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31
The water delivered for domestic purposes is frequently
deteriorated after leaving the Companies' mains by the
dirty state of the cisterns on the premises of the consumers.
Many of the cisterns, tanks and butts for containing
water, in small tenement houses in the Metropolis,
are in a disgusting and filthy state. An opportunity for
inspecting these presents itself when travelling on some of
the Metropolitan and Suburban lines. Cisterns may be
seen without lids (and with portions of rotten lids floating
in the water) full of rank and decaying vegetation and
other most objectionable substances, such as old rags and
paper, and on closer examination the contents would show
more or less organic deposit, and under the microscope
would be found to abound in infusorial life. The purest
and best filtered water in England would be poisoned by
such a system of storage.
The Public Health Act gives power to any Local Authority
to inspect and remedy such evils, but probably the only
remedy for this state of affairs will be found in the establishment
of the constant supply system and the consequent
total abolition of these unfit receptacles.''
As time went on, the East London Water Company instituted
and gradually extended a constant supply of water over the whole
of their district; we were promised that this would be a real constant
supply, only to be shut off in the event of pipes requiring
repair.
Well knowing the foul condition of the water receptacles all over the
parish, the Sanitary Department of the Vestry endeavoured by all
means in their power to abolish improperly placed tanks and waterbutts,
and advised a supply of water to be drawn, for domestic
purposes, direct from the rising mains. We did not absolutely forbid
cisterns, but as a matter of fact we discouraged their use as we
knew that the water supplied by the Company would be deteriorated
by the condition into which most of the cisterns would probably
get, and therefore we considered them harmful. The Water Company,
however, have never taken this view, but have always strongly