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the effluent from them has to be treated on land before it is
sufficiently pure to be discharged into the brook. The remaining
seven beds are merely underdrained clay beds, the
surface of which is periodically ploughed over.
There is no doubt in my mind that very considerable expenditure
must shortly be incurred in order to continue dealing
adequately with the sewage under the present system.
Additional pumping plant is required, and many of the filterbeds
need to be properly made up. The storm-water is also
a constant source of anxiety, especially when the land is taxed
by a long period of wet weather.
The problem to be faced is whether it will be more
economical to expend money on the present system or to adopt
a new scheme. Since our present scheme was devised great
advances have been made in methods of sewage disposal, and
I believe it will be found most advantageous to make use of
detritus and septic tanks in place of chemical precipitation,
to construct new primary and secondary bacterial beds on the
land lying below the level of the low level sewer, and, in
addition, to construct special storm-water filters. If this were
done it is probable that the whole of the present sewage could
be treated by gravitation without the need for pumping, a
much smaller area of land would be required, and the offensive
odour and other difficulties encountered in disposing of the
sludge would be minimised.
Disposal of House-Refuse.
The Council contract for a weekly removal of all houserefuse.
The refuse is burnt in the open, on the sewage farm.
It would be a distinct advantage from the public health point
of view if all carts used in the removal were furnished with
covers.