Evening star., 1941-09-24
Nearby Maryland,
Parched by Drought,
Urged 10 Save Wafer
Increased Building Factor
In Creating Shortage;
D. c. Supply Adequate
(Ptcture on Pare As

Warning that Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties. Md, face
a water shortage, the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission to-
day called on water consumers to
take all reasonable precautions to
prevent waste and to refrain from
watering lawns and shrubbery.
The commission said increased
building operations in the area, in
cluding housing projects, and the
recent lack of rain have brought
about the condition. The dry con-
householders TO engage in much
sprinkling of lawns, the commits
sion said in a statement released
through j. Donald Clagett, mem
Der.
No such alarm exists in WASH
ington. however, Humphrey Beck
EFT. superintendent of the District
Water Department, said. pointing
out that the city gets its supply
from the Potomac River at Great
Falls, where there is an abundance
Washington present consumption
of about 100000 gallons daily
can be maintained indefinitely, he
said
Reserve Margin Dwindles.
The Sanitary Commission said
the steady reduction in the safe
margin of reserve" prompted the
appeal for conservation of the
supply.
In mentioning the accelerated
building projects resulting from the
great influx of national defense
workers into Washington as one of
the ajor contributors to the sit
uation, the statement said:
The total amount of mains to
be constructed this year and the
number of new houses connected
to the system will exceed anything
that has ever been experienced dur
ing the entire % years of the COM
missions existence" the statement
read.
During August and September a
sharp lack of rainfall has added to
the drought the Eastern section has
been experiencing since the first OF
the year. the Weather Bureau re-
ported. The normal in Washington
for August is 4.01 inches, while only
1872 inches fell this year. The nor
NAL for September is 324 inches,
and only about SO of an inch has
fallen so far.
The Weather Bureau could offer
no relief today, saying no rain Is In
sight for several days at least.
9-Inch Shortage for Year.
For the whole year, Washington
has a 9-inch shortage. Added to
this, the Weather Bureau said, is
the light snowfall of last winter.
Snow adds greatly to the under
ground water supply when it melts.
The Sanitary Commission de-
clared, however, that increase of the
supply is planned for the immediate
future. Late in the fall, work will
be begun on dam on the PatuXent
River, near Brighton, which will
form lake over five miles long con-
tanning more than 5000, ,000 900 gal
Ions of water. Only recently the
commission completed a leakage
survey of the entire system and
halted the waste of 5O0,0 900 gallons
daily this way.
Harry r. Hall, chief engineer of
the suburban commission. said
water consumption last month ran
at daily average of 100000 to
10000 gallons. During the week
ending Saturday consumers used
1O, O,0OO,O0 gallons daily, in contrast
to a normal consumption last year
for the same period of 100000
The commission has installed over
$500 additional water connections
since last September, Mr.. Hall said.
This means, that about 1000 to
5000 more people are using water
supplied by the commission. Ordi-
narily, however, such an added pop
ulation would increase consumption
by only 100000 gallons daily, instead
OF the present increase Of 5000, 900.