Evening star., 1955-10-07
Outside Advice
On Clearing Up
Potomac Urged.
Solution Will Toke
Congressional Action
Cory Tells optimists
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN

= -it' e Z
BY WILLIAM 4. MILLEN
Pollution problems Of the whole
Potomac River basin and their
solution should be examined by
q competent group Of outsiders,
according to william H. Cary.
III, assistant director Of the Dis
trict Bureau Of Food and Public
Health Engineering.
Mr.. Cary addressed the OPP
tiniist Club Of Northeast WASH
ington at q luncheon meeting
yesterday in the Carlyle Hotel,
500lNorth Capitol street. He said
the outsiders would be free of
local prejudices and influences
that would color their thinking.
IT think a solution viii take
Congressional action, /" said Mr.
cary. eThe Federal Government
has to take q considerable part
in the planning stage and also In
paying the bills. But We must
start with a plan first. We need
an overall plan for the whole
area.
IF we can get the plan. We viii
need an agency to enforce 1t. and
we will need money. II we could
get q plan and an aroused public
opinion to do something about
this tremendous problem, We
could get the money. The Fed
eral Government has q tremen-I
dous stake in this problem"
knowledge In Hand
The District official told his
audience there Is no lack Of en-
cheering knowledge to solve the
problems involved. He said the
engineers know how to build all
the works required, including the
necessary water storage dams, sol
that an adequate water supply
viii be insured for the growingI
population of the Potomac River
basin.
But the difficulty is that there
are at least 10 political iurisdic-l
tions. all afraid, to move into al
problem on q community wide
basis, as I'VE have set UP arti-I
ficial boundary lines in a natural
river basin" he explained.
BY the year 1000. Mr.. Cary
said, I'VE will have to have i'm
pounding reservoirs"
I'VE are going to have to store
some water for this area" heF
added.
Tapped for Agriculture
The problems OF the Potomac
River basin are accentuated hyl
the growing use OF spray irriga-
ton by farmers In the valley to /
increase crop yields. Mr., Cary
said. The tendency lis to use
more and more water, with less
and less coming down the Poto-
mac River, he declared.
I'VE ali have a stake In the
Potomac River much larger than
most of us realize" said Mr..
Cary. at is the only water sup /
ply source Of suficient size to
meet the needs Of the growing
community"
About ee-quarters of the
pollution produced in the Poto-
mac River basin. he said. comes
from the Metropolitan Area Of
Washington. The sewage Of the
Washington area comes not
only from the District. heE
pointed out, but also from near
by Maryland and Virginia.
The District has a. contract
with the Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission now to dis
pose of Montgomery County
sewage, and there are plans to
handle Prince Georges County
sewage at the Districts new
Blue Plains treatment plant, he |
said.
Pollution Gaining
pollution is increasing faster |
than our treatment works" Mr..
Cary warned. I'VE need the wal
ter supply and sewage disposal.
He said the District hopes to
have its new treatment plant In
operation by mid-1959. But, he
said. there Is no comparable
plan for sewage treatment on
the Virginia Side Of the river.
Zone gallon in every three in
the Potomac River here at theI
headwaters of the tidal estuary
is sewage" he declared. "We|
have one of the stinkingestl
rivers anywhere in the world
right here at our front door. Fish
by the hundreds Of thousands
are killed by 1t, and their stom-
achs show it is due to the sewage
and lack of proper oxygen"
He said he does not blame thel
Potomac Electric Power Co. forl
wanting to locate its facilities inI
Loudoun County, Va. closer toI
the load in Montgomery County
Md. But. he declared, "problemsl
are thus created for our water
supply" He said 1t Is q matter Of
looking ahead and seeing what
our needs are." The LoudounI
County Pepco plant would bel
flooded If impounding dams were
constructed, he said.