Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-29
[Pepco Project

/ have followed with con-
siderable interest the stories
in The Star regarding the
Potomac Electric Power Com
pany's proposed steam -gener-
ating plant and the various
public agencies.
There is one point the So
called experts political engi-
neers) have overlooked. You
don't get electric power from
kite strings anymore. That
went out with Ben Franklin.
The electric load in the WASH
ington area Is increasing BY
leaps and bounds so that more
generating capacity must be
provided. The only way to pro-
vide the increased power Is to
use more generators.
Pepco designed o plant
which would give tile increased
power at the most economical
figure for all parties concerned.
Then what happened?
A bunch Of so-called experts
decided the river YVES polluted
and that . power plant could
not be constructed because the
water 1t put back IN the river
would be warmer than when II
was taken into the plant. So
they, in the fashion Of most
people. pick on a public utility
and sound of in their virtuous
manner that they are protect
ing the public! They are doing
no such thing!
II they were protecting the
public against further pollu-
ton Of the river. they would
stop all building - not just
the generating station! Every
house that is being built Is
putting more raw sewage in
the riyerI The sewage from
homes in Rock Greek and
Georgetown Is just as bad as
sewage from the slunns.
However, no Senator, no
member Of the House. no Army
engineer, no United States
Public Health official or any
one connected with the prob
lem in an official capacity has
the nerve to really try to
clear the trouble by recon-
mending a complete stoppage
Of building permits until the
sewers and treatment plant
are adequate.
No self-respecting engineer
would put Potomac water IN
the condensers Of q generat-
ing plant without purifying 1t
to the present state Of the
washington water. Then It
would be heated enough TO
kill additional bacteria as 1t
went through the coils. It
would be returned to the river
much purer that 1t was when
taken from the river.
I don't work for Pepco ana
receive no income Of any sort
from them but. I do appreci-
ate the service they give and
their desire to give better
service. I don't want to go
back to kerosene lamps but we
may have to do it If more
capacity is not provided In the
very near future.
Leo nj. Conner.
~
In your September % edi-
torial, Matter Of Grave Con-
Germ" you say that Pepco has
the burden of proving its pro-
posed power plant on the Po-
tomac In Loudoun County will
not endanger Washington's
water supply.
A very interesting detail has
emerged from q re-reading OF
the notes I made at the Pepco
permit hearing before the
Loudoun board of coming APP
peals on September IA.
A spokesman for the Corps
of Engineers testified at that
hearing that the engineers had
planned a dam near the pro-
posed Pepco site. The dam.
when built, would put part OF
the Pepco plant under water.
Any high school science stu
dent can tell you contaminated
or heated water running In an
open stream cools and repuri-
fies itself in a very few miles.
So would like to guess that
the elite Corps Of Engineers
is not as much concerned over
health hazards In the Pepco
project as 1t is annoyed over
having a pet building project.
no natter how far In the flu
ture. interfered with.
There is sense In taking a
few agriculturally useful river
front acres out of production
to assure greater Washington's
supply of electric power. There
is no sense in submerging
thousands Of useful acres in
water. Why don't the engi-
neers plan a dam nearer the
headwaters Of the Potomac on
relatively useless mountain
land? John Eisenhard.