Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-28
Sewage Interceptor

am sorry 10 see IN your
editorial of September 81 that
The Evening Star has sue
cumbed to the propaganda
for the financially unsound
large interceptor sewer line
down the Potomac River
which some officials are adj
vocating.
No one who is familiar
with the Metropolitan Area
would deny that such a line
ultimately will be necessary
and desirable. II the Fed
eral Government is willing
to pay approximately $50
million to construct such a
line prematurely, it is prob
able the Metropolitan Area
will not resist. Other Fed
eral taxpayers, however.
should complain.
Senator Bible may be cor
rect when he says a Poto-
mac interceptor would be
expensive bu t self-liquidat-
ing" but I do not believe the
studies substantiate this. In
my opinion, it will be many
years before there will be
enough customers to pay for
such a line.
There is no doubt that
development in both Fairfax
and Loudoun Counties of
areas surrounding the air.
port poses a problem which
would not be solved by the
airport's 1872 million closed
line to the District Of CO.
lumbia. The $3.2 million,
however, used in conjunction
with the Fairfax County sew
er system, could solve a large
part Of the immediate prob
lem.
believe a solution to the
overall airport area sewer
problem can be reached if
we accept engineering studies
as the best and most eco
nomic way to sewer the air
port area.
Some months ago Fair
fax County proposed a plan
which envisioned a line a.
cross the county to Pohick
Greek at a cost Of about $13
million. 1t involved several
pumping stations which ad-
mittedly are not the ultimate
answer. This project could
be financed, however, almost
entirely out Of revenue be-
cause there would be existing
and potential customers for
the full length of the line.
Such a line could serve the
airport area now. When the
customer load nearer the
Potomac River becomes built
up to such an extent that a
Potomac interceptor is f1nan-
cially feasible, this line could
be used as a part Of a con-
Meeting system.
The airport area land
boom" has been overplayed.
There must, Of course, be a
place for some residential
development in proximity
to the airport, and local
governments are interested
in encouraging development
in that area. However, it
would be asking for trouble
If local governments encour-
age or even permit extern
sive, high-density develop
ment near the airport. I am
sure the Federal Aviation
Agency does not wish to, see
this happen.
There is no public water
supply Immediately available
on the Potomac side of the
ridge in Loudoun and Fair
fax Counties. Intense devel-
opment, which is needed to
finance a sewer system must
also have water. Such a
water supply is available to-
ward the Accotink Pohick
terminus of Fairfax's pro-
posed sewer line.
The area along the river
for the full distance from the
airport almost to Little Falls,
both in Fairfax County and
and the Potomac section of
Montgomery County, has al
ready grown up in estate
type development. TIL IS e
areas are protected by large
lot coming restrictions which.
because of local public sup
port, are not likely to fall
under development pressure
until the Metropolitan Area
population overflow has no
place else to go. Indeed it
would be a shame for it to do
so.
A sewer line cannot pay for
itself without customers. A
regional line. however. could
be built down the Accotink-
Pohick watershed which
would pay for itself; which
would have the advantage
of emptying its effluent 13