Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-09-11
A Million Asked
To Improve DC.
Wafer System
Budget Proposal
Calls for Increases
Up to 100 Per Cent
BY DON s. WARREN.

By DON S. WARREN.
To keep pace with Washington's
growing population and to start i'm
provements that soon will become
necessary, an outlay of nearly
100000 for the water supply and
distribution systems is requested in
the 1945 water division estimates,
made public today.
The proposed expenditures next
year (of 1898, 584) would represent
an increase of about IS per cent
over this year, most of the boost
being for facilities to expand the
water supply. For the water supply
system alone, the proposed increase
is we'll over 100 per cent.
Such budget sets up prospects
of deficit of $504,652 in the water
fund at the end of the next year,
which might require use of a por-
ton of invested reserve funds built
up in recent years in anticipa ton
of large capital OUTLAWS.
However, war priorities again next
year may delay some of the projects,
as happened last year, and thereby
convert deficit into a surplus.
Furthermore, it is pointed out that
this year the water division is in
vesting $4,000 in Government Sc
curities against future needs.
Request for Aoueduct.
For the Washington aqueduct, the
supply branch, the War Depart
ment district engineer asks for ap-
preparations of $2,328,518, of which
nearly 81, 400, 900 would be for CAPT.
tai Improvements. For all aqueduct
purposes this year only 5000 ,028 was
appropriated.
For the distribution system, oper-
ated by the District Water Depart
ment, s1,6l0,066 is requested, an in
crease of $570,686 over current ap-
preparations. New funds for capital
improvements would be stepped up
from $155, 900 to $3.50, 900.
On the supply side, a number of
large expenditures are proposed to
permit the system to keep pace with
increased demands and to anticipate
still larger future needs. The larg-
est new outlay would be SITS 900 to
remodel the Georgetown reservoir
to provide dual system of sedi-
mentation basins. Officials said it
had been necessary to step up the
output of the Mcmillan filter plant
to 10000, 900 gallons daily and that
If this is to be maintained it would
be necessary to remove large
amounts of sedimentation far more
frequently. Provision of an addi-
tional sedimentation basin at the
Georgetown reservoir, they added,
Is necessary to assure continuous
operation of the Mcmillan filter
plant. s4a~ Rn
Other Capital Items.
Other large capital items re-
quested by the supply division in
clude $4,000 for machinery and
other equipment at the Mcmillan
booster pumping station; $4,000 to
increase the capacity of three Nc
MILAN pumping units; $45 1000 for
construction of bypass connection
between the Dalecarlia penstock
and the Georgetown reservoir con-
duit, needed to remove a bottleneck
In the supply lines; $4,000 for re-
Mobilization and repair of the Nc
MILAN filters; $4,000 for installa-
ton Of surface sand-washing facili-
ties at the Dalecarlia filters; $94, 900
for replacement of shop and store
house facilities for the Dalecarlia
and Mcmillan filter plants, and
$4,000 for modification of diver
sion works at the Great Falls in
take, preparatory to construction of
new intakes later.
On the latter item, officials
pointed out that since the Great
Falls intake screens are unprotected,
huge quantities of logs, leaves, trash
and other debris at times are carried
against them During the flood
period of October 1918 last year
the entrance channels became so
clogged that the flow of water into
the conduits was shut off, officials
said. 1t is proposed to build a
diversion structure in the river be-
You'd the intakes to prevent such
blockage.
$4,000 Asked for Plans.
For preparation of plans for in
creasing the water supply, the sup
ply division seeks $4,000 for the
next year, as against $4,000 for
this year.
A feature of the distribution sys-
tenn budget for the new year is a
request for 1925 900 for cleaning and
lining of water mains, an increase
of 100000 over this year. Water
Department officials said such an
expenditure would provide for a