Evening star., 1944-07-09
Plans
To Ask Action
On Water.bi|I
End to Divided
Control in D. c.
System Is Sought
BY DON 8. WARREN.

BY DON 8. WARREN.
AS soon as Congress resumes
work, Senator McCarran, Demo-
crat, Of Nevada, will seek action on
his bill to recognize the Districts
hydra headed" water system which
would place it under a single au-
thority and treat it as a regulated.
self sustaining public utility, he said
yesterday.
The Nevada Senator said he hoped
1t would be possible for Congress to
pass the bill before the end of this
session since increase in water rates
as well as providing a sounder and
more efficient management of the
system, now under divided control.
Based on Lengthy Study.
The McCarran bill is based on
several years of detailed study by
the Senate subcommittee made
under the direction of a Senate
resolution which resulted in a state
ment Of conclusions and recon-
mendations June by r. v. L.
Wright, who was on loan for the
investigation from the Bureau of
Reclamation, Interior Department
A partial report had been made
IN December, 1912. by Frederick H
Weed. an earlier investigator.
The bill has been referred to the
Senate District Committee. Since
Congress recessed for the political
party conventions and a vacation
shortly after the bill was introduced
there has been no action as yet, but
Committee Chairman Bilbo Is ex-
pected to make subcommittee soon
after Congress reconvenes. Sena-
tor McCarran will seek prompt con-
sideration.
Control Of the Districts water
supply system, the Washington
Aqueduct, now is vested in the Army
Engineer Corps, while management
Of the distribution system, the billing
and collection, rests with the Dis
trlct government. The McCarran
bill proposes that control be placed
with new National Capital Metro
politan Water Administration. This
agency would be headed by a board
consisting of the engineer commits
sioner of the District, as chairman,
who would represent District govern
ment interests; a lawyer in the
Federal service, to be appointed by
the President, and public repre-
sentative, named by the Commits
sioners, who must have been for
five years bona fide resident of the
District. A managing director. to
be paid $4,000 year. would direct
the system and carry out the policy
of the board.
Change Declared Needed.
The report of the investigating
subcommittee. headed by Senator
McCarran and including Senators
Clark. Democrat. of Idaho, and Hol-
man. Republican, of Oregon, states:
obviously. success of the new
agency requires discontinuance of
the present practice of depending
upon the Commissioners of the Dis
trict, or upon fiscal officers who
may not know and cannot be ex-
pected to know the needs of a
waterworks, or upon the Congress
and the President of the United
States. for decisions in minor mat
ters concerning which they may
lack the interest, time, or experience
to judge promptly and wisely.
The present system requires
preparation of budgets at least l8
and in some instances two,
three or even four years, in advance
of expected expenditures. Since it
often happens that budgets are cut
before receiving final approval, the
habit has been developed of asking
more than the authorization which
is expected to be obtained, or which
Is necessary.
"As budgets are progressively en-
larged, both original requests and
authorizations are progressively in
creased, and the temptation con-
stantly exists to utilize the full
amount of an authorization regard
less of the necessity for such use.
Even aside from the fact that i'm
mediate needs of a waterworks can
not possibly be forecast accurately
and economically SO far in advance,
the evils of the system outlined
must be Immediately apparent"
The proposed plan would cut off
the water administration from
Congressional appropriations and
would make it sustain itself and
provide for expansion and replace
ments out of it's revenues and the
use of long term loans, which would
be authorized. There would be no
free water for the Federal or Dis
trict Governments, only churches
and charities being permitted to
have water service free. if the Nc
Carran plan Is adopted.