Evening star., 1954-08-12
Signs
Sewage Pact
Maryland
Suburban Area Due
TO Poy Bigger Share
For DISPOSED Here

The District Commissioners
today completed 10 years Of
negotiations with Maryland au-
thorities by signing an agree
ment under which the suburban
area win pay q fair proportions
ate share to the District for dis
posing Of its sewage.
The city heads signed the
bulky document in the presence
Of members Of the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission,
which supervises water and
sanitation facilities in nearby
Prince Geouges and Montgomery
Counties.
In brief ceremonies at the
District building. Brig. Gen.
Louis w. Prentiss, District Engi-
neer commissioner, paid tribute
TO past and present negotiation
participants.
Lauds Kemp's Foresight.
In hailing the agreement as q
means of permitting the District
and the sanitary commission to
"go forward as partners in the
war against river pollution" Gen.
Prentiss remembered the late
Harold A. Kemp, former director
OF sanitary engineering for the
city.
"It was Mr.. Kemp's foresight
many years ago that initiated
the negotiations" the Commits
sioner said. This initiative, he
added, was taken up by the sani-
tary commission, and the efforts
Of commission members and
their staff as we'll as District san
itary and legal officials have re-
suited in the achievement Of
an important milestone"
An important part of the agree
ment is a provision under which
Maryland will build a 4-mile,
SIT million. trunk sewer from
its partial-treatment plant in
Bladensburg into the District to
connect with city sewage lines
that culminate at the sewage
treatment plant at Blue Plains.
At the outset this connection
will tie in to the city system
near East Capitol street on the
east side Of the Anacostia River.
Ultimately it will be extended
from that point to the pumping
station at the east end of South
Capitol Street Bridge.
Paid $4,000 Yearly.
Prior to the, signing, Mary
land was paying the District at
a virtually nominal rate of $21,-
600 year for handling a sewage
flow of about Is million gallons
per day.
During the first year of the
agreement it is expected that
Maryland's share will Jump to
$82. 900 and in the next is years
to an estimated total of $780,
600 annually.
The charges to Maryland will
be separated into two parts.
For operation and mainte-
nance costs, the commission will
be paving about $50, 900 for the
current fiscal year which began
last July /. and about $4,000
by 1870. Second category costs
rental for use of District sew
age facilities such as lines, pump
ing stations and treatment plant
ARE expected to total $29, 900
during this fiscal year and $58,-
600 by 1870.
Meters to Be Installed.
In order to figure the pro-
portionate shares, sewage flow
meters must be installed at near
ly ten points around the sewage
system. David v. Auld, District
director of sanitary engineering.
said the cost Of each metering in
stallation will range from $4,000
to $4,000. It will take about 1s
months. he added. to get the
actual installations accomp-
liShed.
While suburban Maryland Is
contributing Is million gallons
Of sewage daily of the Districts
present total of 172 million GAL
Ions per day, ever increasing
housing construction In the sub
urbs are expected to raise Mary
lands total sewage flow into the
District by. A million gallons
daily by 1870. The total expected
to be processed here in that year
is an estimated 236 million gall
Ions daily.
In the 18-month interim before
the sewer meters can be installed.
the District will collect from
Maryland on the basis of the
number of dwelling units whose
sewage ultimately winds up in the
local system.