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
Hammersmith 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hammersmith Borough]
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The London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1962, authorises this Council
to serve a notice requiring the owner or occupier of such premises to close the
basement where the situation could not be remedied at reasonable expense, or otherwise
to carry out works to secure the proper and efficient drainage of such property.
The responsibility for appropriate action under this Act has been given to the Works
Committee of the Council.
Water Supply
The water supplied to the Borough by the Metropolitan Water Board during
1962 has been satisfactory both in quantity and quality. It is derived from the
River Thames, stored in the Walton and Staines reservoirs and filtered and
chlorinated at Hampton and Ashford Common. The average result of chemical
and bacteriological analyses of water supplied are set out below:—
| Hampton | Ashford Common | |
|---|---|---|
| No of samples | 52 | 52 |
| Ammonia Nitrogen | 0.040 | 0.046 |
| Albuminoid Nitrogen | 0.078 | 0.081 |
| Oxidised Nitrogen-Nitrate | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Chlorides as Chlorine | 31 | 31 |
| Oxygen abs. from Permanganate 4 hrs. at 27°C | 1.12 | 1.14 |
| Turbidity (Units) | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Colour | 12 | 12 |
| Hardness (Total) | 264 | 276 |
| Hardness (non-carbonate) | 58 | 58 |
| pH Value | 7.8 | 7.9 |
| Phosphate as PO4 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Silicate as SiO2 | 9 | 10 |
| Sulphate as SO4 | 61 | 61 |
| Fluoride as F | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| Magnesium as Mg | 6 | 6 |
| Surface Active Material as Manoxol | 0.12 | 0.12 |
| Electrical Conductivity | 550 | 560 |
| Ashford Common | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. of samples | 1,121 | 767 |
| Agar plate count per ml. : 20-24 hours at 37°C | 11.9 | 20.1 |
| Coliform count: Per cent samples negative in 100 ml. | 99.91 | 100.0 |
| E. coli-count: Per cent samples negative in 100 ml. | 100.0 | 100.0 |
No new important extensions of trunk mains, nor changes in the general scheme
of supply have been made during the past year, but 595 yards of mains have been
laid. All new as well as repaired mains are disinfected with chlorine before being
brought into or restored to service.