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
Kensington 1875
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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46
The natural filtration which the Kent Company's deep well
water undergoes through an enormous thickness of chalk, is the
cause of its uniform clearness and transparency, which renders it
independent of artificial filtration.
When examined by the miscroscope, the sediment deposited by
turbid water on standing, is almost always found to contain num.bers of living and moving organisms.
The annexed table shows the results of such microscopic examinations during the past seven years:—
| Number of occasions when living organisms were found. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Company. | 1869. | 1870. | 1871. | 1872. | 1873. | 1874. | 1875. |
| Chelsea | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| West Middlesex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Junction | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
The subjoined table exhibits the averages, for 1875, of solid impurity ;and other particulars, the numbers relating to 100,000 parts of each water:—
| Name of Company | Temperature in Centigrade Degrees. | Total Solid Impurity. | Organic Carbon. | Organic Nitrogen. | Ammonia. | Nitrogen as Nitrates and Nitrites. | Total Combined Nitrogen. | Previous Sewage or Animal Contamination. (Estimated.) | Chlorine. | Total Hardness. | Proportionate Amount of organic Elements, that in the Kent Company's Water being taken as 1. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 11.8 | 26.46 | .211 | .039 | .001 | •155 | •196 | 1250 | 1.87 | 19.3 | 3.7 |
| West Middlesex | 12.6 | 26.62 | •176 | •028 | •001 | •124 | 153 | 930 | 1.83 | 19.4 | 3.0 |
| Grand Junction | 11.4 | 27.00 | •186 | .033 | 001 | .129 | •161 | 990 | 1.83 | 20.0 | 3.3 |
| Kent | 124 | 40.36 | •067 | •012 | •000 | •371 | •383 | 340 | 2.48 | 28.1 | 1.0 |
From Mr. Frank Bolton's reports we learn that the West Middlesex
Company are giving constant supply to a number of houses
on the application of the owners, and are fully prepared to extend
the system as required: as a matter of fact, however, the
number of houses having constant supply is small. The construction
of a new filter bed at Barnes, of two acres area, is progressing.
The Company having large reservoir capacity for
subsidence avoid taking in water during floods.
The construction by the Grand Junction Company of further
impounding reservoirs for subsidence at the intake at Hampton
(so as to avoid the flood waters) is in contemplation, as this Company
will require such reservoirs before they can deliver effectually
filtered water during the period when floods prevail.
The Chelsea Company's new works, which I referred to in my
last annual report, are progressing rapidly; the pumping main
has been laid, and the water is now taken in at West Molesey
instead of at Seething Wells. The impounding reservoirs are
also progressing upon the land (comprising an area of about 50
acres necessary for their construction) near Molesey. The erection
of the necessary engine power is in progress; meanwhile,
temporary engines have been fixed to afford supply from the new
intake, and the Company are urging on the completion of