Evening star., 1938-10-02
POLLUTION FIGHT
TOCOST $5,477,0DO
is Projects Scheduled for
the Next Year Do Not
Entirely End Menace.


ton problems within the National
Capital, under plans so far approved
by the Public Works Administration,
recapitulation of projects revealed
last night.
Thirteen projects in all are on the
schedules for which Administrator
Ickes has announced loans and grants
totaling s5.477,0O0. While these will
not free the District of sources of pol
luton Of it's streams or the Potomac.
the projects represent unprecedented
steps. even exceeding the near $4.000.-
600 spent for development of the Dis
trict's sewage treatment plant.
All but one of these projects will be
performed by the District, costing
S5,377000, of which the District will
repay SIS per cent, or $2,957,3 with
interest at 4 per cent, over a period
of "a years. The other project is the
100000 outright Federal grant for
elimination of pollution from the Navy
Yard which now drains directly into
the Anacostia River.
In addition, some P. w. A. grants
and loans have been approved for
similar work in Maryland communities
which now send sewage into the Dis
trict.
Other Requests Pending.
Still further applications are pend
ing, one dealing with the serious prob
lem of pollution coming through the
District via the Anacostia River, filed
Friday BY the Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission, which may in
volve a considerable outlay to the Dis
trict as we'll as to Maryland.
The suburban commission, in seek
ing use of S528,661 for sewerage to
abate the problem, sought permission
to connect its mains to the District
system as an alternative to building
its own sewage disposal plant over
the Maryland line. Such plant, ac-
cording to available estimates, would
cost some 100000
Commissioner Melvin c. Hazen has
agreed to linking of the Maryland
sewers to the District system-pro-
vided that the whole cost be borne by
Maryland. If temporary connections
are allowed. District officials added,
Maryland first should sign commit
.nents to pay the cost OF the complete
program for this purpose within the
District.
How soon decision may be reached
by the P. w. A. has not been indi-
Gated Work on all projects must be
started by January l, however.
Alternatives for d. c.
AS to the Districts possible side to
this project there are several alterna-
tives. Projects of all kinds, costing
S1s.l50 000-the limit fixed by Con-
gress for the District program-already
have been adopted by the District and
the P. w. A. II the District Commits
sloners are persuaded to assume re-
sponsibiNty for portion Of the Mary
land problem this could be accom-
plished, it is said. only by % aban-
doning some of the P. w. A. projects
already approved for the District;
~ persIading the Commissioners to
seek regular District appropriations to
cover the Districts costs, or (3 for the
p W. A. to make an outright grant
t. the District for the necessary Ana
costa area costs.
Engineers say the District would
have to construct one and quarter
miles Of trunk sewers to permit the
proposed Maryland connection. In
order to handle the Maryland flow,
between 100000 and 5000 900 gal
Ions per day, they say, the District
would have to build new pumping
station along the Anacostia, north of
Benning road NE. Furthermore, they
fear other sewer mains would have
to be enlarged and that they day
would be hastened when the District
treatment plant would have to be
enlarged. The cost, they say, would
be at least $250.000 at once, and that
the total District outlay might run
beyond ST 100000.
List of Approved Jobs.
Aside from these questions. how
ever, the P W. A. and the District
have settled upon projects which will
practically free the Piney Branch
and Rock Greek valleys of insanita-
ton and odors, vastly improve con-
ditions in Klingle Valley, in the Ma
comb street area which drains down
the Glover -Archbold and Foundry
Branch parkways, in the Good Hope
region Of Anacostia and in the region
Of the Navy Yard.
The list of approved District projects
is as follows:
Northeast boundary sewer replace
mont and repair, $355,00O.
City refuse garage, s20000
Klngle Valley enforcement sewers
ses.s55.
Coop Hope road divorcement sewers.
$4,000.
Macomb street area enforcement
sewers. s47870.
terceptors, $3,7lo,s0o.
Outfall sewer duplication, $4,000.
Flood Gates at sewage treatment
plant, $4,000.
oxon Run interceptor, section ?,
s70.375.
Enlarge Glenn Dale, Md, treatment
plant. s20,5Oo.
Arizona avenue interceptor (Ma-
comb street area). sos, 900.
s27,700.
The total OF this list is $l22,700
greater than the total approved to
date by the P. w. A. The latter two
projects will be included only if con-
tract prices on the other projects are
sufficiently low to ef1ect suf1cient
savings to permit inclusion of the two.
Maps Show.
The Star presents herewith maps OF
two sections of the District, showing
major points of pollution within the
District and steps planned to diminish
the problems. Some of the larger ex-
isting sewer mains and interceptorS
are indicated in solid lines, most all
of which are connected with vast net
work of smaller mains, not shown on
the maps for the purpose of simplify