Evening star., 1951-03-16
Second OF T1Uo Articles.

ambitious $3.2 million sewag
disposal system. 1t can be don
more cheaply by joint action thai
by individual effort. officials hav
found.
Actually, both cities were bein
put under pressure by Healtl
Departments of their respectiv
, States and the Virginia Wate
Control Board. headed by E
Blackburn Moore of Berryville
and the Tennessee Stream Pol
luton Board.
Why of Sewage Situation.
There has been sewag
situation here which, paradoxi
cally, was helped by induStria
contamination. This is why:
Beaver Greek flows through thu
heart of town. Eventually it flow
into the Tennessee River and th
IVA network of power and f1oot
control dams.
The sewage of nearly 42,00t
persons (including the metro.
polltan area) flows raw and un.
treated into this stream.
Chemicals Offset Bacteria.
Partially offsetting this flowing
cesspool are the waste discharge.
from large tannery and a paper
milL The strong chemicals, harm
full to fish and other aquatic life
act in some measure as a olsen
fectant which kills off certain
amount of bacteria in the sewage
Fortunately. these plants are neal
the north edge of Bristol, Va. sc
that. the chemical protection
accidental and incomplete as ii
is-extends through most of the
two cities.
Tennessee. by the geography OF
things, is harmed more by the
pollution than is Virginia, but
it is not an entirely one sided
situation.
About a third Of the sewage
of Bristol. Tenn. flows into Bristol,
Va, at the east and west ends
of State street, before emptying
into Beaver Greek to return into
Tennessee.
Mr.. Morrison, the Virginia city
manager, had a hand in the plans
for Joint action almost from their
inception. In 1946 he was a
district engineer with the Federal
Works Agency in Atlanta when
the two cities obtained a $4,000
loan to prepare plans.
Long Series of Conferences.
Then the city commissioners OF
Bristol, Tenn. and the Mayor and
City Council of Bristol, Va. began
a long series of conferences with
one another and with their repre-
sentatives in their respective State
Legislatures to get necessary laws
passed.
At the outset, they were con-
fronted with a situation in which
neither city could condemn OF
hold title to property lying within
the other State. Such a condition
would not exist in Northern Vir-
ginia if Arlington, Alexandria
Falls Church and Fairfax Joined
together on similar public projects
as has been proposed.
The two Bristols agreed that the
Tennessee city should actually own
the plant two miles south of the
city and all of the trunk and
lateral lines in Bristol, Tenn.
"It was one series of headaches, y
recalls G. Maurice Conn. Tennes-
see Bristol's commissioner OF
streets and public property.
Perpetual Contract.
1t was agreed that the two cities
would enter into a perpetual con-
tract so that Tennessee Bristol
which had the power of condem-
nation, would operate the plant
and prepare a separate budget for
the system. The two cities then
would split construction and fu-
ture maintenance costs equally.
The Tennessee city had to get
authorization from it's Legislature
to issue sufficient bonds to pay
its share.
Both cities had to have laws
passed giving them authority to
force patrons to connect and to
collect bills.
The Tennessee side did this in
1947 while the Virginia city had
its charter amended at the 1850
General Assembly.
The laws permit the two cities tc
cut off the water of any user who
refuses to pay sewer bills. Also
rates will be partially determined
by the amount of water consump-
ton. Industrial plants in Virginia
which are taking steps to meet
State Water Control Board re-
quirements, will be given specia,
rates when they no longer dis
charge contaminated matter.
First Bids Too High.
First bids on the project were
100000 over the original cost
estimates so it was decided tc
leave out some section to be added
as money becomes available, ac-
cording to Mr.. Conn, who will have
direct responsibility for mainte-
nance and operation of the plant
The capacity of the new plant, y
Mr.. Conn. said. will be 8 million
gallons per 24=hour day. The
completed project will consist OF
eight pumping stations, all loca-
ted in Tennessee. Two of these
stations will be Jointly owned and
and operated by the two cities as
will the plant.
Approximately IS miles OF
sewers from 8 to ~ inches, in di-
ameter will be installed"