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19
General Information.
Meetings of the National Society for Clean Air and its South East
Division, the Conference of Co-operating Bodies for the Investigation of
Atmospheric Pollution and the London and Home Counties Clean Air
Advisory Council are attended as a routine.
Sewerage and Sewage Disposal.
Regional Scheme:
The benefits of the proposed regional scheme have been noted in
previous reports and it is clear from repeated analyses of the rivers Beam
and Ingrebourne that some drastic measures are required to remedy
the position. Fortunately it seems that progress is now being made. It
seems likely that Brentwood will be permitted not to come within the
proposed scheme in view of the improvement likely to be effected in
the Nags Head works.
How far the existence of a relatively dry watercourse such as the
Ingrebourne without sewage effluent is prejudicial to the amenity of a
district is problematical and the view has been expressed, and may well
account for the present decision to exclude Brentwood, that such a
watercourse when dry (if one may be excused that unusual expression) is
more prejudicial to a district than a good effluent. Be that as it may
the matter still remains relative and a good effluent is not a good natural
river water. Unless, therefore, a good effluent can receive adequate
dilution in the stream which it enters, one's joy at having it traverse the
district of which one is Medical Officer of Health will not be wholly
unalloyed.
I am indebted to the Engineer and Surveyor for the following information:
—
Bury Farm Works:
It was hoped that the final extensions to these works which would
provide an installation up to modern standards and to a design capacity
for a population of 20,000 at 40 gallons per person per day and discharging
an effluent which would be to a higher standard than that required by
the Royal Commission, would have been completed.
Unfortunately, the digestion tanks were not able to be used until
July and the last of the four filters did not come into operation until
September.
All structural works to provide the required standard of effluent
have now, however, been completed and it is hoped shortly to discharge
the final effluent over the irrigation area. It could be said that the works
are now fully operational, but certain structural works still require to
be done and these are in the hands of the Council's consultants.
Soil sewers:
Work has been completed on appoximately 600 yards of new sewers
at: —
Roneo Corner soil sewer improvement (21"diameter/18" diameter/
15" diameter) which has been designed as an integral part of a projected
improvement between Roneo Corner and Bretons Sewage Disposal
Works.