherto
impounded funds, recently released by
| the Bureau of the Budget, would be
spent solely upon the II projects it
had designated. The commission de-
clined to make public a list of these
II projects, but it is known that they
| include the Banneker and Takoma
Recreation Centers and development
of the Fort Drive, near the Alice Deal
Junior High School in the Fort Reno
| section.
Each of the II projects, officials as
serted, represents a program where IS
| to 95 per cent of the land has been
acquired for park, playground or rec
reation center purposes. The commits
! sion declared that no further tracts
would be acquired until additional
| appropriations are made by Congress.
Norman c. Brown, new assistant land
purchasing officer, was introduced to
the commission for the first time.
Donation of land for new park
was brought to the attention of the
commission, when it learned the
Chevy Chase Land Co. has dedicated
| four acres to the National Capital
Parks in a valley carrying a stream
| tributary to Rock Greek and located
| In the region DOGndeQ Dy ElllcOCt ana
1 Thirtieth streets and Linnean ave-
nue.. A subdivision Is going forward
in that area.
Reports on Transfers.
| r c. Jeffers of the commissions s
| staff reported on land transfers, in
cluding final action on transfer Of
land from the District Government to
the National Park Service for the
| work on the Artemas Ward Circle at
Massachusetts, and Nebraska avenues.
Preliminary results Of the recent
trafic survey were laid before the
commission by Charles e. Herrick, its
| city planner. This represents an in
| complete tabIlation of some 90 900
cards, seeking information on the
methods whereby Washington comes
to work and goes home. Mr.. Herrick
| expects to have a final report ready
by next month and to transmit de-
ductions to The Public Utilities Com
mission and the transportation COM
panies.