London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Westminster 1897
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster]
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26
Metropolitan Water Supply.
In the Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Local Government
Board for 1896-97 will be found tabulated the following results
from the Report of the Water Examiners appointed under the
Metropolis Water Act, 1871, and which should be of interest
in view of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the
best means of dealing with the London water supply.
The United Parishes, of course, are chiefly interested in the
Chelsea and West Middlesex Companies from which they
derive their supply.
"The population supplied by each of the eight Metropolitan
Water Companies on the 31st December, 1896, was approximately
as follows ":—
East London 1,249,363
New River 1,169,000
Southwark and Vauxhall 804,851
Lambeth 657,995
West Middlesex 597,157
*Kent 505,986
Grand Junction 394,696
Chelsea 275,290
"The following table represents the bacterial condition of the water issuing from the filter beds of the chief Metropolitan Companies during the year 1896."
| Companies. | Chelsea | West Middlesex | Grand Junction | Lambeth | New River | East London |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount of storage | 12 days | 5.6 days | 3.3 days | 6.0 days | 2.2 days | 15.0dys |
| Average thickness of sand on filters | 4 ft. | 2.75 ft. | 2.25 ft. | 2.8 ft. | 4.4 ft. | 2.0 ft. |
| Average rate of filtration per square foot per hour | l.75 gls. | 1.25 g1s. | l.63 gls. | 2.08 gls. | l.89 gls. | l.33 gls. |
| Maximum percentage of microbes removed | 99.92 | 99.94 | 99.98 | 99.97 | 100.00 | 99.93 |
| Minimum percentage of microbes removed | 99.62 | 91.48 | 84.03 | 96.45 | 77.14 | 97.03 |
| Average percentage of microbes removed | 99.86 | 99.79 | 99.31 | 99.81 | 99.07 | 99.56 |
*"This Company supplies only deep-well water, which is
delivered in a clear and bright condition to consumers as it is
pumped from the wells. It requires neither storing nor
filtration."