Greenbelt cooperator. (Greenbelt, Md.) 1937-1954, 1940-05-16
Photo by Fosnight
By Anne Hull

Greenoelt's water cones from SO, 900, 900 gallon
reservoir at Burnt Mills, northeast of Silver
Springs. Originally, it planned to have the
Town supply It's own water, from wells, but it was
found that the local underground supply would not
provide sufficiently steady flow.
The Lake, dam, and puri fl cation eo,i rmen+ Of
6urnt MILLS Is maintained by WASHINGTON Suburban
Sanitary Comm on, which serves all the towns in
France Georges and Montgomery counties which lie in
the Metropolitan Area, that is, the territory be-
tween Glen Echo and Cabin south to oxon Hill.
The Comm ssion, public corporation set up by
state legislature in 1918, charges for the a
maximum base rate of twenty cents per thousand GAL
Ions. The total water bill Greenbelt tenants is
divided proport onately among then, according the
size of their dwelling space.
Greenbelt annually about IS million gallons
of water for all purposes. The average person
50 gallons daily, but the town provides 100 gallons
per person daily to take of abnormal demands,
possible pipe stoppages, and forth.
At Burnt Mills, the water is continually tested
for impuri and test samples frequently taken
from points along the line The water at Greenbelt
is tested several times weekly. Chlorine is the
principal chemical used to purify water, it has
natural affinity for impurities and bacteria, unit
ing with, and neutralizing then. The presence of
chlorine cannot be detected until than enough
to overcome pollution has been added. Our drinking
water contains two three parts per million have
you noticed2
The water in the swimming pool is kept as pure as
the drinking supply, and extra chemicals added
because of the increased danger of impurities to
which unprotected and frequently used body of
is bject. The pool water did not once require
changing last summer, as the efficient purifying
system kept it constantly free of pollution.
There are ten miles of pipe In town, ranging from
the fourteen inch cast iron mains to the three-quar
ter inch copper service pipes going into the
The lines are laid four feet underground prevent
freezing. And, although the gardeners may at
the clay soil, it it's ideal when it comes
digging trenches for pipe. Clay bitches hold their
shapes and don't in.
The laying of the pipes began in lay, 1896, along
Crescent Road, the head of the lake. The
were in place later, and the smaller pipes and
house connections completed in another year. This
work engaged many $50 at time, off and
and four trenching nachines. After the sections
of pipe had been fitted together, the joints
made tight with oal0m, asbestos, and melted lead.
The pipelines then sterilized WI tn a mixture
containing liquid chlorine.
Our carefully planned water system is the key
for Greenbelts having the lowest fire
ance rate in North America, according to Harvey Vim
cent, the town engineer. Contri butirg
the racti fireproof construc tion houses,
the spacing of our fifty fire MIGRANTS, and on.
The water tower Hurley Hill Whic dominates
northern horizon holds two million gallons,
enough to cover the towns needs for ten days. It
is placed high enough to create pressure Of forty
to fifty pounds per inch, but it needs to be
kept full in order to maintain this. Should the
ter level In the tower fall service to the second
stories on block would suffer first, reports NJ.
Vincent. Suggested MOTTO for the Engineering Depart
ment: Keep it up.