London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bromley 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bromley]
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Results of the Chemical and Bacteriological Examination of the Water supplied to Bromley during the year 1953. (Parts per million unless otherwise stated.)
| Shortlands Well | West Wickham Well | Orpington Well | Thames-derived filtered water (Walton) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of samples | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1766 |
| Ammoniacal Nitrogen | 0.003 | 0.012 | Nil | 0.012 |
| Albuminoid Nitrogen | 0.022 | 0.023 | 0.025 | 0.081 |
| Oxidised Nitrogen—Nitrate | 4.7 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 3.3 |
| Chlorides as Cl | 15.5 | 14.3 | 15.4 | 26.8 |
| Oxygen abs. from Permanganate 4 hrs. at 27°C | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.09 | 1.02 |
| Turbidity in terms of Silica | Nil | Nil | Nil | 0.2 |
| Colour m.m. brown 2 ft. Tube Burgess's Tintometer | Nil | Nil | Nil | 12 |
| Hardness (Total) | 283 | 251 | 281 | 259 |
| Non-carbonate Hardness | 68 | 32 | 47 | 64 |
| pH Value | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.9 |
| Magnesium Mg | 3.9 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 4.0 |
| Silica Si02 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 |
| Sulphates S 04 | 41 | 9 | 15 | 49 |
| Oxygen Saturation % | — | — | — | — |
| B.O.D. 5 days at 65°F. | — | — | — | — |
| Conductivity | 500 | 450 | 500 | 500 |
Bactcriological Results.
Before Chlorination (Raw Water).
No. of samples 493 — 249 7930
Plate count (Average per millilitre).
Colonies counted on Agar:
22°C. (3 days) 1.9 — 1825.6 -
37°C. (20-24 hrs.)0.1 — 34.4
Bact. coli test:
Percentage samples negative in
100 ml. 99.8 — 99.6 68.8
Average number per 100 ml. 0.004 — 0.008 2.10
After Chlorination (Water passing into Supply).
No. of samples 253 213 255 3488
Plate count (Average per millilitre).
Colonies counted on Agar:
22°C. (3 days) — — — —
37°C. (20-24 hrs.) — — — 13.5
Bact. coli test:
Percentage samples negative in
100 ml. 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.9
Average number per 100 ml. Nil Nil Nil 0.001
DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE
A contract was commenced, at the end of the year, for the
relaying of a length of the main soil sewer in the vicinity of
Westmoreland Road.
No other works of major importance have been carried out
during 1953.