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29
Some diseases are water-borne. In order that the water company
shall be aware of the occurrence of these, particulars are sent to them
of those households at which there are patients suffering from diseases
which might have been contracted by the consumption of infected water,
even though there was nothing to suggest that in those particular cases
infection had been contracted in that way.
There have been no complaints of inadequacy of supply in the areas
served by the Colne Valley Water Company, though before the war from
the small part of the district served by the Rickmansworth & Uxbridge
Valley Water Company complaints of shortage were not infrequent.
Towards the end of 1948 it was necessary to communicate with the Colne
Valley Water Company about the inadequacy of supplies to a terrace of
houses fed by the stand pipe; the lumen of the pipe had been narrowed
through scaling.
Occasionally complaints are received about the hardness of the water,
and sometimes, too, about the taste of chlorine. The water is usually
about 20° hardness, a figure which might compare well with that of water
of other deep-well supplies, but it is very noticeable to those used to an
upland water supply. Hardness is only indirectly related to health.
In that it is a protection against the risk of plumbo-solvency to which
soft waters are subject, a certain degree of hardness is advantageous.
Hardness can be indirectly related to health through increasing the difficulties
in attaining cleanliness. Whatever might be the difficulties of
the water company in ensuring a softer supply, whether it be shortage
of labour or of materials, these must be but a fraction of those resulting
from failure to soften when regard is had to the total volume of labour
of the housewife and of her meagre soap allowance. The taste of chlorine
in the water, about which no complaints have been received in this last
year, is apparently due to a deliberate overdosing of the water when work
has been done on some mains. On these occasions there are sometimes
complaints of the turbidity of the water.
The water company notifies the authority of their intention to cut
off the supply of water to an inhabited house.
Wells.
There are eight groups of wells in this district only a few of which
are now in use. These are:—
(1) That at Braziers Farm, a well of about 250 feet deep, the water
from which is used for cooling purposes in connection with the dairy
business. The results of the analyses of samples have been satisfactory.
(2) The six at Kodak Works. Of these, four are sealed and have
not been opened for many years. The other two are deep wells, the
water being used in connection with the work of the factory.
(3) A shallow well in the yard of the Harrow Motors, Limited, West
Hill, Harrow. The water is used for car washing purposes only. This
well is superficial and does not draw its water from the depth of the
other functioning wells in the district; nor is it likely that its water can
find its way to the deeper underground supplies.
The other wells are not in use. They are:—
(4) Two at Messrs. Patterson and Company, Stanmore Hill. These
are two disused brick wells which have not been used for years, both