Evening star., 1935-03-17
D. c. WATER FRONT
PROGRAM IN BILL
100000 Items Include
Channel Dredging and
Identification.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

The projects for development Of the
the channels of the Potomac and An
acoStia Rivers at total cost of nearly
$4,000 900, have been written into the
rivers and harbors appropriation bill,
it was disclosed yesterday. The House
Rivers and Harbors Committee is ex-
pected to reach decision tomorrow
as 10 the proportionate share of the
cost that must be paid from District
revenues.
These improvements, long advocat-
ed. are part Of the general scheme
for improvement and development Of
the Capital and have been recon-
mended by War Department engineers
in charge Of rivers and harbors work.
The first project calls for a water
front improvement program on the
North side of Washington Channel at
a cost of S1,650.0O0. This not only
would convert into beauty spot one
of the worst eyesores in the Capital,
but also would provide adequate IA
cilities for the needs of commerce and
remove sources of actual danger, ac-
cording to reports from Army en-
gineers and testimony before the COM
mittee 1t includes a yacht harbor.
Turning Basin Included.
The other project involves an ap-
preparation of S325,000 and would
provide a turning basin in the Ana
costa River opposite the Navy Yard,
dredging the Potomac River to a
depth of "a feet to Georgetown and
dredging the AnacoStia River to the
foot of Fifteenth street southeast.
When the Identification project on
the north side of Washington Channel
was being considered by the commit
tee last year, its members had before
them the recommendation of the then
War Department engineer for this
area that the District of Columbia
should pay only $685., 1000, representing
the cost of the wharves TO be used
for municipal business. They also
had a recommendation from the
Rivers and Harbors Board of the War
Department that the cost of the en-
tire project should be divided equally
between the Federal and District
governments.
The chief of Army Engineers told
the committee he believed Congress
itself should decide that question, and
the House Committee followed the
recommendation of the Rivers and
Harbors Board calling for sharing the
cost equally.
Several weeks ago, however, rep
resentatives of the Washington Board
of Trade and other interested organi-
cations were given hearing before
the House Committee and urged that
the original recommendation of the
engineer for this district be followed.
The committee is to reconsider this
question and hopes to reach a de-
cision tomorrow.
Maj. Arthur's Comment.
When the water front development
project was under consideration last
year, Maj. D. J. Arthur, jr., then
engineer for this district, said:
THE desirability of an improve
ment of present conditions along the
Washington Channel water front is
generally recognized. Present facili-
ties are totally inadequate for the
needs of commerce. and the decay.
dirty, and in certain instances dan
gerous structures now located there
are not in keeping with the compre
hensive plan for the development of
the National Capital"
In explaining the plans of his office
to correct this situation Maj. Arthur
emphasized that it would also pro-
vide adequate, up-to-date facilities
for commerce and give the Capital an
opportunity to take the place it should
as an outstanding Yachting center.