Evening star., 1960-04-20
1t Leaves q Bad Taste


Budget Bureau officials say that the
sewage disposal crisis which has devel-
oped at the new Dulles International
Airport near Chantilly makes the dump
ing Of treated sewage into WaShingtons
water-Supply system inevitable" But
the crisis itself was not inevitable. The
shameful situation is the product of in
excuSable dillydallying in Congress and
In the executive branch over a problem
potentially affecting the health and
welfare of the whole Washington Metro
politan Area. The kicking around which
this problem has received will leave a
bad taste, literally and f1guratively.
The Federal Government committed
the first error when it planned the new
airport without adequate consideration
of the Sewage-disposal problem. The
original sewage proposal was for a small
treatment plant to serve only the airport
and adjacent areas, with the treated
sewage to be emptied into the Potomac
River short distance above the Little
Falls water-Supply intake. Disclosure
of this plan brought such a storm of
protest from District and some Federal
authorities, as wel1 as suburban commu-
mites, that the plans were changed to
provide for an interceptor sewer to
convey the sewage doWn-river to Chain
Bridge and thence across the river to
the Washington sewer system.
However, the much heavier cost Of
such safe disposal system was weighed
by Congress against the smaller cost of
an airport treatment plant, with the
result that the economy forces won out.
Congress last year, therefore, appropri-
ated only enough money for small
treatment plant at Chantilly Again
Federal, District and nearby govern
mental officials protested vigorously.
President Eisenhower then wisely di-
rected the Federal Aviation Agency to
hold up construction of the plant, pend
ing a restudy of the airport sewage
problem. The FAA report was sent to
the White House in March and it still
remains undiSclosed-while the Budget
Bureau considers the financial aspects
involved. 1t is understood that the
report recommends an interceptor plan,
with Federal and local Jurisdictions
sharing the cost.
Meanwhile construction of the air.
port has proceeded at a pace which
indicates that it will be ready for air
traffic by the summer of 1861. That
leaves too little time for the building
of an adequate, safe disposal system.
According to the Budget Bureau, there
Is now no alternative to an interim
treatment plant at Chantilly that will
dump its eff1uent above the citys water
intake.
1t may be true that under normal
conditions this discharge would be safe
for drinking, however bad its taste or
smell. But any breakdown of the plant
would send raw sewage into the river
If such plant must, indeed, be
built, let there be no mistake about it's
temporary status We who do not relish
the idea of drinking any part of the
airport'S SeWage-treated or untreated-
want assurance that the plant will not
be another tempo" of the sort that is
distinguished by its longevity. Economy
should never take precedence over the
public health. We hope that, whatever
makeShift arrangement may be made
for temporary disposal Of the airport's
sewage, the President and Congress will
agree on permanent system that will
hold no threat of tainted drinking water
for the Washington area.