View report page

54
The Condition of the River Thames.— During the summer months there was
a most offensive smell from the River Thames and this was the subject of general
complaint, not only from those who worked or travelled on the river, but also from
householders and shopkeepers in those areas near the River. London sewage
effluent is discharged into the River from two main outfalls belonging to the London
County Council, situated near Barking and Crossness, both in close proximity to
Woolwich.
Strong representations were made by the Council to the London County Council
who were urged to take steps towards securing a permanent improvement in the
state of the Thames so far as this was affected by the discharge of sewage into it.
The quantity of sewage reaching the Outfalls is approaching 300 million gallons
per day and most of it is discharged into the river after preliminary settlement of
the sewage for removal of solid matters in suspension. A small proportion is treated
with activated sludge, one large unit being installed at the Northern Outfall in 1931.
In 1934 the County Council resolved to instal an additional five units and this will
enable one third of the total dry weather flow at the Northern Outfall to be treated
by this process, but the construction of these works will take time and will not be
complete at the present rate of progress till 1940. As a temporary measure the
County Council propose to use sulphate of iron, but this is only a palliative.
The County Council, in November, in a letter to the Council enclosed the
following statement:—
"During the past summer the water of the Thames from some distance
below the Council's outfalls up to the tidal limit at Teddington has been in an
unusually bad condition. So far as the reaches below, say, London Bridge are
concerned, this condition is no doubt mainly due to the effluent entering the
river at the Council's outfalls making more demands on the self-purificatory
powers of the river than can be satisfied under the unusually difficult conditions
which have prevailed during the last two years and which became more difficult
when the fresh water flow of the river was allowed to be reduced to about onefifth
of the volume of effluent discharged from the outfalls.
"It must be admitted that the progress of self-purification has at times
reached the point where it has been physically impossible for the oxygen of the
air to be absorbed at a rate sufficient to keep the water free from offensive smell
or to oxidise fully compounds in the water which would discolour white lead
paint.
"Careful investigation shows, however, that the condition of the upper
tidal reaches is due rather to the polluted state of water coming over Teddington
weir, combined with the many discharges of effluent between Teddington and