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36
There were 3,619 tests made in connection with drainage installations
and 36 connections made to the Council's sewers during
the year.
The clearance and maintenance of public sewers is the responsibility
of the Council and maintenance costs are reclaimed from
owners of properties connected to the public sewer. A close working
liaison with the Technical Services Department implements the
rapid clearance and repair of public sewers.
Sewerage and sewage disposal
The trunk sewers and sewage disposal of London are the responsibility
of the Greater London Council, and the local sewers which
discharge into the trunk sewers are the responsibility of the Borough
Councils.
The Council's brick and pipe sewers are regularly cleansed and
are reasonably adequate for their purpose.
Water supply
The bulk of the water supply in Wandsworth, as in other Inner
London Boroughs, is obtained from the mains of the Metropolitan
Water Board who are responsible for its purity. Water supplies
from this and other sources proved satisfactory both in quality
and quantity throughout the year.
All new and repaired mains are disinfected with chlorine; after
a predetermined period of contact the pipes are flushed out and
refilled ; samples of water are then collected from these treated
mains, and the mains are returned to service only after the analytical
results are found to be satisfactory.
The quality control from the Metropolitan Water Board's
laboratories is carried out by means of daily sampling from the
sources of supply, from the treatment works or well stations, from
the distribution system and through to the consumer. Any sign of
contamination or any other abnormality is immediately investigated.
All dwellings in the borough, numbering approximately 127,000
and catering for a resident population of 300,530 were supplied
from the mains of the Metropolitan Water Board. No houses were
permanently supplied by standpipe.
No artificial fluoride is added to the water supply by the Board
and where the fluoride content is indicated in the analyses it
represents the naturally occurring fluoride in the water. The natural
fluoride content of the mains water was 0.20 parts per million.
There has been no change in policy on the question of the
general fluoridation of the water supply in Wandsworth. The
Council has already made a decision in favour of fluoridation but
the Metropolitan Water Board will take no action until all the
authorities whose areas are served by the Board are similarly in
favour.