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Longbridge Park Swimming Pool.—This is an open air bath with a capacity of
500,000 gallons ; built in the year 1931.
The improvements effected during the year included the construction of a
sun-bathing area, with a children's paddling pool, a rest enclosure and beach rests.
The pool itself was enclosed and trip-baths or wading pools were provided.
This provision prevented the spectators from fouling the bathers' platform and
ensured that the bathers' feet were reasonably clean when entering the water.
Water Purification.—Considerable attention has been directed to this matter
and the standards of purification to be maintained in swimming baths has been laid
down by the Ministry of Health.
Your East Street bath is designed for a four-hourly turnover. On a peak day
the bathers number 1,000. Its capacity is 90,000 gallons.
The Longbridge Park Pool is designed for a six-hourly turnover with a capacity
of 500,000 gallons. On the peak day in 1935 there were 4,390 bathers.
In both instances filtration is effected by the use of rapid sand filters with a
filtration rate of 200 gallons per square foot per hour.
Unfortunately it was not possible in the absence of a flow meter to say whether
this turnover period was being maintained. Obviously, the degree of purity
depends upon the bathing load during the turnover period.
At the East Street bath the ordinary bathing load pollution is increased considerably
by the out-of-date construction of the bath which permits bathers prior
to bathing having access to the bath platform.
Whilst samples of water submitted for examination were found to be of satisfactory
condition, there were occasions when the clarity of the water owing to the
lack of pre-cleansing facilities was not so good as can be readily obtained in a modern
bath.
At both baths chlorination is used for sterilization purposes, and samples of
water submitted for examination were found bacterially pure.
Modern practice is for the water in swimming baths to be changed every three
hours and to provide ample facilities for bathers to carry out pre-cleansing.
12. ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT RADIATION.
Ultra-violet light radiation is measured in Barking at the Barking Hospital.
The apparatus used in that designed by Professor Leonard Hill, known as the
" test by fading" instrument. The biologically active ultra-violet rays are
measured by the fading of a standard solution of acetone and methylene blue.