View report page

25
granted, in each case, on the Authority being satisfied that
the supply available was sufficient for domestic purposes.
G. SEWERAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL.
A large scheme of sewerage was carried out some
years ago for the Parishes of Beddington, Wallington,
Mitcham, Merton, and Morden, and more recently sewers
were also constructed for the Purley district, in the parish
of Coulsdon. The last-named join the Croydon system,
but the former converge to two levels at the Sewage
Works in Collierswood, Mitcham, which together
furnish the outfall, to be treated on about 26 acres of land
there. The population of these parishes was estimated
at the middle of last year to be 24,000, so that there
is about one acre of land available for the sewage of
925 persons. The system employed at the Works is
"Intermittent Downward Filtration," not preceded by
any chemical precipitation, and such an amount of land
ought to be sufficient. The reverse has, however, been
the case for some time past, mainly on account of the
immense volume of sub-soil water which finds its way
into the sewers in various parts of the district. As
surface water is largely excluded from the sewers, the
volume of sewage, which, under normal conditions, should
require treatment, is, for the above population, about
700,000 gallons daily, but it appears that the actual
volume in dry weather is If millions of gallons, whilst in
wet weather, it amounts to no less than 4 million gallons.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the Works have
been overtaxed, and that the effluent is far from satisfactory;
and matters wore such a grave aspect, that after
a special report by the Surveyor, Mr. Chatterton, C.E.,