Evening star., 1937-06-10
SLAUGHTER HOUSE
POLLUTION FEARED
River Menace Seen as Al.
tentative to Costly Sew
aqe Facilities.
BIZ NELSON NJ SHETARD.

Sanitary engineers admitted today
that from whatever angle recent
Public Health Service report is con-
sidered. there appeared only one al
ternatlve to the conclusion that ex-
tensive slaughter house operations in
the Benning area would require costly
expenditures in connection with the
new sewage disposal plant, which
soon will be placed in use.
That alternative, it was indicated,
Is unacceptable from sanitary view
point. since it would involve consid-
erably less publication of sewage
water than was originally designed
for the sedlmentation tanks, in order
to reduce Potomac River pollution.
In seeking a way out Of the di-
leInma brought about by the report
Of. Surg. Gen. Thomas FaITan, jr.,
q, careful restudv is being made Of
plans drawn up for the primary treat
ment method employed in the
s4l25,0o0 sewage plant Sanitary en-
eineers at the District Building we're
unpIepared to commit themselves on
the warning in the report to the ef-
feet that the heavy load expected
from capacity slaughtcring operations
at the proposed Gobe! plant might
neceSsitate construction of the de-
layed secondary biological treatment
method for sewage waste.
Cheaper Solution Has Problems.
Mere mention of the cost involved
In such an extension of the sewage
plant-nearly 000O00-Was sufl-
clent to divert studies to other pos
sible avenues Of escape.
There is. admittedly. a far cheaper
way out oe the dilemma. it was
pointed out but again the twin ques-
ton Of purhCation and pollution en-
terS into it disturblngi Dr. Par
ran pointed TO the possible need of
providing secondary treatment, in Or
der to preyen. obnoxious conditions"
ip The Potomac River, if the Gobel
plant ever operates at or near its
planned capacity.
Il would seem possible from an
examinaHon Of the sewage plans that
additional units might be built for
the preliminary sedimentation and
eludee digestive tanks at a cost of
Hpproximately s463.O0O. They were
50, designed as to take care of future
Population needs for a number Of
Years IN this way
This would be the easier way out 3"
engineers agreed. If it would prove
satisfactory, But # the Public Health
Service Is correct in estimating future
packing house waste as equivalent to
the addition Of 100000 population the
$a63 900 expenditure would only serve
Is slight postponement of a more
expensive day Of reckoning.
- Zcning Authority Needed
No matter how distastefu! additional
expenditures on an already costly sew
age disposal plant may seem to Dis
tHet officials, it was acknowledged
that some Of the questions raised in
the report cannot long be ignored un-
less Congress gives the Zoning Com
naiksion the control it now lacks to
f6noVe the threat of the Benning area
becoming the center OF packing
house and stockyards district The
zonlng Commission, in the absence
Of proposed legislative authority,
would be unable to prevent it.
Three of the foremost sanitary en-
gineers in the country prepared an
extensive study Of the plans for the
Districts sewage disposal plant. This
report was made by the late John H
Gregory of Baltimore, Harrison P
Eddy of Boston and Samuel A. Greely
Of Chicago.
The plant vas designed to meet
the needs of the Districts population
for the next Is years by the use OF
a minimum number of units When
the population increased to $4,000,
or beyond the capacity OF the plant,
It was proposed to add additional
units to the preliminary sedimentaton
tanks and the sludge digestive tanks
Would Require Early Extension.
BY adding the estimated load of
pa scklng house and stockyardS waste,
the sewage plant would nearly reach
its capacity years before the estimated
time, 1850 That would bring up the
question of extending the plant in the
OF huge load of packing house waste
on the publication which the planned
primary treatment would afford is not
and cannot be known until the con-
dltlon is met. 1t is possible that the
purl1cat1on would not be sufficient
and in that event it would be neces-
sary to take steps toward employing
the secondary treatment as a safe
guard against pollution.
There is this difference in the eff
cheney Of the two methods of handling
sewage, A primary treatment, such
as provided for Washington, removes
only SO per cent of the solids. where
as the secondary method removes go
per cent. The difference in the oxy-
gen demand in the water also is great.
Packing house waste. it was pointed
out, does not lend itself readily to the
usual methods of sewage treatment
The cost of the three sedimentation
tanks about to be put in use was
$4,000, The plans provide for one
additional unit, if and when needed,
which would cost an extra SAB 900.
The three units of the sludge digestive
system cost S96O,00O Therefore en-
g1neers estimate another unit would
necessitate an outlay of S320,0OO.
The primary system as provided by
the new plant removes so per cent Of
solids and rules about 33 per cent of
oxygen demand in the water. Reduc-
ing the oxygen demand to that per-
oentage, it was said, makes the water
liyable for fish.
Chemical Process Costly.
"A secondary treatment was pro-
posed when sewage funds were bor-
rowed from the Public Works Ad-
ministration. 1t would have involved
an activated sludge method for bio
logical treatment estimated to cost
S4000,000. There is another method
employing the use of chemicals, but
sanitary engineers say that its cost