Evening star., 1960-10-18
Airport Sewer Spurs
Stir New Argument
Priority Issue
Is Roised by
Fuirfox County
BY CHARLES ID. PIERCE
Star Stan Writer


Star Stan Writer
Opposition to the route rec
by the District San
tary Engineering Department
FOR the main line of the Dulles
Airport interceptor sewer is
slowly crumbling but has not
And a new controversy is
developing over the question
Of which of the proposed spurs
for lateral connections to the
trunk line should be built first
and whether some should be
built at all.
AS a result, the Regional
Sanitary Board decided at a
yesterday TO postpone
until next Monday making a
recommendation on the sewer
route.
Robert C. Gotten, jr., mem
ber of the board, representing
Fairfax County, conceded that
of an alternate sewer
route backed by Fairfax Coun-
ty supervisors were over
whelming."
Spur Priority Asked
A member of the board of
county supervisors, Mr.. Gotten
said he would be willing to
recommend to the Fairfax
supervisors that they approve
the sewer route recommended
by the District Sanitary En-
cheering Department, pro-
vided that a spur line UP Dif-
ficult Run to Route 7 is given
top priority after the main
sewer interceptor is built.
However, Mrs. Anne wilkins.
chairman of the Fairfax County
Board of Supervisors, said to-
day she would be willing to
accept the District sewer plan
with spurs UP Difficult Run and
Sugarland Run "only as a last
resort"
She emphasized that she still
prefers the Route Z plan and
said that this route offers sew
eral advantages over the Dis
trict proposal.
Mrs. Wilkins said that the
Fairfax supervisors will meet
again tomorrow, but she said
she could not predict what ac-
ton the board will take on
the sewer question.
Robert Macleod, chairman
OF the Regional Sanitary Board
and q representative of the
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission, said he felt any
priorities for construction of
spurs should be based strictly
on need.
He said he opposed setting
up any priorities at this time.
David ". Aud, director of
the District Sanitary Engineer
ing Department, said he would
need advice from the leaders
in areas along the sewer route
as to which spurs should be
built first.
Under the plan proposed by
the District, the sewer would
run from the District line I'D
the Maryland side of the river
to Great Falls and then cross
under the river and go up the
Virginia side and over to the
airport at Chantilly. Four spurs
would also be provided, one
along Sugarland Run, and one
for Horsepen Run and a fourth
over the Seneca Creek area in
Maryland.
Proposal Due Monday
When the Regional Sanitary
Board meets again Monday, it
will make a recommendation on
the sewer route to the National
Capital Regional Planning
Council and the Washington
Metropolitan Regional Confer
ence.
The conference, the NCRPC
and the National Capital Plan
ming Commission all will make
recommendations to the Dis
trict Commissioners, who have
final authority to say where
the airport sewer shall be built.
At the Regional Sanitary
Board meeting yesterday, Mr..
Auld produced a letter from
two prominent engineering con-
sultantS sharply criticizing the
plan sponsored by Fairfax
County supervisors to have the
interceptor sewer built along
Route in the county.
The letter from Abel VOL
man and John C. Geyer, both
Of Johns Hopkins University,
listed the following objections
to the Route 7 alternative:
/. Construction cost would be
higher than the plan recon-
mended by the District.
2. Numerous pumping sta
tions would be required, while
if the sewer is built along the
route urged by the District it
would operate strictly on grav-
ity flow.
3. Maintenance and opera
ton costs would be higher.
I