Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-03


Wap the small downtown tract
There is room on the present
reservation to build two more.
With the proposed hospital on
the premises. one Of these sites
would be eliminated.
The question Is: Where will
the engineers find space for Q
second filter plant to accom-
modate the water needs of the
area by. say, the year 2025?
Population predicters here
and elsewhere recognize that
the trend is toward ever-big-
ger metropolitan areas. Local
officials. with one eye on these
predictions and the other on
the phenomenal population
growth here In the last genera.
ton, foresee a strong posi-.
bility that Dalecarlia will be-
come q sort Of master supply
point. not only for the city
proper but for larger areas Of
Northern Virginia and parts d
Prince Georges County.
AS it is, the plant has for
years provided water for Ar.
lington County, Falls Church
and several Fairfax County
communities near that city.
Arlington Plan Working
Fairfax County right now has
invested well over 500, 900 in Q
large pipeline being built into
the Little Falls Dam. This COM
nection to Dalecarlia would be
capable Of watering large areas
Of the county. Sooner or later
Fairfax authorities must de-
eide whether buying water from
the Dalecarlia plant would be
more economical than building
their own filter plant.
Arlington has found the
water-purchase plan satisfac-
tory. especially in light Of the
fact that 1t has obviated the
need for the large capital out
lay, and bond issues, that would
be required to build its own
filter facilities.
Dalecarlia as q source az
supply for suburban Maryland
seems less likely. The WASH
ington Suburban Sanitary
Commission has its own we'll
integrated water : system. Il
soon win have q second filter
plant Of its own on the Pc.
tomac to augment the present
publication facilities near the
Patuxent River.
However. the growth Of the
two counties Prince Georges
and Montgomery-has been 50
rapid that Washington Sub
urban Sanitary Commission
may ind at least periodic need
Of Dalecarlia water. Nine con.
nections linking the Washing
ton and Sanitary Commission
water systems are already in
existence.
Economic Issue
But apart from such con.
siderations there is an economie
one that viii have an impact
on the fee-paying water con.
sumer Of the area.
Sibley's occupancy of the
Dalecarlia tract would knock
out the more desirable Of two
available filter plant sites.
Washington Engineer District
officials have planned to locate
the new filter building at .
spot extending approximately
from the present PEPCO sub
station near Macarthur boule.
ward eastward toward the
Beach Erosion Board holding.
This would be the cheapest and
shortest connection Of the III
ter-bed sludge disposal system
Of a new plant with the dis
posal system of the existing
filters Immediately west Of
Macarthur.
Sludge disposal from a plant
on the alternate site would in
volve construction Of at least
two pipe lines. one leading into
Little Falls Branch, the other
along the branch itself. Cost.
wise, the alternate location
would be greater because Of
Typographical difhculties. Esti-
mates Of additional cost are .
million dollars or more. Engi.
neers say privately that If they
had been given sufficient time
to prepare q case for preserv-
ing the Dalecarlia reservation
intact, the outcome in Con-
gress might nave been different.