Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-05
River Levees
Feature Army
Flood Plan
81 Million Needed
From Congress to
Control Peace Cross
BY Gene Goodwin


The Anacostia River would be
flanked with 12-foot-high dirt
levees if Congress decides to &C
cept President Eisenhower's 81
million budget item for Peace
Cross flood control.
The levees make up most Of
the Army Engineers solution to
Prince Georges County's oldest
neutrality-suspicious. flooding Of
the area around the Peace Cross
intersection at Bladensburg.
The channel of the northeast
branch of the AnacoStia also
would be Strengthened and deep
ened.
Washington District Army En-
gineers. who have been studying
possible solutions to Peace Cross
flooding off and on since 1888.
say they could start work i'm
mediately if Congress agrees to
the 81 million appropriation.
Only a Start.
That wouldn't be adequate to
do the full job. they say. but it
would give them enough Of a
start to eliminate much of the
food waters along that section
of the Anacostia. The total cost
of the flood control program they
propose for both branches of the
Anacostia would be about S13
million.
Favorable action by Congress
this session also would free a
S4.250,000 contribution to the
project which Maryland and
Prince Georges County are OBJ
ligated to make under a law
passed by the 1858 session Of
the Maryland Legislature.
The requested congressional
action is big if. of course, to
county residents who have put
up for more than a generation
with what Gov. McKeldin has
labeled the Bay of Bladens-
burg" They aren't apt to count
their chickens before they're
Matched.
What Can Be Done.
But IF Congress does approve
the 81 million. here's what the
Army Engineers say they can
buy:
A deeper and straighter chan
mel for the northeast branch Of
the Anacostia from Riverdale
road TO a point JUS vest of Bal
timore avenue GUS. II. This in
wolves a relocation of the chan
mel in several spots.
A levee along the west side
of the northeast branch from
Riverdale road to the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad bridge.
Another levee along the east
side of northeast branch from q
point in park land about a quar-
ter of a mile north of Decatur
street in Edmonston and EXTEND
ing Just west of Baltimore ave-
nue..
The levees will average about
IL feet in height. the engineers
say. They will be about 10 feet
across the top. with sides gently
sloping to an average width at
the base of about 80 feet. They
will be constructed mostly from
the mud which would be dredged
from the rivers channel Under
the bridges. the levees will be
made of concrete.
The big dikes. of course, will
necessitate elevating the bridges
now crossing the Anacostia in
the project area. Part of the 81
million the engineers are seeking
would go for a new bridge for
the BIO spur line near Tangle-
wood drive.
About SIS million of the 81
100000 Maryland and Prince
Georges would spend would go to
the State Roads Commission for
new bridges at Decatur street,
Baltimore avenue and Bladens-
burg road. The commission is
ready to go to work on these new.
elevated spans as soon as and if
Congress passes the engineers
appropriation.
Also in the plans for the first
81 million is large storm sewer
intake Just east of EdmonSton
road near Fifty first street where
a drainage creek now runs.
Some Homes Moved.
The engineers say that some
homes will have to be moved or
bought in EdmonSton under
their plan. but most of the prof.
ect would be on land already
owned by the Observation-Disclosures
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission. That agency would be
authorized to spend 100000 un-~
der the new State law for land
acquisition if the Federal appro-
priation goes through.
The Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission would
spend $750,000 under the State
law, mostly relocation of utilities.
The sanitary agency also is des-
ignated IN the law as the CO.
ordinating body for State and
county contributions to the flood
control program.
Prince Georges County would
float a SIS million bond issue
as its initial share in the cost.
Third of Job. r.
The combination of Federal,
State and County appropriations
ttotaling $5;250.0000) would
enable the engineers to build
something over a third of the
complete flood blocking project
they envision for the Anacostia.
Although the Army Engineers
have been bordering the Peace
Cross problem for Is years. it
wasn't until the 1850 Congress
that any spending was author
lied for planning q flood control