Evening star., 1954-04-28
Upper Potomac
Urged 10
Curb Pollution
Project Proposed
For D. G.. Offered
At Cumberland
By james BirchfieId
Star Sfoff Correspondent

CUMBERLAND. Md, April %.
"A regional pollution abate-
ment project. similar to one pro-
posed several years ago for the
Washington Metropolitan Area.
has been suggested here as a
means of solving pollution prob
lens in the upper Potomac River
area
Ralph E Thurman. deputy
sanitary engineering director
for the District of Columbia,
made the suggestion in a report
here yesterday at a special one
day meeting of the Interstate
Commission on the Potomac
River Basin.
Mn Thurman said the regional
project. under which sanitary
and industrial wastes would be
piped from the Cumberland
Luke area to a treatment plant
below Cumberland. would be a
means of creating a clean river
at the points it is most needed.
He said such a project would
make the Cumberland area more
attractive to future industrial
development because it would
provide a source of clean water
for industrial use.
Diversificati0n Benefits.
1t was pointed out by other
sources here that Cumberland
would benefit by greater indus
trial diversification. Under pres
ent river conditions, new indus
tries cannot find suitable sources
of industrial water. Some in
dustries already here are forced
to draw on city water supplies
for industrial water. Others it
was said have failed to locate
here because of the scarcity Of
industrial water.
1t was also pointed out that a
regional project had been sug-
gested before, but no action has
been taken. Cumberland now
faces a suit by the State Board
of Health to require it to provide
sewage treatment facilities. The
city has plans for treatment
plant but has no financial ar
rangements at this time.
Mr.. Thurman. whose 150-page
report. sponsored by the COM
mission, dealt mainly with in
dustrial wastes. explained that
about 70 per cent treatment is
needed to relieve problems in the
upper river.
Self-PurificatiOn Weighed.
He said the study took into
consideration the ability of the
river to purify itself, a consid-
Grafton necessary in financing
treatment facilities.
Mr.. Thurman said the Luke
(MdD plant of the West Vir-
ginia Pulp and Paper Co. and
the Cumberland Celanese Corp.
plant contribute between them
the waste load of a population
of 100000. He said this is about
10 per cent greater than the
ability of the river to handle.
Mr.. Fuhrman's report was the
second attack by the commission
on the trouble spots in the Po-
tomac Recently it issued a re-
port calling for a $50 million.
program to relieve pollution in
the Washington Metropolitan
Area. Washington and Cumber-
land are considered the worst
offenders in the basin.
State Program Advocated.
George L. Hall, chief engineer
for the Maryland Health Depart
ment. advocated a Statewide
clean streams program"
Mr.. Hall said the idea was
not an official department policy.
He said the State should partici-
pate in such a program giving
financial aid in developing treat
ment facilities with State par
ticipation. He said communities
could get lower interest rates in
financing facilities. The plan, he
added, would work something
like the State roads system, with
the State helping to keep and
maintain clean streams for all
of the people.