Evening star., 1953-11-19
Fairfax Signs
joint Sewage
Plant Contract
Supervisors Now
Await Approval
By Alexandria

Fairfax County yesterday
signed contract to share Alex
andria's proposed new sewage
disposal system.
BY unanimous vote, the Board
of County Supervisors approved
the contract. G. Wallace Car
per. chairman of the board, and
Mrs. Edna Bicksler. clerk,
signed it.
All that remains to cement
the joint deal is final approval
by the Alexandria Sanitation
Authority. James j. Corbalis,
jr., executive director of the
Alexandria Authority, said he
would arrange special author
ity meeting as soon as possible
for that purpose.
The authority, on Tuesday
night, informally approved pre-
visions of the contract as it now
is written but could not give it's
final approval because copies of
the latest contract revisions were
no available.
$3,360,0OO for Fairfax.
The joint system is expected
to cost $10.408,000. Alexandria
share of the cost is $7,048,0 900,
and Fairfax's is $3,360,000. The
contract guarantees Fairfax
County treatment facilities for
$4,000 residents, and Alexandria,
10000.
Under the contract, the Alex
andria authority will float the
entire bond issue for initial con-
struction, and Fairfax will pay
it's share of the cost over 25
years at about $215,00O a year.
plus additional charges for OPP
Grafton.
Fairfax charges for operation
will be based on the amount Of
county sewage treated. En-
gineers estimate this cost will
run from $4,000 the first year
to 100000 in the final years.
Engineers say the Joint sys-
tenn will cost the two jurisdic-
tions $2,124,000 less than sep
arate facilities. Even greater
savings are anticipated in oper-
ating costs.
Year of Negotiations.
Fairfax's approval of the con-
tract yesterday ended nearly a
year of negotiations between the
two communities. The idea for
a joint Alexandria Fairfax sys-
TEN grew out of the regional
sewage disposal survey sponsored
by Alexandria, Fairfax, Arling-
ton and Falls Church two years
ago.
After the contract was signed,
Mr.. Corbalis told the supervisors
they have good reason to be
pround" of what had been &C
complished.
I'm the past we have seen po-
litical boundaries become bar
riers to the common good. It is
gratifying that we have been
able to overcome that difficulty
through mutual respect and de-
votion to public interest by both
communities" said Mr.. Corbalis.
The motion to approve the
contract was made by Supervisor
Arthur Shaffer, who three weeks
ago raised a number of objec-
tions to the joint project, Mr..
Shaffer said his objections had
been met in the revised con-
tract.
Advisers Approve.
Commemorative ttorney
Hugh B. Marsh and Attorney
Robert j. McCandlish, jr, said
all the county's legal and flnan-
cial advisers approved the con-
tract as it now is written.
The county plans to pay its
share of the joint project cost
with sewer service fees in the
areas to be served.
Portions of sanitary district
No. l and the new sanitary dis
trict No. 6 are to be served by
the joint system. Fairfax has a
new sewage disposal plant nearly
complete in sanitary district
No. /, but it is expected to reach
its capacity by 1855.
Friendly Test in Court.
The joint project will include
a sewage disposal plant on Hunt
ing Creek in Alexandria, inter-
cepting sewers along the Poto-
mac River and Commonwealth
avenue in Alexandria and inter-
cepting sewers along Holmes and
Cameron Runs in Alexandria
and parts of Fairfax County
AS soon as Alexandria signs
the contract, attorneys plan to
begin court proceedings to test
legality of the joint deal. At
torneys say this is necessary
because it is the first time a
Joint undertaking of this type
has been attempted in Virginia
under recent legislation.
Mr.. Corbalis said he expects
legal proceedings would be out
of the way and bonds sold in
time to begin construction in
June. He estimated it would
take two years to complete the
entire project.