Evening star., 1942-05-05
Appropriations Unit
backsP!an 10 Meet
Heavy Expenditures
Departments Budget
Includes $l.l05, 900
For Urgent Projects
BY JAMES E. CHINN.


trict appropriation bill reported to
the House today.
The authority was asked by Water
Department officials as a means of
dealing with delinquent water rent
payers and at the same time enable
the recovery Of nearly 100000 in
uncollected bills.
An existing 83-year-old law gives
the department authority to cut of
the supply of a delinquent water
rent payer, and charge a fee of 50
and costs for restoring service when
numerous, 1t was brought out at
hearings before an Appropriations
Subcommittee, the department is
unable to cut of the supply of all
Of them.
The 10 per cent penalty would be
added to bills payable on and after
July l. Belief was expressed by
Budget Officer Walter Fowler it will
eliminate from rs to 80 per cent of
the delinquencies.
Seeks to Prevent Deficit.
The penalty for deInquencies is
the first definite step taken to keep
the Water Department, which is
self sustaining, from going into the
red due to the extraordinary de-
mands being made on it for in
creased services. As an illustration
the appropriation bill carries So
404, 1896 for its operation in the new
hscal year, $1,105 900 Of which Is
earmarked for urgently needed
projects, the majority of which are
designed to increase facilities in the
boom sections of Anacostia and
other Southeast areas.
The principal project for which
$240,0 900 is allocated is a reser-
voir near Stanton Park. The other
projects and the amount provided
for them follow:
l. Continuance Of construction of
a water main from Thirteenth and
Upshur streets NV. to Thirteenth
and Otis streets NE, $2o0,000.
2. Construction of a water main
In the vicinity of Second and C
streets Sc, $250,000.
g. Construction of elevated water
tanks near the Fort Dupont res
ervation, $235,0O0.
4. Completion of the covered res
ervoir adjacent to the Mcmillan
filter plant, $4,000.
Higher Rate Study Urged.
StrnSSin0 tho c1,rip -.
the Water Departments reserve
funds, the Appropriations Commit
tee in its report to the House rec
ommended- that, q, study be made
with view to legislative action in
creasing water rates.
1T is clear" the report declared,
that the District soon will be faced
with the problem Of meeting total
expenditures from the water fund
out of current revenues, the solu-
ton OF which probably will rest
IN the increasing Of water rates"
Maj. John Blake Gordon, direc-
tor OF sanitary engineering, also
stressed, during hearings on the
bill, the problem confronting the
Water Department in providing
needed extensions to service. He
pointed out an outlay Of $4,000, 900
to SIS 900 900 would be required in
the next few years to meet the de-
mands. Wartime demands, he said,
already had caused the District to
use UP $l,226,267 of the water re-
serve fund. This surplus, set aside
Tor major expansion programs, he
explained, now has dwindled to
s610,354.
Additions Long Foreseen.
The fund had been invested in
Government securities and was
started several years ago after
scientific surveys showed even then
that population growth and de-
mands indicated the need for cost
ly additions to both the water sup
ply and distribution systems.
While eMaj. Gordon was testifying,
Chairman Mahon Of the Appropria-
tions Subcommittee which conduct
ed hearings on the bill, commented: ::
You are eating up your reserve
In hurry. Would not a change
In the water rate rectify that sit
uation?"
That is under consideration, A"
Maj. Gordon replied. The Com
mlssioners are very loath to increase
the water rates unless they feel as
sured it is necessary"
Maj. Gordon recalled that funds
had been provided the Senate Dis
trict Committee to investigate the
needs of the Water Department and
expressed belief this inquiry might
give guide to whether water rents
should be advanced. Then, he
added:
Another question that will un-
ooubtedly come up before this in
yestigating committee is whether
the Federal Government should pay
for the water used by the Federal
Government. which at the present
time is furnished free by the Dis
trict."
None From Federal Payment.
Representative Mahon aske
whether the annual s6,000,O00 Fed
eral payment toward District ex-
penses should be considered partly
as payment for water. Mai. Corridor
explained the Water Department re.
ceives no part of the Fedora
payment, since water services art
financed out of water revenues anc
not the general fund.
Commissioner Young remarked
that if the United States paid fol
the water it uses, its share of water
costs would range between $500 ,OOt
and 100000 a year.
Arlington County, Va, is tn,
water departments best cash Gus
toner" E. A. Schmitt, head en-
gineer of the Washington aqueduct
disclosed during the hearings.
His statement was provoked b,
Representative Stefan, Republican
of Nebraska, who inquired to wha
extent Arlington County is paying
toward the water supplied it by tn,
District.
Ntyr