Evening star., 1937-10-13
SEAL BILL SEEKS
SEWAGE CHARGE
Would Exact Sum From
Firms for Servicing
Trade Waste.
BACKGROUND

houses mere ddte Ouck year ago,
iDhen the Adolf Gobel Co. secured
its first permit from the District
Building for foundations of its Ben
ming plant. Since then legislation
designed to preUent the plant from
building UaS defeated at the last
session. Construction ipork on the
Gobel plant then started, only to be
suspended about a month ago. In
anticipation OF Uork being resumed.
District officials plan another at
tack.
A new bill authorizing the Commits
sioners to charge industrial concerns
for the treatment Of trade waste dis
charged into the District Sewage sys-
TEN will be recommended to Congress
at the special session, Corporation
Counsel Elwood H. Seal said today.
The purpose Of the proposed legis-
lation, Seal said, is to make industrial
users of the new sewage disposal plant
bear an equitable burden of the cost
of sewage treatment.
AdviceS received by the Commits
sioners say the treatment of sewage
wastes that are discharged by the pro-
posed Adolf Gobel. Inc. slaughter
house at Benning would cost District
| taxpayers anywhere from S55000 to
$4,000 per annum, based on output
of the plant.
Legislation authorizing the Commits
| sioners to contract with industrial
users of the sewage plant will be urged
in connection with the King Norton
| bill introduced at the last session, CIV
| ing legislative force to the regulations
| for control of so-called nuisance indus
| tries.
Collins introduced Bill.
Representative Collins Democrat. of
Mississippi introduced bill last Au-
gust to charge industries for excessive
use Of the sewage system.
At the request of the Commissioners,
Seal is making study of the Collins
bill and also of legislation under which
the Chicago sanitary district is now
operating. 1t is possible. he explained,
the Commissioners will recommend
features of both
The Collins bill authorizes the Com
miSsioners to charge reasonable
rate" for the treatment of sewage from
any industrial concern in excess of
30,000,000 gallons per year A dis
charge of 10000 gallons of waste per
day from any factory or industrial
plant for 10 calendar days would be
accepted as prima facie evidence that
the waste from such plant aggre-
gates 100000 gallons a year.
System in Chicago.
The Chicago sanitary district, seat
Of the greatest packing house area in
the country. fixes no maximum. 1t
authorizes the sanitary district, in
stead, to contract with industries for
the purpose of determining the amount
of waste that shall be discharged into
the sewers, and also to determine the
payment for the treatment of this
| waste
The Chicago legislation has had the
benefit of being upheld in the court.
Under court ruling, garbage. bones,
parts of dead animals and other solid
matters are not sewage which meat
packers are entitled to turn into the
channels Of the sanitary district of
Chicago. The contrary is true, the
court held, of such packers trade
wastes which are liquid or may be
diluted and oxidized by the channel
waters.
Whatever the final decision made by
the corporation counsel's office, it was
indicated Congress will be asked to
give the Commissioners full power to
regulate control Of discharge of in
dustrial wastes, either In solution or
suspension, into the local sewage sys-
tenn.
Studies Of sanitary conditions have
been made in cooperation with Pub
lie Works Administration engineers.