Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-30
Pipeline Proposal

Inc Authority last week dis
closed plans to build a IS mil
lion pipeline from the Districts
Dalecarlia Reservoir to Chan
tilly Airport. The cross-county
line would be able to serve the
undeveloped county area which
Falls Church has claimed as
its service area.
The Authority claims the
city wants to skim off the
cream of the territory for a
profit motive and leave the
Authority to provide water to
scattered areas more expensive
to serve.
The Falls Church water sys-
TEN was set up in 1881, an OUT
growth of a severe drought
that left nearly all the wells
in the town area dry.
James Head, city public util-
itieS director, said that as the
demand for water grew in the
area boundaries didn't mean
much"
No other municipal or pri-
vate company was in a posi-
ton to provide service to-
the rapidly developing Falls
Church area during and after
World War II, and the town,
which became a city in 1948,
continued to expand its system.
1t tapped Arlington County's
Dalecarlia supply, and in 1854
put in a 36-inch line across the
Potomac. A SIS million bond
issue was floated recently to
finance lines to tie the river
crossing into the Dalecarlia
Reservoir and to extend trunk
lines to new areas of Fairfax
County.
Unequal Charge Hit
The city has an area Of
about two square miles and a
population of 10000. It now
serves water to about $4,000
people in a 22-square mile area.
Mr.. Head said that the city
expects to be serving 100000
people when the area it claims
is fully developed. Financing
for existing bond issues was
predicated on serving 100000
by 1880, he said.
One Of the criticisms leveled
against the city over the years
by Fairfax officials is that the
city charges county customers
more than city residents. The
customers in the county pay
$2.01 more per quarter than
customers inside the city limits.
City officials don't deny a
profit is made on the water
operation.
Sure we make a prifit; we're
in business" said City Mama
ger. Lewis z. Johnston. "But we
make a profit in the city as
we'll as outside" he added.
In the current budget, water
profits contributed 100000 to
the general fund used for other
city operations. Mr.. Johnston
said $4,000 is expected to be
put into the general fund next
year.
Mr. Head said the city sys-
tenn first showed a profit in
1852. In that year, $4,000 was
contributed to the general
fund. Since then it has
risen steadily.
Charges Defended
This led Mrs. Anne wilkins,
former chairman of the Fair
fax Board of County Super
viSorS, to ask a Congressional
committee last year for legis-
lation to bar a municipality
from making a profit on water
from Government financed
DaleS~.,ia Reservoir.
Mr.. Head defends the extra
water charge to county GUS
toners on the grounds that it
is the city residents who have
in effect mortgaged their prop
critics to finance the bond is
sues. He said that most cities
charge more to outside GUS
toners than Falls Church does.
He also said it is more expen-
Sive to serve county customers.
City officials also claim they
can give the county customers
cheaper water than the au-
thority. Mr.. Head said that on
the Annandale system-only
system owned by the authority
the rate is about $40 a year
more than customers of the
Falls Church system pay.
THE citizens aren't COM
planning, it's just some Fairfax
officials" said Mr.. Johnston.
Mr.. Corbalis claims that the
authority will be able to fur
nish water as cheaply as Falls
Church when it gets a cheaper
Potomac supply and has an
integrated county system. This
is disputed by Mr.. Head who
said the authority will have tc
pay a higher interest rate than