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45
Part II.—Administration.
Water Supply.
1. The water supply has continued to be satisfactory on the
whole, and no complaint has been received as to the quality of
the water. Three houses in Eltham were found to have their
water from surface wells. In two cases the well was exposed
to sewage pollution and was consequently closed and Kent
Company's water laid on. In the third instance the water was
found pure and well protected from pollution and no action
was taken. In one of these instances, although a cesspool lay
within a few feet of the well, strong objections were offered by
the occupier to the proposal to close it until an analysis proved
the water to be seriously contamiuated with sewage.
113 defective and foul cisterns were found and cleansed or
remedied. In 66 houses the supply was found deficient or
temporarily cut off, and the proper remedy effected.
27 rain-water tanks were found foul or otherwise defective.
The usual remedy applied was the filling in of the tank.
920 new houses were certified to have a proper and sufficient
supply of water.
2. The Public Health (London) Act requires that every
house shall have a proper and sufficient supply of water. The
question has arisen in the case of large tenement houses
whether one water tap (in the basement say) can be regarded
as a sufficient supply for a house containing 20 persons in 3 or
4 families, some of whom live four floors above the water tap.
The difficulty of providing water on the higher floors is the
necessity for providing for waste and the prevention of soakage
from splashing. It certainly appears, however, that until this
is done the house cannot be said to comply with the Act.
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