Evening star., 1935-12-01
PUMPING STATION
TO ObE MODERN|zED
Mcmillan Plant Changes
to Remove Obsolete
Conditions.


First and Douglas streets, which fur
nishes water to half the population of
Washington, will be launched early in
the new year to end the obsolete con-
ditions which imperil the supply.
Under the direction of Maj. Robert
G. Guyer, War Department, District
e-Sineer for the Washington area,
electricity and automatic. control will
supplant steam and man power used
for three decades.
The United States engineers Office
here announced yesterday the calling
for bids for this work, which will take
nearly all Of 1885. The engineers
promise there will be no interruption
to water service, however. due to the
shift over. The bids will be opened
January 8 at 3 pm. at the United
States engineers office, room 1868.
Navy Building. Copies of the plans
and specifications are now available
in that Office to prospective con-
tractors.
Engineers in Charge.
First Lieut.. w. J. Matteson, U. S. A.,
executive assistant to Maj. Guyer, has
had general supervision of the
preparation of plans of the work. E. A.
Schmitt, senior engineer, has planned
the job generally, and the electrical
work, comprising about 10 per cent of
the construction, was prepared directly
by D. M. Radcliffe, associate electrical
engineer. The structural work was
planned by P. o. Macqueen, civil
engineer.
The reservoir modernization pro-
gram, the engineers declare, will step
the plant up from the current SIS per
cent to 80 per cent overall efficiency.
Congress appropriated $l50,O00 for
the work in the deficiency bill that
became a law on August IL.
Unless adequate and reliable pump
ing machinery is available, the water
supply to about half the population
of the city could be interrupted and
the supply jeopardized," Schmitt said
yesterday.
Constant Electrical Service.
Reliable and constant electrical
service will be provided to the station
through the two high-tension under
ground feeders from the Potomac
Electric Power Co.'S system" Rad
cliffe explained These cables come
direct from the power company sub
station, served by three sources of
prime power-Benning, the new Buzz
zard Point development and the dydro-
ot Cafo rhnr fhn
Susquehanna River"
The work, Schmitt said, involves
new vertical motor driven pumping
units, switching gear, switchboard.
numerous auxiliary equipment and al
terations to the existing station to fit
1t for the Improvements. The present
steam pump equipment was partially
altered about IS years ago, in an at
tempt to modernize its steam opera
ton and increase its efficiency, he
said. Today that equipment is con-
sidered obsolete
The station is used to lift the raw
water from Mcmillan Reservoir and
pump it on to the filters, about 20 feet
above the level Of the reservoir, whence
1t flows through 20 acres of filter beds,
into storage reservoir. from which
1t is distributed, by gravity. to Wash
ington householders. The water for the
reservoir flows through conduits from
Great Falls for 9 miles and enters the
Washington City water tunnel and
flows miles, we'll under the Ma
tional Capital, into Mcmillan Reser-
Voir
Coal Operates Steam Units.
The conversion program includes in
etalling three 50000,000 gallons per
day vertical electric motor driven
pumps to replace the lower-powered
steam units, capable Of 100000 gall
Ions per day each. Coal is now being
burned to operate the steam units.
The auxiliary equipment involves
electric motor driven units for the
sand-washing water supply, for prim-
ing the main pumps, motor generator
sets for supplying direct current field
excitation of the alternating current
pump motors, for air-compressor unit,
for emergency water supply, for control
purposes and a ventilating fan and
switchboard for semi-automatic opera
ton, by the use Of which station per-
sonnel will be reduced 10 per cent.
The officials made it clear, however,
that there will be no loss of jobs in the
new program.
The building changes involve rails
ing the main floor of the station to
place it well above any level Of water
in Mcmillan Reservoir. The old coal
vaults are being rehabilitated to pro-
vide accommodations for conversion
into various electrical equipment
rooms. in one of which the switch
gear will be housed. In another, high
tension transformers will be located.
Equipment to Be Removed.
The changes In the station require
the removal Of the three obsolete
pumps and steam engine drive; aux
iliary machinery. piping, ETC., together
with the four Babcock and Wilcox
boilers, each of $50 horsepower, as
well as the Roney stokers, used for
burning coal in the furnaces. The
150-foot yellow brick stack, adjacent
10 Tie SIdIlOtl, Is dISO 10 Dc TculOFc0
= Schmitt said: "At least two of the
pumps will always be in service, dur
ing the conversion period, which is
expected to take 800 days. The work
has been so arranged that either two
steam pumps or two electrical pumps,
or one steam and one electrical pump
will always be in service. Other fea-
tures of the work have been SO sched-
uled that they will be properly fitted
into the program"
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