Evening star., 1941-09-11
Water Rate Rise
Largely Due 10
u. 5. Needs
Proposal, However, Is
To Have Consumers
Puy Extra Costs

Pay Extra Costs |
Budget requests of the District
Water Department for the next
fiscal year call for raising the reve-
nue. to finance about $l,383, 900 in
capital outlays by increasing water
rates paid by Washington consumers,
despite the fact that necessity for
new plant facilities is due primarily
to the Federal Governments ex-
panded defense activities and with
out regard for the Federal Govern
ment's greatly increased use Of wa
ter from the local system-without
charge.
Instead of pressing for Federal
of the projected capital
outlays and for payment from the
Government for District water now
furnished free, Water Department
authorities propose to meet the
added costs through number OF
including:
/. Boosting assessment against
property owners for laying new
mains. from $3.50 linear foot to
$3.50-or by 1873 per cent.
2. BY increasing minimum me-
tered consumption rates by 81 per
cent, or from $8.75 to $12 a year.
(And incidentally reducing the min
imum allowance from $500 cubic
feet to 1890 cubic feet. Thus under
the new plan an average home
owner would have to pay $12 for
1900 cubic feet instead of the pres
ent $8.75 for $500 cubic feetD
8. BY increasing the minimum
rate for unmetered consumption
from $685. to $12.
Burden on Small Consumers.
Water Department officials admit,
moreover, that large proportion of
the anticipated increased revenues
would come from the small con-
sumers. About 80 per cent Of the
city's 115,0O0 consumers use less than
$500 cubic feet, and it is estimated
they would furnish about 38 per cent
of the additional revenues. And most
of the remaining revenues would
come from the 636 per cent Of the
consumers who use between 1900
and $4,000 cubic feet.
The Water Department recon-
contain no mention of
the possibility that the Federal
Government might pay something
toward the cost of the District wa
ter 1t uses.
officials admit that if the bare costs
of this service to the Federal Gov
ernment were paid, the District
would receive at least $500, 900 a
year. But they are very pessimistic
about getting the Federal Govern
mert to pay water rent-to the point
that they do not even plan to sug-
gest 1t.
The large degree to which ex-
panded defense activities in the Ma
tion's Capital are responsible for the
new capital outlay needs is demon
strated clearly in the fact that most
of the additional facilities are pro-
posed for Anacostia, where water
consumption has jumped enormously
along with the sections influx Of de-
fense workers.
There is, for example, the budget
request for $4,000 for an under
ground reservoir in Anacostia,
SIS 900 for pumping equipment in
the same area and another s240, 900
for a water tank at Fort Dupont in
that section.
Difference In Bookkeeping.
This $555 900 in expenditures that
the Water Department proposes to
make through increasing its reve-
nues from local consumers is ap-
parently as much the Federal Gov
ernment's responsibility, due to de-
fense activities, as the two water
main projects calling for SAL 900
that the District Commissioners seek
to finance through the Lanham Act.
In other words, If the 5000 900
main along the south bank of the
Anacostia and the $241 900 main in
another Anacostia section crowded
with defense families are directly at
tributable to defense and therefore
the Federal Government response
bility, why not the reservoirs and
new pumping equipment?
The difference would appear to be
only in bookkeeping. And, while
District authorities may explain that
they ask the Federal Government
for only part of the new require
ments because they have little hopes
of getting it all, that does alter the
fact that an unwarranted burden
would be placed on local consumers.
There is no suggestion by Water
Department officials that the cost of
plant extensions should be borne
mainly by the new users.
Relative importance of the free
water distributed to the Federal
Government is indicated by reports
of consumption for the last fiscal
year which show that the Federal
Government used about $3.50, ,000, 900
gallons-as compared with a do
mestic consumption of $500, ,000, 600
and a commercial consumption of
II, ,147, ,000, 900 gallons.
Piles of knitted and sewn garments