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15
Water Supply.
The Chislehurst Urban District is supplied with water by the
Metropolitan Water Board, whose water is derived partly from
stored and filtered river water and partly from chalk wells in Kent.
The supply is generally considered satisfactory, though from
time to time complaints have been received which on investigation
have shown that the system of storage in cisterns, which exists in
the district at present, is less satifactory than where the water is
delivered to the consumer direct from the mains, and in January,
in response to inquiries by the Metropolitan Water Board, and at
the request of the Council for my opinion on the subject, I reported
that " Generally speaking, and especially considering that mains
are now easily tapped under pressure, I consider, except under
exceptional circumstances, that storage cisterns connected with a
reliable constant service could be discarded with advantage," and
the Council forwarded the following recommendations which they
had adopted, to the representative of the Metropolitan Water
Board:—
" That the obligation to provide cisterns be abolished, and that
the use of such cisterns be discouraged except in cases where boilers
are fixed. That in all cases taps be fixed on the rising main for
household use. That the Water Board be asked to advertise any
contemplated cutting off of mains supplying a considerable area,
to give special notice to all important consumers affected by any
particular shutting off, and to use an apparatus whereby new services
can be attached without shutting off the supply." To which
the Metropolitan Water Board replied " that in the case of new
supplies and relays to unoccupied premises, the provision of a cistern
be demanded wherever the Board have the statutory powers in that
behalf ": the Board stated that their Engineer will do all he can to
persuade consumers to fix taps on the rising main for household
use: that their employees will as far as practicable give notice to
consumers, especially large consumers, when temporary cutting off
of the supply is intended, and that an apparatus whereby services
can be attached without cutting off the supply is in use in the Kent
District for tapping mains under pressure, and that if it is not in
use in the Council's area it will be made available. Later, however,
a communication was received from the Engineer of the Water
Board stating that in the majority of cases in the Chislehurst District
it is not possible to use the machine for tapping the water
mains under pressure. Later in the year some discussion arose
as to the hardness of the water, and the advisability of adopting
some process of softening before distributing it to the consumer,
and at the Council's request I informed them of my opinion on the
subject in a letter addressed to the Clerk, as follows:—