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109
"The chemical results on this sample are satisfactory, and in this
respect the supply it represents is suitable for domestic purposes."
There are no houses in the Borough supplied with water by a stand
pipe, all the dwellings in the district having a supply direct from the
Company's main.
No evidence exists that the water is plumbo-solvent and before
distribution the new water is chlorinated and partially dechlorinated. The
fluoride content of the water supplied is consistently less than 0.1 p.p.m.
(F).
DRAINAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL
The soil sewage from the Borough flows to the West Middlesex
Drainage Works at Mogden as it has done since 1936, when the last of
the five disposal works in the area went out of use.
There are still, however, a few properties in the northern part of the
district from which the sewage is treated in small disposal plants, otherwise
all the properties within the Borough are connected to the main
drainage system.
Surface water is disposed of by way of separate sewers that discharge
into local water courses. There are five of these: the River Pinn, the
Yeading Brook, the Kenton Brook, the Wealdstone Brook and the
Edgware Brook.
The rate of flow in these water courses varies with the amount of
rainfall and during sudden storms they may have to carry very large
volumes of water, while during drought the flow may be reduced to a mere
trickle.
PUBLIC CLEANSING
The Cleansing Service is controlled by the Borough Engineer and
Surveyor and operates in the manner described in previous reports. For
six weeks during the year refuse was not collected owing to the withdrawal
of labour following a wage dispute and, as a result of this, accumulations
of refuse built up in many parts of the district.
The public were advised how to deal with refuse on their own
premises and plastic sacks were made available at various public buildings
for collection by householders. The response from the public was excellent
and only a small percentage of the refuse produced in the district was
deposited on unofficial dumps. Evrn so, some of the dumps grew to large
proportions, became rat infested and a nuisance, and action had to be
taken in respect of those which were a health hazard. The effect on the rat
population in the district will not be apparent until the next breeding
season but it could be marked.