Evening star., 1938-09-29
SUBURBAN GROUP
TALKS WITH |CKES
0NSEWAGEPLANT
Project Would Eliminate
Much of Pollution in
AnaCostia River.
PREVIOUS APPLICATION
ALSO UNDER DISCUSSION
Alexandria officials Consider
Seeking Federal Funds for
Disposal Station.

Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission officials today were con-
ferring with Secretary of the Interior
Harold L. Ickes regarding a P. w. A.
ALLEGATION for disposal plant that
would eliminate pollution of the
Anacostia River by sewage from
suburban Maryland.
During its discussions the group
also was to take up the possibility of
Secretary Ickes anp~C
application made by the sanitary
body for Federal funds ,.... .u
end the emptying of sewage into the
Potomac River from the western sec
ton OF Montgomery County.
Meanwhile, steps also were being
taken today to expedite the work of
Kidding the Potomac of pollution from
neighboring communities on the Vir-
ginia shore.
Alexandra officials were consider
ing filing preliminary application for
P. w. A. funds with which to con-
struct sewage disposal plant in that
municipality. The application would
have to be entered by tomorrow.
Meeting to Discuss Pf1ns.
The Falls Church Chapter of the
1zaak Walton League will hold meet
ing in the Masonic Temple at East
Falls Church tonight to discuss, among
other matters, campaign for the
elimination Of pollution in the Poto-
mac along the upper reaches of the
river.
Members of the Washington Sub
urban Sanitary Commission, which
serves both Prince Georges and Mont
gomery Counties, declared that ap-
proval of their two proposals would
close all but few of the sewer out
lets through which untreated sewage
is flowing from suburban Maryland
into the Potomac and it's tributaries.
The remaining outlets. they added,
will be connected with the District of
Columbia's disposal plant and the
Maryland plant, which they propose
to erect at Bladensburg as rapidly as
current funds will permit They said
this would require but brief time.
1t was explained by representatives
OF the sanitary body that approxi-
mately $4,000 would be required to
build a disposal plant at Bladens-
burg. The matter was discussed at
length with Secretary Ickes yesterday
and the concluding discussions were
begun this afternoon.
Owns 1o-Acre Tract.
The plant would be built on a 10
acre tract of land which the MARYLAND
commission owns on River road i'm.
mediately south of Bladensburg and
would be connected with the COM
missions trunk sewers running from
communities in the eastern section of
Montgomery County and the entire
suburban section of Prince Georges
County.
Those sewers now empty into
Northwest Branch and Sligo Creek, the
sewage flowing into the Anacostia
from those tributaries.
Sewage which now flows from Be-
thesda. Edgemoor, certain section OF
Chevy Chase and from other suburban
communities to the west of those
areas into Little Falls Branch would
be cared for under a previous applica-
ton for P. w. A. FUNDS which the
Sanitary Commission filed several
weeks ago.
The application calls for s2O6, 900.
and a portion of that sum would be
utilized to link those trunk lines with
the District Of Columbia disposal
| plant.
Steps were taken some time ago that
enabled the commission to connect
sewers from Kensinigton, Chevy Chase
and other communities lying along
Rock Creek with the District plant.
Would End Menace.
J. Darby Bowman, secretary of the
commission, said today that approval
OF the two projects, the application
already before the P. w. A. admins
traitor and the one under discussion to-
day, would virtually clean up pollu-
ton from Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties
Mr.. Bowman said the commission
would use current revenues to COM
plete the task Of cleaning up pollution
by connecting "the few remaining
sewer outlets. all of comparative minor
importance" with disposal plants. He
said work of joining small sewers with
the trunks that flow into the District
plant has been going on for some time.
Representing the commission at the
conference with Secretary Ickes are
Commissioners T. Howard Duckett,
Emory H. Bogley and j. Donald Cla-
gett and their chief engineer, Harry r.
Hall.
Oh1cials of Alexandria and the
Izaak Walton League were planning
to confer today on the question Of
whether Alexandria would file a pre-
liminary application with P. w. A.
for loan to construct a sewer plant
at Alexandria.
The deadline for P. w. A. applica.
tons tomorrow night brings the prob
lem to climax. Alexandria oficials
were reported to be in somewhat of a
quandry because the Alexandria sewage
system Is In . double watershed. This
may or may not require two disposal
plants.
Secretary 1ckes had intimated at Q
conference on pollution yesterday that
II Alexandria hopes to get in under
the deadline 1t should at least file q
preliminary application. He was
quoted as indicating he would do
everything he could under the law to
consider such request, even though
In preliminary form.
Dr.. Bloedorn Is Host.