Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-23

NN~AaS ACNeAS OVSSAC
The latest floods in the basin
caused by the hurricanes of
1854 and 1955-were small by
engineering standards. Even so,
the 1854 damage in the North
Branch of the Potomac alone
came to SIS million. and the
basin-wide damage in 1855 to-
tailed nearly 81 million. 1t has
been estimated, moreover. that
the North Branch destruction
would have approached sos mil
lion were it not for the water
flow control effect of the Savage
River Dam-the one stable dam
in the whole basin, and one
that functions only incidentally
to hold back floods.
This dam has more than paid
for itself. incidentally. in terms
lof the flood damage it has pre-
vented to date. 1t represents the
biggest completed project that
does flood control work in the
basin today.
The only others of conse-
quence are local protection
works around Washington's wa
.terfront and along the North
Branch and Wills Creek at
Cumberland. The Cumberland
project, consisting of levees,
channel relocation and paving
and construction of a minor
dam. is due for completion next
year at a cost of SIT million.
The major part of the Met
ropolitan area work consists of
the S12 million Anacostia River
project. due to be finished next
September. Major rechanneling,
widening and leveeI
construction of the Maryland
portion of the river and its two
main tributaries feature this
work.
Biggest d. C. Gap
Within the Districts bounds,
flood control levees were COM
pleted for the Naval Air Station
and vicinity in 1910 and mostly
completed in West Potomac Park.
The key gap in this project, is
near Seventeenth street and
Constitution avenue. The pres
ence of the Federal tempo build
ings there, impedes completion.
In the far upper portions of
the Potomac watershed in West
Virginia and Virginia numerous
small flood prevention dams have
been and are being built under
the Watershed Protection and
Flood Prevention Act. These are
located on streams near Peters,
burg, Moorefield and Berkeley
Springs in West Virginia, and
near Waynesboro, Va.
The Washington Engineer Dis
Itrict of the Army Engineer Corps,
responsible for flood control in
the Potomac watershed, lists the
Nations Capital as being mostly
urgently in need OF. local pro-
lection. The "unresolved" prob
lens here include completion of
the West Potomac Park project,
waterfront areas in Georgetown.
the Southwest. Hams Point, Ar
Ilington, Alexandria and National
Airport.
Failure to provide the Potomac
Park protection would, alone,
subject to damage Government
property valued at we'll over 5000
million.
Industrial areas on Holmes
Run in Alexandria and Airing
ton, require protection. So does
Washington's main water filter
plant at Dalecarlia, where Little
Falls Branch periodically threat
ems to Slosh over into the vital
waterworks.
Other f1ood-menaced areas de-
serving the close study now be-
ing given it are the industrial
communities of the Potomac's
North Branch: Keyser, Pied
mont and Green Springs, w. Va,
and Luke. Westernport and Kitz-
miller, Md.
Reconsideration of previous
studies also are in order for the
Georges Greek communities and
Williamsport area in Western
M aryland; Petersburg and
Moorefield on the South Branch
of the Potomac in West Virginia,
and Waynesboro, Harrison and
Front Royal in the Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia.
Three Solutions
The long-established method
for solving dilemmas of this kind
involves one of three undertake
some combination of
the three:
/. Flood prevention by means
OF soil conservation, and the con-
struction of flood retention dams
on the headwaters.
2. Flood protection by rechan-
neling or otherwise lettering
streamed capacity, and building
levees around communities.
3. General benefits by con-
struction of multi-purpose dams
designed not only for flood con-
troll, but for domestic, industrial
and agricultural water supply,
dilution of downstream pollution
and hydro-electro power.
Which method shall it be for
which areas? The question rests
not only with engineers but the
public and all their legislative