Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-27
Fairfax Debates
0croqudn as
Water Source
Pollution Factor
Cited by Virginia
Health Official

ne0Ifn OTriCiot
The controversy over Fairfax
County's proposed $50 million
water bond issue focused on Oc-
coquan Greek today with new
charges and countercharges
about its desirability as q source
of water supply.
The county proposes to estab-
fish q public water system sup
piled from the Potomac River If
the bond issue passes in the
November 8 referendum. The
Alexandra and Virginia Water
Co.'S. interlocking private firms
that serve parts of the county,
are opposing the bond issue. de-
claring that their Occoquan
reservoir is more than adequate
to serve the county.
A Virginia State Health De-
partment Official today described
Occoquan as one "of the better
sources of water in the State. I"
but acknowledged that four sew
age disposal plants already dis
charge into tributaries Of Deco
guam and applications for two
more plants are pending.
DR. Harold Kennedy, county
health officer, last week warned
that Occoquan probably would
have to be abandoned as q source
Of water supply in the future be-
cause Of dangers from pollution.
No Effect Seen
e. C. Meredith, director Of the
engineering division of the State
Health Department, said State
health officials felt sure that
present and proposed sewage dis
posal plants in the OccoQuan
watershed win not affect the
water supply"
Howard G Richards, manager
of Alexandria and Virginia, said
present or future sewage plants
will have no effect whatsoever
on the purity and portability Of
the water company's product"
Mr.. Richards added that the
State was required to protect
sources of public drinking water
from contamination. and could
not sanction sewage disposal
plants If they threatened any
pollution to Occoquafi.
Present sewage treatment
plants in the Occoquan water
shed include a secondary plant
for the town of Manassas, which
discharges $4,000 gallons Of ef-i
fluent in an eight-hour period
into Flat Run, an Occoquan
tributary.
According to the Citizens
Comn1ittee fOr the Int4eratedI
Water system, this is almost "a
much ~ the toWest daily water
flow once recorded on the Deco
quan-650. 900 gallons. The aver
age daily water flow, however, Isl
166 million gallons q day, ac-
cording to Mr.. Richards.
Plant ON Flat Branch
Another plant, with a capacity
Of discharging 100000 gallons a
day. is located on Flat Branch
and serves the Manassas Park
development, which eventually
win have 1000 homes.
Two smaller treatment plants
serving Marine Corps ir1stalla-
tions daily discharge about $780,
900 gallons Of efiiuent into the
watershed.
A similar debate over the po-
tential pollution effects from
small sewage disposal plants
erupted when a private developer
attempted to build a plant on
SCOTS Run In Fairfax County,
which would have discharged
above the Districts water supply
intake from the Potomac River
The Virginia State Water Con-
troll Board at first approved the
plant, but later withheld a per-
NIT after the District and other
Jurisdictions served by DalecarliaI
protested that it would be q bad
precedent to start allowing con-
struction Of disposal plants above
the District water intake.
Foes Of the SCOTS Run plant
acknowledged that it probably
would not be a health menace
as long as it operated effectively
but warned that it could get out
OF commission.