History
Get to know the McMillan water filtration plant
Grassy fields disguise century-old waterworks at one of DC's most interesting local historic sites, the McMillan Sand Filtration Plant.
Photo by The Great Photographicon on Flickr.
The plant is located just north of DC's Bloomingdale neighborhood, surrounded by North Capitol Street, Channing Street NW, 1st Street NW, and Michigan Avenue NW. From 1905 to 1985 it was used to purify water for many of Washington's taps.
The city recently released a preliminary development plan for the site. With changes coming, now is a good time to note the history of the plant, and what exactly lies under those grassy fields you see from the street.
The plant sits behind locked fences, but this past weekend two ANC commissioners were allowed in to give a rare tour of the dormant site.
Beneath the grassy fields visible from the surface there are 25 acres of underground concrete chambers, where the process of water purification was carried out.
Before water could be purified, it had to be delivered to the reservoir. It is still delivered in much the same way.
Water flows through aqueducts all the way from Great Falls to the Dalecarlia Reservoir, and then to the Georgetown Reservoir. From there water flows from the "castle" on McArthur Boulevard NW, at the reservoir's edge, through an arrow-straight tunnel to the pumping house on 4th Street at the McMillan Reservoir.
Diagram of the Washington City Tunnel by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The reservoir, which is still active, opened in 1902 and is actually a dammed stream valley. The streams that used to flow here eventually formed Tiber Creek, which ran along what is now Constitution Avenue toward the Potomac.
Since the reservoir stores untreated river water, the water must be cleaned before it can be distributed to residents' taps.
At the turn of the 20th century a debate ensued regarding the best way to purify water, between proponents of chemical purification and slow sand filtration. Slow sand filtration won out, and Congress provided money to build a sand filtration plant for DC.
McMillan sand filtration site under construction. Photo by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The process of slow sand filtration is pretty simple. Water fills a cell that contains 2 feet of sand sitting at the bottom. The water percolates through the sand, which traps contaminants. When the water reaches the floor under the sand, it is clean. The water then exits the cell and is distributed into the city's pipes.
Sand Pit.
The sand itself required routine cleaning to remove the contaminants. Clean sand was stored in the concrete silos that still stand in rows on the site, visible above ground.
Clean sand silos.
Workers replenished the cells by dumping clean sand through access holes on the roof of each cell. You can still see the circular access covers from the street, and even from satellite photos.
Sand pit.
This early photo shows fresh sand recently dumped into a cell.
Photo from the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Regulator houses such as this one contained valves for controlling the flow of water through each cell.
Senator James McMillan (R - Michigan), famous for his ambitious McMillan Plan to beautify Washington, proposed turning the ground level of the filtration site into a park. The idea found support, and a park was later designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
The park unfortunately closed to public access during World War II, but many of the original park lamps, walkways, and staircases remain.
In the 1980s the US Army Corps of Engineers built a more modern rapid sand filter adjacent to the reservoir, west of 1st Street NW. With the new rapid filter in place, the old slow filters east of 1st Street became obsolete. The western section of the site still holds the active open-air reservoir and rapid sand filters that today supply clean water to much of Washington.
The western section containing the active reservoir and water treatment plant is closed to the public. What's most unfortunate is that the western section also contains the most notable feature of the old park.
Shortly after Senator McMillan's death in 1902, Congress and donors from his home state of Michigan honored the senator with an ornate fountain adorning the park that bears his name. The 1912 fountain, designed by Herbert Adams, contains a bronze sculpture of 3 nymphs on a pink granite base.
Photo by the US Army Corps of Engineers
In 1941 the fountain was dismantled, left in storage, and mostly neglected. In 1983 the top portion of the fountain was moved to Bloomingdale's Crispus Attucks Park, and in 1992 that section was moved again to its current location at the active reservoir site, where it is locked away from public access.
One can still see the top portion of the fountain by glancing through the fence on 1st Street NW.
The base of the fountain is today somewhere in Fort Washington National Park, in Prince George's County. Perhaps someday the District, the federal government, and neighbors can raise the funds to reunite and restore the fountain for public enjoyment.
Cross-posted at Left for LeDroit.
 | Eric Fidler has lived in DC and suburban Maryland his entire life. He likes long walks along the Potomac and considers the L'Enfant Plan an elegant work of art. He also blogs at Left for LeDroit, LeDroit Park's (only) blog of record.    |
Comments
- Community stories show the shift to a walkable lifestyle
- Young kids try to assault me while biking
- Focus transportation on downtown or neighborhoods?
- Some are pushing to limit sidewalk cycling
- Metro bag searches aren't always optional
- Endless zoning update delay hurts homeowners
- Where is downtown Prince George's County?
by Will on Sep 22, 2011 10:50 am • link • report
by H2O on Sep 22, 2011 11:04 am • link • report
And since the reservoir itself holds untreated water there really is no security reason for cordoning off the entire site with a black chain link fence. One can see the old Olmsted carriageway even. At least a portion of this could be made again into a public park, at least by replacing and moving the fence to make room for a multi-use trail. That and bringing back that great fountain area. This are needs a good public park, Howard students could use this for recreation, and it would enhance development.
by neb on Sep 22, 2011 11:04 am • link • report
by charlie on Sep 22, 2011 11:24 am • link • report
Hopefully whatever final redevelopment plan gets accomplished can include re-installing the McMillan fountain in a public area. That would be a nice recognition for Sen. McMillan and his involvement with the District.
by Anon2 on Sep 22, 2011 11:30 am • link • report
That said, I do agree that there should be more of an effort to make the space available to the public.
by Devoe on Sep 22, 2011 11:30 am • link • report
by Eric Fidler on Sep 22, 2011 11:31 am • link • report
by Margaret on Sep 22, 2011 11:52 am • link • report
It's right across the street from the Washington Hosp. Cntr, Childrens Hosp, the Nat'l Rehabilitation Hosp and the VA hosp. Having a park would be wonderful for patients, employees and vististing families.
Maybe in 70 years we can start talking about letting people have access to the top of the west steps of the Capitol again.
by Tina on Sep 22, 2011 11:53 am • link • report
Aren't most reservoirs not cordoned off? In fact, some reservoirs allow recreational activities like canoeing/kayaking.
by Falls Church on Sep 22, 2011 11:57 am • link • report
by jindc on Sep 22, 2011 12:58 pm • link • report
by djdc on Sep 22, 2011 3:04 pm • link • report
(That's the word for the layer of gunk in the sand filters that gets replaced periodically. "Dirt blanket" for those of you not versed in German.)
by Sand Fan on Sep 22, 2011 4:28 pm • link • report
The MAG community advisory group allows no input from residents at their meetings! The same group of hacks that were in the failed NCRC program have been reshuffled into the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, they hold onto the overkill "vision" for McMillan like pitbulls at Michael Vicks dog fighting ranch. They will spend over $460 million mitigating and developing and in 30 years recoup $600 million in city revenue. Of course the tax and revenue income to DC would be the same if the housing was rehabbed derelict properties and the medical offices were across the street at WHC, where they belong, and the market was a world class attraction not another box store, etc.
Parks are development for the people and the urban wildlife, not the Growth Machine! This must be developpment for the health of the community and the youth. The whole DC community, especially this side of town, desperately NEEDS McMillan, and adjacent green space, woods, hiking nd biking trails, and wetlands for the health of the environment, not to give the hack govt. more millions to waste,, for healthier stormwater infiltration, WE NEED A GLEN ECHO PARK for DC.kids, Arts, cultural, educational, performance, vocational training and more. Glen Echo so healthy for Bethesda is a community treasure and the hacks in our govt. don't care if you NEVER get a spectacular recreational FACILITY TO BENEFIT YOUR LIVES and give the grimy asphalt some real green, treed, shady and breezy ,, BIG 25 ACRE PARK. There is no city in the world that would have fenced off this park, let it deteriorate and coldn't have a single real vision for over 23 years. These hacks have disqualified themselves!.. The City Council hacks WHO WASTED $9 million buying this SITE when Dept. of Interior offered it to DC for free, but wanted it left as greenspace only. As this will benefit the reservoir, the hydrology, trees, and the people. That 9 million dollars if placed in a savings account would be over 20 million today for the endowment and maintenance of our park.
We must force the hacks in charge, the tiny group of about 20 DC officials(who control, and you DON"T, the largest development investment in the world) and zoning commissioners to scale down, stop blocking Professor Gusevich access to participate, stop the fast tracking and the mitgation frauds, we must inform DC taxpayers, and do a proper ballot referendum. The McMillan Park committee worked for this spectacular natural asset for 30 years, and the MAG( McMillan Advisory Group)orchestrted by the developers and city council staff, is a ploy to control the community.
Why is such desirable and solid urban planning so impossible in DC, objective professional urban planning, not shoe-horning every square foot with mixed-use this and mixed that. Wrestle this park back, as it states on DC maps PARK, away from the driven, the obsessed, the bought out, because children must have natural large healthy places,for clean air, sports, education, art, culture. This is our land, not the 20 or so hacks who wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat "got to build, and build, and pave, and build more and more". We have to conserve, preserve, restore our city and the environment( the most destructive thing to our rivers and ecology is construction!), LIMIT THIS INSANIY, we want adaptive-reuse. The insane amount of construction in their vision is more clear cutting of forest, more mountain removal coal mining, more loss of habitiat, more pollution in the rivers and Chesepeake Bay, more green house gasses and carbon emissions, more stinking auto congestion, a city more congested as the qualtiy of life deteriorates, more disease, more crime, more disgruntled youth with no parksland.
Your land, your park, your decision, throw out the city council , they are an emvbarrassment!,we must have a Constituent Assembly NOW! Enfranchise yourself, become a state from within, Stop the city council, save the Brookland Green, keep Walmart OUT, support your local small businesses. This is where proper urban palnning brings the mass transport first and then paced, careful additions to residences and businesses. The hacks are planning over 2400 new housing units in a 12 block area, destroying the neighborhood character, always planned as lower density and will "mitigate" all the negative consequences, unecessary to gobble up and destroy the chance for " A GREAT PLACE", MCMILLAN PARK!!!!!We can move a head with transit oriented dev, without destroying the good we have. NO metro at McIllna, just more auto exhaust. The Office of Planning produces small area plans and overides them with greater excessive development than their own recommendations.Guiding principals for historic preservation and more parkland , neighborhood character that are a FRAUD! STOP THE FRAUD! IT IS YOUR LAND!
The model of city development they are obsessed with was unhealthy in the 1880's and it is evenmore choking and destructive NOW as the paultry remiaining open land is built over.
McMillan is a park, ,with a brilliant world class underground City Market, Glen Echo for our kids, Healing Garden for the numerous hospital centers,, patients and their families and sustaiable environmental activities.We have a half dozennew food storesin the area, why not redevelop the Sfeway a few blocks away, NOT GRANDIOSE AND UPSCALE ENOUGH!
The hacks are forcing this MEGA OZ against all common sense, against the geology and hydrology of the site, against the best interests of DC residents. Everything in their plan can be done better elswhere and preserve and enjoy this incredible historic park designed by Olmstaed. They are so arrogant, they think they can do better than Olmstaed, what a joke!!
Their own Historic Preservation audit produced by DC's excellent Preservation Architects at Emily Eig's Traceries, flatly says" this level of development is incopmpatible with the historic nature of the site". Thier MEGA plan is so oversized, it cannot be done without eliminating the recreation, historic preservtion, the "Great Open Places" , the sunsets, the views, the needs of an underserved community with no access to hiking, parks arts education and so much more. The hacks have a VISION and it STINKS!
by Daniel Wolkoff on Sep 23, 2011 8:15 am • link • report
by Publius Washingtoniensis on Sep 23, 2011 10:24 am • link • report
by Kim Toufectis on Sep 23, 2011 4:13 pm • link • report
by brightwoodguy34 on Sep 23, 2011 4:35 pm • link • report
THIS is our Central Park, and that is precisely what we are doing!
by M. Farrell McCoy on Sep 25, 2011 10:11 pm • link • report
1. Facts about Mr. Wolkoff notes:
1. World class planning by Catholic University Professor Miriam Gusevich: She is an associate Professor and spent time in Chicago working on parks. Hardly qualifies her as a world class architect and urban planner. Furthermore, her plan has no financing, wasn’t submitted during the several RFP’s done by the city. You can’t expect the city to consider a plan that was never submitted.
2. The quote of $460 million dollars spent by the city to recoup $600 million is revenue is false! It’s estimated between $0-$60 million on for improvements to the site in which the city will issue bonds, along with the initial $9 million invest to acquire the land.
3. Parks are development for the people and the urban wildlife—This section of McMillan has no seen a public person touch it’s feet on that land since 1903. Hardly a park but more of a clean industrial site covered with grass.
4. McMillan Park Committee—doesn’t exist since. They are not a 5013c and have never been one, even though they applied for a grant stating they were. Their license to operate a non-profit was revoked in 1991.
5. The insane amount of construction in their vision is more clear cutting of forest—there are no trees on the site. Where were you when McMillan cut them all down?
6. NO metro at McMillan---Street Car Phase 3 brings a line right down Michigan and Irving Sts. To connect Brookland/CUA to Columbia Heights to Woodley Park.
by Barrie Daneker on Sep 26, 2011 11:15 am • link • report
http://140.194.76.129/publications/eng-pamphlets/ep870-1-67/c-6.pdf
by Jack Love on Sep 26, 2011 3:40 pm • link • report
http://www.biosandfilter.org/biosandfilter/index.php/item/229
http://ejb.ucv.cl/content/vol11/issue2/full/12/
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/s02-025
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/ssf/en/index.html
And here is another web page where there are over 60 links to more information (scholarly peer reviewed articles) on slow sand filtration all providing hundreds of links to other scholarly papers on slow sand filtration:
http://www.slowsandfilter.org/lit_cited.html
New developments in the art of slow sand filtration have made this type of water treatment much more applicable to the 21st century. That McMillan site you have there could be re-used, re-opened and operated again as a viable water filtration system. Salem, Oregon uses water from a slow sand filter and it is absolutely fantastic water. Go there and try it - we have a well here with some of the best water in the world, and the Salem water tastes better. Soooo many people just don't know about this type of system. Slow sand filters purify water - they actually remove pathogens - conventional water filtration does not - it just kills them using chlorine or ozone. Check this stuff out - you have a golden opportunity of pure water possibility right there in front of you.
Dave T
Seattle, Wa
by Dave on Oct 5, 2011 2:35 pm • link • report
So glad to have found this posting you've put together. The Mcmillan Reservoir has always been a favorite of mine. I did a photographic series
on the McMillan Reservoir a few years ago. I wasn't able to get inside, but got some good shots from outside the fence. You can see them on my website lisakrosenstein.com
by lisa r on Nov 30, 2011 9:07 pm • link • report
Add a Comment