Evening star., 1954-09-17
Potomac Basin
Pollution Fight
Moves Ahead
Proposal to Druft
Comprehensive Plan
O.K.'d at Conference

V.N. u VI tSISUSS
The Interstate Commission on
the Potomac River Basin voted
today to start work on a COM
prehensive plan for cleaning up
pollution all along the waterway.
Acting at the closing session
Of its 18th annual meeting in
the Washington Hotel. the COM
mission directed its staff to work
with staffs Of the State regu-
latory boards on a draft.
The first step will be to get
the preliminary ideas of the
State groups in an effort to ar
rive at an agreement. ..
Presents Plan.
L. M. Fisher, : acting director,
presented the proposal at the
opening session yesterday as q
step toward speeding up the
elimination of pollution in the
Potomac. The commission in
cludes the District, Maryland,
Virginia, West Virginia, Penn
sylvania and the Federal Gov
ernment.
Drafting of an overall plan
will take considerable time. Mr..
Fisher suggested plan might
be presented to the commission
next year for adoption as a
recommendation to be followed
by all Jurisdictions.
Reflects Officers.
The commission today also
reelected its officers. They are:
George F. Hazelwood, Cumber-
land, Md, chairman; John I.
Rogers, Keyser, w. Va, vice
chairman: District Director Of
public Health Daniel L. Seckinger.
treasurer, and Assistant United
States Attorney Oliver Gasch,
general counsel.
A technical committee was
named to meet with representa-
tives of the Atomic Energy
Committee and other agencies
September 20 at Fort Belvoir
to study the effects of discharge
Of wastes on the lower Potomac
from a reactor to be built at
Ft. Belvoir.
Urge Rock Creek Help.
The commission received re-
port from it's land COMMITTEES
recommending that the commits
sion help alleviate the pollution
Of Rock Creek.
w. S. Swingler, assistant chief
of the United States Forest Serv-
ice, a member Of the land COM
mittee, said soil erosion threatens
to ruin the creek.
He noted that the Soil Con-
servation Society of Americas
Washington Branch sometime
ago had asked the commission to
take the leadership in setting up
the Rock Creek Council.
Soil in the stream is damag-
ing vegetation, he pointed out.
Sample Laws Suggested.
The land committee also rec
commended a study, with the
help of State to prepare sample
laws for water conservation.
Members of the committee
agreed that increased demand
and drought pose a problem in
water supplies in Virginia, Mary
land, West Virginia and Penn
sylvania.
| The commiSSion'S water COM
mittee reported good progress"
In recent months in steps to
clean up the pollution problem
in the Metropolitan area.
1t was pointed out, for one
thing, that some $2.5 million
worth of extensions at the Dis
trict sewage treatment plant at
Blue Plains will be completed
between now and Christmas.
Slap at Weather.
The meeting heard a Sugges-
ton from DR.. Seckinger that the
commission hold more meetings
out on the watershed. Washing
ton, he said is a good place to
meet in winter, but II know Of
better places in the summer"
He pointed out that the COM
mission had held meetings with
more than 400 persons partici-
pating. Today's closing session
had an attendance of about Is.
DR.. Seckinger suggested that
meetings out near the water
projects would increase interest
In attendance.
The commission commended
Station WNBW for its television
series "Our Beautiful Potomac"
as public service.
Conservation Urged.
Last night, an urgent need for
a second national policy for de-
velopment and conservation Of
water resources was cited by Gail
A. Hathaway, special assistant
to the Chief of Army Engineers.
The policy should provide for
! joint participation of individ-
uals. industry and local State
and Federal Governments. he
said.
The speaker predicted the Ma
tion's water requirements, with
the rising standard of living and
increasing per capita consump-
tion of raw materials, may be
expected to double again be.
tween 1850 and 1875.
Kent Village Citizens Elect