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34
SECTION C.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE
AREA.
Water Supply.
The Leyton area is supplied from the mains of the Metropolitan
Water Board.
Rivers and Streams.
The principal river within the Borough is the River Lea,
which runs along the extreme South West Boundary. Its tributaries
within the Borough are the Waterworks River, the Dagenham
Brook and the Fillebrook (now culverted). The whole of the
surface water of the Borough finds its way into one or other of
these streams.
The Rivers Pollution Prevention Act, 1876, makes provision
for the prevention of the pollution of rivers, particularly with a
view to the prevention of new sources of pollution. Section 9 of
that Act gives certain powers to the Conservancy Board appointed
under the Lee Conservancy Act, 1868, since when the Lee Conservancy
Board has been the responsible body. As far as this
Council is concerned the whole of its sewage is taken direct into
the L.C.C. system in Hackney, and no effluent passes into the
streams.
Public Cleansing.
(a) Scavenging.
See Annual Report for 1936.
(b) House Refuse Collection and Disposal.
The collection of house refuse is not under the control of the
Public Health Department, but is carried out under the direction
of the Borough Engineer and Surveyor.
There are over 27,000 houses in the Borough and refuse is
collected from each house twice weekly. The collection is undertaken
by mechanically propelled vehicles, of which there are 12.
All refuse is burnt in the Corporation's Refuse Destructor.
During the year 24,484 tons of refuse were collected and the
net cost of collection per ton for the financial year ended March,
1938, was 10s. 3d.