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6i
C.—THE WATER SUPPLY.
WATER SUPPLY OF CROYDON.—This important matter has
on many occasions been the subject of special reports to the Water
Sub-Committee, but hitherto it has not been thought desirable to
refer to the matter in detail in my annual report, as it seemed that
the scheme which the Sanitary Committee long had under
consideration would afford sufficient guarantees for the future
safeguarding of the supply. As, however, the burgesses have for
the moment decided to content themselves with the present supply
it is necessary to put on record certain conclusions which I have
formed, after very careful consideration, concerning the purity and
safety of the present supply to the " Croydon " water area.
SOURCE OF SUPPLY FOR THE "CROYDON" AREA—As
is well known the " Croydon" area is supplied by
(1) The Surrey Street Wells.
(2) The Addington Well.
(3) Waddon Bore-hole.
(4) Stroud Green Well.
THE SURREY STREET WELLS. —When the first Local Board
was elected in 1849 there was no public water supply, and one of
their first acts was to remedy this deficiency. Accordingly in the
year 1850 the Surrey Street site was acquired, an existing well
enlarged, a new well sunk and pumping machinery erected for
raising the water to Park Hill Reservoir. Those works were
completed in less than two years, so that the " Croydon" area
(extending for a radius of two miles from the Town Hall) was first
supplied from the Surrey Street Wells in December, 1851. A third
well was added in 1867 and a fourth in 1876.
All these wells pass through three or four feet of made ground
and about 11 feet of valley gravel before entering the chalk, which
is therefore uncovered except by pervious strata, which offer no
serious obstacle to the passage, under certain circumstances, of
polluted water into subjacent fissures and so into the wells.
Though this precaution was not taken in the first instances, three of
the wells are said to be now provided with an impervious lining for
from 50 to 75 feet from the surface. The fourth well (No. 2) which
is lined for a distance of 37 feet only, has not been used since 1899,
as the water which it yielded was found to be contaminated.
Each well is further bored to a depth varying from 150 to 264
feet from the ground level.