Evening star., 1950-06-20
Expansion Plans
kayAvert72%
Water RateR Rise
Districts Proposal
For Treasury Loon
Could Ease Burden
By Horriet Griffiths

Dy 7orrler SrlffithS
The Districts plan for borrow.
ing money from the Treasury tt
expand the water system may
spare consumers a 72.5 per cent
rate increase over the next five
years.
Officials estimate that much ot
q jump would be needed for i'm
mediate requirements between
1850 and 1856. if there were nc
borrowing program.
If the work were distributed
over the years from 1851 to 1866
"a plan the officials consider
dangerous II the rate increase
might be 48 per cent.
Under the bill signed recently
by President Truman. however
the District may borrow up to $2a
million over the next 10 years tc
apply on an orderly program
totaling more than $67 million in
the next 80 years. This plan con-
templates that water revenues at
the present rate and balance in
the water fund will provide for
the whole program.
Act Authorizes Loans.
The borrowing act merely au-
thorizes the loans, at an interest
rate to be determined by the Sec
retary of the Treasury. The Dis
trict will have to get specific ap-
proval of each loan from Con-
gress.
The contemplated amount for
the next fiscal year is $1,405, 900.
This would be part of a proposed
total expenditure for the first year
OF more than 81 million.
WaShington's problem is not
the same as that of New York
City or other critical areas, where
the difficulty is the source of the
water supply. There is plenty
OF water in the Potomac. But
there are not enough facilities
to obtain it. process it and deliver
1t to the consumer.
Thinking Behind Plan.
The thinking behind the bor-
rowing plan is this:
The major elements of the orig
1nal water system, built about 80
years ago. are still in use, and
will continue indefinitely into the
future. Likewise. the projects in
the new construction program will
serve many future generations.
Why, then, should today's con-
sumerS meet the. whole cost of
these works? Even with borrow
ing, they will pay half the cost of
the new facilities required by
1860, and all of the expense for
plant additions after that date.
Three Factors in Plan.
Three factors figure largely in
the revision of the SAL million
plan developed by the District
and the Army Engineers in 1946
to run to 1870:
l. The temporary drop in water
consumption expected to follow
the war did not materialize. In
stead. Washington water demands
have continued to grow at
disturbing" rate.
2. Construction and operating
costs have increased enormously
since the 1946 study.
3. The Federal Government
has been using more water than
it pays for. In fiscal 1949, for
instance, the Government used
$l,218,000 worth of water and
paid ST. million.
The Districts water consump-
tion during fiscal 1949 averaged
1861 million gallons a day. This
rate of consumption was not an
ticipated in the 1946 report un-
til 1856.
Demands Rise Steadily.
Demands for water have in
creased each year. No temporary
postwar drop in population has
been reflected. At the same time
the per capita use has increased.
This is attributed to several
things, including:
Rapid construction of new
housing, giving improved living
facilities and conveniences.
Increase in on-governmental
workers, visitors and tourists from
outside the city.
Resumption in expansion of
commercial and business activities
Installation of new refrigera-
tion and air-conditioning equip
ment.
Water system improvements
under the old program so far per-
formed or budgeted from 1916
through 1850 total $1O,261 900, as
compared with the estimate OF
$6,746,000. In addition, $704 ,00O
worth of improvements not in that
program have been tabulated.
Cost Index 81 Per Cent Higher.
The construction cost index for
the present estimates is some 81
per cent higher than that on
which the 1916 program was
based.
This is set forth in review of
the water system requirements
and construction program by Da-
vid Auld. superintendent of the
District Water Division, which dis
tributes the water, and Edwin A.
Schmitt, chief of the Washington
Aqueduct of the Army Engineers
which supplies it.
They point out that the poten-
tial maximum" has not yet been
experienced since the war load
developed. That is to say that
summer weather in general has
been highly favorable, with moth
ing comparable to the droughts
and heat waves of 1914 and 1880
Even so, the rather normal
summer last year, produced an
all-time record peak day of 241,-
100000 gallons in water consump-