Evening star., 1951-05-15
Joint Goal: A Cleaner Potomac

Vlrglnla,S Water Control Board has done the
sensible thing in giving its qualified blessing to
regional engineering survey of sewage-d disposal
problems across the Potomac River While it is
true that the survey could have been conducted
without the boards official approval Alexandria's
participation in the joint enterprise was uncer-
tain otherwise. For Alexandria, quite under
standably, was reluctant to share the survey
costs if the State board insisted on action in
advance of the technical study. Such action
might have produced sewage treatment facilities
wholly at variance with recommendations of the
survey firms, with consequent serious loss of
public money.
The approval of the survey plan which the
State Water Control Board has given is condi-
tional one The board has not as yet agreed to
postpone the July l. 1852, deadline for establish
ment of an adequate sewage plant in Alexan-
dria. 1t has agreed, however, to accept periodic
reports on survey progress in lieu of other "ac-
tion reports" which had been demanded of the
city Implicit in this agreement, of course, is
the probability that if the survey reports show
progress toward a satisfactory plan for joint
treatment of sewage in the Alexandria Arlington
Fairfax-Falls Church area time will be granted
for putting the plan into effect
After all, the State board and the nearby
Virginia communities have their eyes on the
same objective, the cleaning up of the nearly
date. The only differences have been over the
best method or methods of attaining that objec-
tive-whether 1t would be better to tackle the Job
Immediately on piecemeal, independent basis or
await the results of the survey and possibly join
hands In an overall disposal system that would
be more effective in the long run and would, per-
haps save money for the taxpayers. The State
board had been insisting on immediate, inde-
pendent action until last weeks conference in
Richmond. Alexandrias representative at the
conference, Councilman Albert A. Smoot,
summed the situation up forcefully when he told
the board: II would hate to have the RESPONSE
bility on my shoulders of making decision to go
ahead with something costly that, in the near
future, would be totally Inadequate and
unusable"
Alexandria's problem is different from that
Of either Arlington or Fairfax County. Both of
the counties have the money and the plans for
separate treatment plants and both will proceed
with those projects, hoping that the new facilities
will fit in with an overall disposal plan. Alex
andria has delayed action because of the recent
annexation proceedings and other complications.
The State board naturally has been impatient
with these delays and resentful of Alexandrias
seeming defiance of the board in the case of the
Hunting Towers apartment, sewage from which
empties into the river without treatment How
ever, Alexandria was the first to propose joint
treatment facilities, move which finally led to
adoption of the survey plan. 1t is now evident
that Alexandria is sincerely concerned over the
rivers pollution and that the city will spare no
effort to arrive at an early abatement of condi-
tions The State board has indicated its willing
ness to meet Alexandria and the other nearby
Jurisdictions half way on the regional survey and
action proposal. It is up to the local communities
to live UP to their end of the bargain by pressing
for early completion of the survey and losing no
time in acting on the engineers report