Evening star., 1960-10-07
Hits Route
For Airport Sewer
Planners See
Danger in
Dense BuiIdup
BY GILBERT GIMBLE
Star Stan Writer

Star stan Writer
The National Capital Plan
ming Commission will oppose a
recommended route for the
Dulles Airport interceptor sewer,
its executive director indicated
today.
William E. Finley said the
commission dislikes the route
proposed by District sanitary
engineers because it will open
up the Potomac River Valley TO
heavy development, which the
commission feels should be dis
couraged.
He said the com m ission
voiced its disapproval during
closed sessions of its regular
meeting in which District Off
cials yesterday outlined the
sewer route they prefer. The
commission today sent the mat
ter to the National Capital
Regional Planning Council for
further debate at its meeting
Monday.
Community Debate
1--WE want this to be aired as
a community debate" Mr.. Fin
ley said in announcing the COM
missions action. The main ques-
tion. he said, is whether the
$25.2 million sewer line was
intended to serve as a means
for opening the river valley to
intensive development in the
coming decades.
Under the recommended plan.
Mr.. Finley said, the interceptor
would run from the airport at
Chantilly to the river opposite
the mouth of Seneca Creek
and then follow the river to
Great Falls, where a solid rock
tunnel under the river would
carry it to the Maryland side.
There it would continue to fol-
low the river to the Districts
Blue Plains treatment center.
A connection would cross the
river above Great Falls leading
to a double spur serving the
Seneca Creek area and Muddy
Branch and Watts Branch on
the Maryland side.
Maryland Sewage
This spur would handle;
sewage from the Rockville
Gaithersburg area and, Mr..
Finley claimed, would also open
up the Seneca and upstream
portions of the river front on
the Maryland side.
He said that running the
interceptor along the Virginia
riverfront would also hasten
the increased development of
that side of the valley as well.
The NCPC prefers an alter
nate route which would bring
the sewer from the airport and
follow an inland route roughly
along Route 7, then cut across
the river at Great Falls as rec
commended by the sanitary
engineers.
This plan would eliminate
the double spur on the Mary
land side but would include a
connection to Watts Branch.
First Plan Cheaper
He admitted that the Sani-
tary engineers plan would
probably be cheaper in the
long run since pumping opera
tions would be required in the
alternative plan.
The NCPC is also asking Dis
trict Engineer Commissioner
Frederick J. Clarke to study a
third route that has been sug-
gested. 1t would take the
sewer in a more or less direct
line from the airport to the
Great Falls crossing.
At any rate, Mr.. Finley said,
the sanitary engineers are not
yet sure they have sufficient
funds to construct the spur on
the Maryland side, although
the bridge connecting the pro-
posed spur to the main line
probably could be started. He
said there is also some question
whether the sewer line along
the river is feasible should a
decision be made to build the
River Bend dam and flood part
of the area.
He said he recommended
plan would Immediately raise
property values along the river
valley with the construction of
sewer facilities and this in turn
will mean higher property