Evening star., 1955-10-07
Outside Advice
On Clearing Up
Potomac Urged
Solution Will Take
Congressional Action
Cory Tells 0ptimists
u WILLIAM a. MILLEN

Ry WILLIAM 4. MILLEN
Pollution problems Of the whole
Potomac River basin and their
solution should be examined BY
q competent group Of outsiders.
accordine to William n. Cary.
jr., assistant director Of the Dis
trict Bureau Of Food and Public
Health Engineering.
Mr.. Cary addressed the OPP
timist Club Of Northeast WASH
ingtpn at q luncheon meeting
yesterday in the Carlyle Hotel,
500 North Capitol street. He said
the outsiders would be free Of
local prejudices and influences
that would color their thinking.
II think a solution win take
Congressional action, |" said Mr..
Cary. +The Federal Government
has to take q considerable part
in the planning stage and also in
paying the bills. BNt We must
start with q plan first. We need
an overall plan for the whole
area.
IF we can get the plan. we viii
need an agency to enforce it. and
we win need money. II we could
get a plan and an aroused publicI
opinion to do something about
this tremendous problem, we
could get the money. The Fed
eral Government has . tremen-I
dous stake In this problem"
knowledge in Hand
The District official told his
audience there is no lack Of en-
gineering knowledge to solve the
problems involved. He said the
enginefs know how to build all
the works required. including the
necessary water storage dams, sol
that an adequate water supply
win be insured for the growing
population Of the Potomac River
basin.
But the difficulty Is that there
are at least 10 political jurisdic-
tions. all afraid to move into aI
problem on q COMMUNICATIVE
basis, as I'VE have set up arti-
fetal boundary lines in q natural
river BASIN" he explained.
BY the year 1000. Mr.. Cary
said. I'VE win have to have inn
pounding reservoirs. "
I'VE are going to have to store |
some water for this area" he
added.
Tapped for Agriculture
The problems Of the Potomac
River basin are accentuated by
the growing use Of spray ixriga-l
tion by farmers in the valley toI
increase crop yields. Mr.. Cary
said. The tendency is To 1iset
more and more water. with less
and less coming down the Poto-
inae River, he declared.
I'VE al have q stake In thet
Potomac River much .larger tfanf
most of US realize" said Mr.
Cary. 1T is the only water sup-l
ply source of sufficient size to |
meet the needs OF the growing
community"
About three-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, heI
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 wa
ter supply and sewage disposal"
He said the District hopes 10
have its new treatment plant In
operation by mid 1858. 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 the
headwaters of the tidal estuary
is sewage he declared. I'VE
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 it, and their stom-
achs show it is due to the sewage
and lack of proper oxygen"
He said he does not blame the
Potomac Electric Power Co. forl
wanting to locate its facilities in
Loudoun County. Va. closer to
the load in Montgomery County,
Md. But, he declared, problems
are thus created for our water
supply" He said it is a matter Of
looking ahead and seeing what
Our needs are" The Loudoun
County Pepco plant would be
flooded II impounding dams were