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26
Quite apart from the health aspect, there are many disadvantages
in the use of hard water. There is the wastage of soap and the additional
labour in washing. Hard water harms fabrics washed with soap, and
hard waters cause considerable trouble by the disposition of scale when
heated, the scale in its turn causing inefficiency in heating.
According to the report referred to, " A hard water of 250 parts per
million of hardness of which 50 parts are permanent cannot conveniently
be softened by the lime process (not lime soda) to less than 80 to 100
p.p.m. hardness ; neither can water softened by the base exchange
process be distributed to the consumers at a hardness of less than 80 to
100 p.p.m. without running the risk of severe corrosive troubles in the
mains and service pipes." Amongst the conclusions of the Committee
are:—
1. As soon as economic conditions allow, the Minister of Health
should approve schemes already prepared by undertakers to soften
their supplies, after being satisfied, of course, that the proposals are
sound and unobjectionable in other ways.
2. As it is known that several undertakers are desirous of adopting
softening, but have not prepared plans to do so, they should be informed
that such proposals would receive favourable consideration,
the actual time of carrying them out being dependent upon the materials
and labour situation.
3. All other undertakers supplying water of hardness greater than
200 p.p.m. should be informed of our conclusions and asked to consider
the matter. A number of them would doubtless find it possible to
convince the Minister that softening schemes were out of the question
for them for a number of years, but the remainder could be urged to
take action.
The General Purposes Committee at their meeting on the 26th
November agreed that the Council would join with the authorities of
certain other districts mainly served by the Colne Valley Water Company
in their submission of a protest to the Company about the hardness of
the water supply.
DRAINAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL
Particulars of the local arrangements were set out in the Annual
Report for 1948.
In April an Inspector of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government
visited in connection with the Council's proposals for the construction
of a relief soil sewer in Pinner. In June the Council was informed
that the proposals were approved in principle, but that because of the
many pressing claims of other urgent and essential projects, agreement
could not then be given to the work proceeding.
At their meeting on the 2nd September the Highways and Cleansing
Committee agreed to submit to the Minister of Housing and Local
Government the Wealdstone foul sewer relief scheme. This is necessary
to relieve conditions in certain low-lying parts of Wealdstone which are
subject to flood by soil water because of the inadequate size of the existing