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30
Water supply
I am indebted to the Director of Water Examination of the
Metropolitan Water Board for the information on which the following
report on Lewisham's water supply is based.
The water supply to Lewisham is divided into three zones : the
low zone is supplied from Deptford Well and by Thames - derived
filtered water ; the Eltham zone is supplied from Wilmington, Darenth
and Bexley Wells and should the occasion arise, with a small proportion
from the low zone ; the Bromley zone to the south of the borough is
supplied from Shortlands Well and again on occasions with additional
Thames-derived filtered water. River Thames water is abstracted at
the Board's intakes at Walton, Laleham and Wraysbury and is filtered
at Hampton, Surbiton and Walton works. Contact tanks have been built
at Hampton and Walton where there is opportunity for chlorine to exert
its full effect before the water is pumped into supply and thereby
chlorinous and other tastes are to a great extent avoided. All the well
water is chlorinated and here also contact tanks are provided. Finally,
any residual chlorine is completely removed or reduced to a level that
would not be noticeable to consumers before the water leaves the works.
Bacteriological analyses are made at least five times a week and in
the case of the river-derived supplies, the water is analysed at all stages
of purification. None of the supplies is plumbo-solvent.
Tables 18 and 19 show the average results of the chemical and
bacteriological analyses of the various supplies as forwarded by the
Metropolitan Water Board:—