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33
The following extract from the 57th Annual Report of the
Metropolitan Water Board for the year ended 31st March, 1960, is
reproduced by kind permission of the Clerk to that Authority.
"At Farnborough, there are at present two service reservoirs
with a combined capacity of 2.925 million gallons. Water is normally
received from the Board's North Orpington, Orpington and West
Wickham pumping stations and from the Thames Valley via Honor
Oak and Shortlands pumping stations, but can also be infused from
the higher reservoirs at Knockholt through a 12 inch main. The area
supplied by the reservoirs includes the districts of Chislehurst,
Crockenhill, Eynsford, Farnborough, Farningham, Hayes, Keston,
Orpington, Swanley Junction, Petts Wood, Shirley and West Wickham,
and the daily demand now averages over 5 m.g. with a maximum
exceeding 9 m.g. On two days in June 1957, both reservoirs
were completely empty and occasions arose during the summer of
1959 when the water level was dangerously low.
At their meeting in October 1959, the Board decided to construct,
at an estimated cost of £125,000, a third service reservoir on
land adjoining the existing ones which will have a capacity of 5
million gallons. It will be connected to the others by short lengths
of mains and have the same top water level. Work on the site
commenced in January, 1960.
Water from North Orpington pumping station is pumped into
the Farnborough reservoir zone through one 18 inch main, and one
8 inch main. These mains are connected at Orpington pumping
station to a single 14 inch main which runs between that station
and the reservoirs. The proposals approved by the Board in 1958
for the improvement of the supply to the Kent area included the
installation of additional pumping plant at North Orpington pumping
station which, in the near future, will enable the maximum
output of the station to be raised from 1 m.g.d. to 2 m.g.d. The
capacity of the 14 inch main will, as a result be inadequate to enable
full use to be made of the reservoirs. It is accordingly intended to
lay, at an estimated cost of £37.000 approximately 3,910 yards of 12
inch main to connect the 18 inch main in High Street, Orpington,
with the 24 inch inlet/outlet main from the reservoirs. The main
will pass through an area in which shortages occurred during the
hot weather of June and July 1959, and will be available for
improving the supply."