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During the year 99 families were rehoused, leaving 386 families on the Housing Register at
the end of December 1965.
The new Public Services Building, Barbican, was completed and provides a new Fire Station,
office accommodation for the Civil Defence and Weights and Measures Departments and for certain
sections of the Medical Officer's Department, previously at 20 Golden Lane, and 13 maisonettes.
Of the 2,105 flats to be built 1,877 are now under construction, together with a new City of London
Girls' School and some commercial accommodation.
WATER SUPPLY
In addition to the Metropolitan Water Board supply there are 123 artesian wells in use in the
City, all are used for domestic or drinking purposes. Most of these wells were constructed between
1890 - 1930 and were bored to depths of between 300 and 650 feet into the hard grey chalk below
the impervious strata, yielding many thousands of gallons of clear, sparkling and bacteriologically
pure water. Each of these wells is operated by the respective owners or occupiers of the premises
in which they are housed and they provide an adequate supply of water for all purposes.
When the 1945 - 1948 Water Acts came into force, a restriction was imposed on new borings
as the water table was known to be falling, and since that time no new bore holes have been
allowed in this area. Disused wells are sometimes brought into operation and improved by means
of acidisation. This process enlarges the interstices in the chalk strata and allows the subterranean
water freer access and is accompanied by some nuisance to the surrounding users.

There were no adverse reports on deep well or drinking water supplies. Swimming bath
samples were of varying quality, 5 samples not complying with the Ministry of Health's standard.
Advice was given by the Officer concerned and subsequent samples were satisfactory.
The Metropolitan Water Board have supplied the following information:—
"The water was generally of satisfactory quality and quantity during 1965. The supply is
derived from two sources in varying and unpredictable proportions, namely, River-Thames derived
water from the Thames Valley filtration stations and New River-derived water from the
Board's works at Stoke Newington. The average chemical and bacteriological results of analyses
carried out on the finished waters from these two sources are set out on the attached sheets.
1 am informed that the permanent population of the City of London is 4,469 and none of the
premises are permanently supplied by standpipe. No new sources of supply were installed by the
Board during 1965 and there were no extensions to trunk mains, nor were there any changes in the
general scheme of supply.
During the year some 328 yards of service mains were laid in your area. All new and repaired
mains are chlorinated before being brought into use or restored to service, and samples of water
from them are tested bacteriologically to ensure that the quality is satisfactory.
The Board's waters are not plumbo-solvent. Samples are collected daily at each stage of
purification of the water and from the distribution system. Immediate action is taken in respect of
any form of contamination or variation in quality."
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