Evening star., 1955-11-08

Is otuQy11lS DSNSLdb VI talS AiOk
the Illegal drainage Of rain water
into pipes designed for sewage
dow.
The commission has stepped
up its survey Of plumbing mali
feasances and, during the past
year, has mailed out Sis notices
|of illegal plumbing in suburban
Prince Georges and Montgom-
|ery Counties. During the year
the commission has reported that
|l55 of these have been corrected.
Heavy hurricane rains this
year not only flooded large sec
ltions of low-lying suburban CONF
munities but resulted in an influx
of letters from frantic house,
wives" complaining OF sewage
lregurgitations, Mr.. Orem said.
The letters. he added. described
horrible conditions" In base
lments where sewage surcharge
had deposited waste liquid 1S
inches deep.
Suit by Owner
The commission has been
Threatened with litigation and.
lin one instance, a Takoma Park
property owner has filed suit
against the commission. The
suit charges the sanitary agency
with failing to take action
against nearby homeowners
whose illegal plumbing connec-
ltions were credited with causing
the sewage overflow.
Threatened with court action
from that source, the commits
sion also faces the outcry Of
residents ordered to correct IL
legal conditions. In many cases
THE blocking of a prohibited
drain viii cost the home owner
Ia considerable sum Of money.
Many of the home owners re-
Gently put on notice that sur
face water drains into sewer lines
must be cut Of declare angrily
the drain has been in existence
for 20 or 80 years.
A typical situation exists ir
Mount Rainier, where Q grour
Iof disgrlntled residents vii
bring their protests Friday to .
injecting Of the Mount Rainier
Citizens Association.
Dwelling Owner Notified
| The commission, on October 5
notified Mrs. Nola Brown, owne.
lIof q dwelling at 3205 Shephert
street, Mount Rainier, that
garage drain on her propert,
Twas q plumbing violation an,
should be corrected within 81
.Idays. WSSC regulations alloy
Hdrainage into sewer lines from
paved areas not over 80 squarI
lIfeet in area.
Mrs. Browns driveway, tn
i commission reported, has al
,Iarea Of 500 square feet. To max
necessary alterations, Mrs. Brown
llestimated. she would have +
spend from $500 to $1,000.
!. In all. SO property-owners II
Mount Rainier were given s.
days to correct prohibited drain
age conditions. Commission ON
cials calculated that the neces
,Isary changes in all cases in botl
counties would entail plumbing
work costing from 50 to $4,000.
I In one instance. a violation
was remedied when the propert,
owner closed his garage ant
filled In the driveway. In othe.
cases, residents were unaWarI
THAT an Illegal connection existe,
when they bought their homes
In Mrs. Browns case, the illega
tlQraln mas gone unnotlced sine
ll1928. when her house was built
The Sanitary Commission tool
lover Mount Rainier's water AMI
sewer lines in 1922.
Right Disputed
The commissions crackdowl
ION the prohibited surface waite
drains will cause hardships. MI
lOrem admitted. However, h
added:
There Is no question that thl
homeowner has no right t,
maintain an illegal connection
even II it was legal when in
stalled"
j The commissions report Oh
violations and letters orderinl
corrections dates back to August
I'D. c. GINKGO TREES