Evening star., 1950-08-15
Arlington Seeks
Bond Issuefor
Sewer Project
Board Votes to Notify
State of Intention to
Ask for Referendum

A bond issue is Arlington's
answer to Virginia's demand foc
plan to end pollution of the
Potomac with untreated county
sewage.
The County Board last night
instructed County Manager A. T.
Lundberg to tell the State Water
Control Board in Richmond to-
day that within six months it will
petition the Circuit Court to set a
referendum on a bond issue to
finance expansion of the sewage
treatment plant.
The State Board will determine
whether the county has met the
deadline for producing a definite
proposal for added sewage treat
ment facilities.
At it's June meeting, the board
gave the county until August Is
to make definite plans, or face q
formal order requiring it to do so.
The board will decide whether to
issue such an order, which has
the force of law. 1t has done so
only once in its four-year history.
Mr.. Lundberg was to be ac-
companied by County Public Serv-
ice Director Richard M. Writ at
Richmond.
6 Million Gallons Untreated.
Arlington now treats SIS million
gallons of sewage daily but an
ESTIMATED million gallons is
dumped untreated each day into
the Potomac at Four-Mile Run.
Mrs. Florence Cannon said Sat-
urday that she would propose a
bond issue at last nights recessed
meeting and her original motion
last night set the amount at
$2,617,000. That figure had been
estimated by county administra-
tive officials as the amount nee
essary to expand the plant to a
20-million-gallon daily capacity;
build two new pumping stations.
and lay some trunk lines.
AS finally adopted, however. the
motion made no mention Of the
amount. The board agreed that
the amount and the type of bonds
whether general or revenue
would be set later.
Prior to the action, the board
heard a plea for financing the
construction without bond issue.
Mrs. Ruby Simpson, deputy coun-
ty treasurer, read a letter from
County Treasurer John Locke
Green which suggested the plant
expansion be financed out of cur
rent funds. Mr.. Green told the
board that if those funds were not
sufficient, the board could resort
to short term borrowing. Under
such procedure, Mr.. Green said.
the plant could be paid for in 3
to 4 years without the necessity
of bond issue.
Paul o. Peters, a member of
the Arlington-Fairfax Chapter of
the IZaak Walton League, asked
that the bond issue be voted on at
the November general election.
Mr.. Peters said the matter can
not be postponed indefinitely He
said the necessary number of vot-
erS' signatures to force the ref
erendum could be obtained with
out any trouble.
Pollution Called Shame"
Terming pollution of the Poto-
mac and other waterways
shame and a disgrace" Mr..
Peters said an assessment of 81 to
SIS annually per family would re-
tire the bonds necessary to finance
the end of the pollution.
Board Chairman Daniel A.
Dugan told Mr.. Peters the board
will look to the Izaak Walton
League "for support" when the
vote is taken.
The board also named member
ship of the Advisory Committee
on County Government Organiza-
ton and Procedures. The COM
mittee was authorized at Satur-
days meeting. Named were Gus
tave Moe, chief budget examiner
of the Budget Bureau; Mrs. Kath-
ryn Stone, a former national vice
president of the League of Women
Voters; William Winston, Riggs
Bank official; Howard Cannon, a
Budget Bureau employe, and Mrs.
Mary Frances Chace, certified
public accountant and president
of the Arlington Quota Club. All
are Arlington residents.
The board also agreed to confer
next Tuesday in connection with
proposal by the Clarendon Volun-
teer Fire Department that the
county purchase the departments
property at 1905 North Hudson
street.