Evening star., 1950-11-19
Virginions Should Investigate

Vrgni0nS Sn0uld investigate
With citizens of Fairfax and Arlington on
record in favor of bond issues to finance sewage
treatment plants and Alexandria committed to
an early vote on the same proposition there is
every reason to believe the dangerous pollution of
the Potomac in this area will be eliminated
But it seems to The Star that the people of
these progressive communities should insist on
joint investigation to determine whether present
plans in sewage treatment are the wisest the
most efficient and the most economical
present plans contemplate construction of
three separate sewage disposal plants, each one
controlled by the political jurisdiction it is to
serve. This may be the right way to proceed
But there has been no real effort to find out It
could be that it is the wrong way and that in the
end it will be more expensive less efficient and
once 1t has gone too far difficult ever to correct
Ihere should be investigation by the
tnree communities, for example, to determine
whether it would be more efficient and less costly
to pipe sewage from Fairfax, Arlington and Alex
andria under the river for treatment at the Dis
tr1ct disposal plant. Some years ago adjacent
Maryland communities decided to construct
treatment plant on the Anacostia River The
plant was built. But agreements have been
reached, on the engineering level, under which
all adjacent Maryland sewage will be pumped to
the, District plant, and the Anacostia plant will
be abandoned. The agreements are now under
study by the legal authorities, with the prospect
That they will go into effect at an earlv date
II for any reason the Virginia communities
nnd that it is unwise or impractical to connect
With the District plant-which has the necessary
capaclty-an investigation should be made of
such alternatives as combining two or all three
OF the plants to be built by the counties.
There is nothing new in this proposal of a
joint investigation. The Potomac River Basin Com
mission has favored it. In April of 1s4s the North
ern Virginia Planning Commission recommended
1t. Alexandria quickly responded by an appro-
priation of $1,000 as it's share of the cost The
Fairfax supervisors were agreeable. Falls Church
favored it. But Arlington, which constructed its
own plant some years ago and is now planning
10 enlarge Its capacity concluded on advice of
engineering consultantS that this enlargement
was the best answer to its own problem and saw
nothing to be gained by any alternative So the
joint study got nowhere. Last May the planning
commission asked for reconsideration of the
joint investigation idea. Arlington again proved
the stumbling block, and Fairfax in the mean
time, had approved bond issue for Fairfax
plant Virginia'S Attorney General ruled that
money to be spent from the bond issue could not
be used in conjunction with another county
under the terms approved in the referendum.
There the matter seems to rest Certainly
1t should be revived in some form. substantial
sum of money is involved in the construction of
separate facilities. In the case of Arlington's
enlarged plant, it will remain a primary plant
which, in years to come, doubtless must be i'm
proved as to the degree of sewage treatment it
can furnish. The District plant is going to be
improved over the next few years in this respect,
and it can treat sewage much more cheaply-
perhaps half as much as it will cost in the
smaller plants. Alexandria's proposed plant will
be as efficient as the Districts improved plant,
but here again it might be more economical to
pump sewage under the river for treatment in
the District. The proposed location of Fairfax
CountyS plant has brought protests from prop
erty owners of the area.
1t does not seem that the best interests of the
taxpayers of the communities involved are being
served without some overall investigation to
determine whether separate plants are the right
answer. 1t is not too late now to have such an
investigation initiated. If its findings made
reconsideration of present plans necessary, in
cluding even additional referenda for approval,
resulting decisions might save money in the end
and produce more efficient method of disposal.