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The discharge of effluent from Bretons Farm Sewage Works
into the Beam River will cease in the summer of this year and
as a result the dry weather flow in the river will be insufficient
to enable a large riverside industrial plant to abstract their full
water requirements. A scheme is under investigation whereby the
effluent from the Riverside Sewage Works would be given tertiary
treatment to improve the quality then either pumped through a
pipeline to the headwaters of the Mardyke for abstraction or
transferred to the Beam utilising existing watercourses.
The River Authority has carried out a scheme to strengthen
the tidal defences on the east bank of Rainham Creek and improve
the revetted face. On the west bank work is in hand on a temporary
scheme to raise the level of the defences at the upper end of the
creek.
THE RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ACT, 1960
A system for the disposal of solid radioactive waste has
been evolved in this country and has been used for the last 3
years.
The Act contains provision for the registration of all users
of radioactive material, provision for authorisation for the
disposal of radioactive waste and powers to exempt minor users
from registration. In this connection the Ministry of Housing and
Local Government cancelled the four authorisations which were
in force in this Borough during the year and issued revised
registrations and authorisations in each case. These authorisations
are held by two other public authorities and twoprivate firms. The
radiochemical inspectors of the Ministry as a result of extensive
investigations have established a strict criteria for the disposal
of radioactive material. The exposure of people handling the
waste has to be kept as far below the acceptable limit as possible,
and the final resting place has to be carefully chosen to ensure
that no-one—'including small boys who can get almost anywhere'
—inhaled or ingested active material, particularly if alpha or
beta-emitting radionuclides are present.
In addition, there has to be adequate shielding of the waste,
particularly when it contained gamma-emitters, until the activity
decayed to a negligible level.
A range of disposal methods, which catered for four basic
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