Evening star., 1951-05-11
Sewage Survey
Awaits State
Board Decision
Woter Agency Says
Alexandra Delay
Is Sole Concern
ps AlI~Ars.
BY Mary Lou Werner
Stor Stoff Corrsspondenf

Stor Sfotf Correspondent
RICHMOND, May 11.-A deci-
sion of the Virginia State Water
Control Board was awaited today
on proposed engineering survey
to determine the best method Of
sewage disposal for Arlington.
Alexandria. Falls Church and
Fairfax.
After hearing details of the pro-
posed survey outlined yesterday
by an interim committee Of the
four communities, Water Board
members said the only question
they must decide is whether Alex
andria should be permitted to hold
up construction of a separate
sewage disposal plant before the
six-month survey is completed.
Alexandria now is under orders
from the Water Board to have
sewage treatment facilities inaop-
GRAFTON hy July /, 1852.
E. Blackburn Moore, board
chairman. said he believes the
survey could go ahead without
the Water Boards approval or
disapproval. But officials of the
Northern Virginia communities
and their engineers said it is i'm
portant that Alexandria be per-
mitted to wait, for several rea-
sons.
Several Areas a Problem.
1.-THE problem in Alexandria is
that they have three or four
drainage areas" said Arlington
County Manager A. T. Lundberg.
For a separate plant they would
have to construct interceptor sew
ers in one direction, and for q
regional proposition it is likely
that the interceptor system would
have to flow in the opposite direc-
ton"
Mr.. Lundberg added that the
situation is different in Arling-
ton and Fairfax, where plans are
going ahead for individual dis
posal plants, although the two
communities at the same time
propose to" participate in the re-
gional survey. In those jurisdic-
tions, he explained, sewage flows
almost naturally to the plant
locations. -
Cites Rapid Growth.
Albert A. Smoot reminded the
Water Board that the Northern
Virginia area '"is growing very
rapidly and the value Of this sur
vey is that we can expect to solve
the pollution problem for 50 years
or more" &
At the end of four months, the
engineers said. it may be possible
to tell whether Alexandria should
go ahead with its independent
plant. Within six months, they
said, the survey will be complete.
Estimates Design Delays.
If the answer is to pipe sewage
to the District, the engineers esti-
mated it would take another six
to design the siphon. If
the answer is a combination Of
disposal plants on the Virginia
side of the river, the engineers
estimated six to eight months
would be needed to carry out that
design. In addition, they said,
several months should be allowed
between the end of the survey and
the beginning of working plans
for whatever method is recon-
Fred Gray of the State Attorney
Generals Office. who sat in on the
hearing, asked if the survey might
show Alexandria a method Of
treating sewage that could be
achieved quicker than construct.
ing a separate plant of it's own.
Engineers replied it might, par
ticularly If it is shown that Alex
andria should pipe sewage into
the Arlington plant or into the
District plant.
Mr.. Moore reminded the in
terim committee members that
the water board. at earlier hear
ings, received warnings that the
Potomac River Is approaching a
septic condition.
"Well. I've read a lot in the
papers that Alexandria was the
offender" said Mr.. Niles,
but actually under no conceiv-
able circumstance could Alexan-
dria be contributing more than 6
per cent of the rivers total pol
luton load"
d. C. Pollution Cited.
He explained that the District
plant discharges eff1uerit into the
river that is equivalent to un-
treated sewage for 100000 people.
"Yes," broke in Mr.. Cox, that's
what gets us. The District con-
tributed five times as much to the
Potomac River pollution as Vir-
ginia."
James j. Corbalis, jr., Fairfax
sanitary engineer. said precise
calculations show that the District
contributes SO per cent of the
Potomac River pollution load.
The interim committee members
acknowledged that the District
has long-range expansion pro-
gram that gradually will reduce
the pollution load from that city.
But they expressed the view that
20 permit the Virginia communities
time for the regional survey would
not Olace them behind tho nictrict