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13
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Section C.
1. WATER SUPPLY.
The Metropolitan Water Board, which is responsible for
the public water supply in the Borough, continued that service
during 1949 and there was no circumstance which necessitated
any other than routine measures of control which the Metropolitan
Water Board themselves exercised.
At the beginning of the year,there were five dwelling
houses in the Borough, the water supply of which was not
derived from the Metropolitan Water Board's Mains, but from
shallow wells. During the year 1949 three of these premises
were provided with a water supply from the Board's mains "by
the owners. At the end of the year there were only two houses
in the Borough known to be entirely dependent on well water
for domestic consumption.
Two industrial premises also draw water from shallow
wells for the purposes of their businesses.
2. DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE.
All sewage in the Borough gravitates to the site of
the old Sewage Disposal Works at Down Hall Road whence it is
pumped across the river and discharged into a trunk sewer of
the West Middlesex Main Drainage Board at Broom Road,
Teddington. From there it gravitates to the Mogden Disposal
Works for treatment. This process of pumping into the West
Middlesex Drainage area is a temporary measure which will
be discontinued when the proposed new Disposal Works are
constructed in the Lower Marsh Lane area for the Hogsmill
Valley Joint Sewerage Board. Ministry of Health approval
in principle has been granted for this scheme, and the Board's
Consulting Engineers are proceeding therewith.
3. RIVERS AND STREAMS.
Apart from the River Thames which forms the Western
boundary of the town, and which is controlled by the Thames
Conservancy Board, the only other water course in the Borough
is the Hogsmill River. The Surrey County Council maintains
the bed of the Hogsmill free from growth obstruction, and
apart from one instance where a mosquito nuisance existed, no
action was necessary during 1949 in respect of this river.
An Improvement Scheme for the Hogsmill River has been prepared
with a view to straightening the course, but work was not
commenced before the end of the year.
Increasing pollution of the Thames was the subject of
concern to some riparian Authorities, but action to prevent
such pollution can be taken only by joint effort, and by
more complete control of possible sources of contamination,
such as riverside temporary dwellings and river craft.
The continued shortage of housing accommodation is
likely to lead to the increased use of boats oa the river
for living purposes. In recent years the number has seldom
exceeded twenty at any one time within the Borough boundary.
During the winter months this number is usually much reduced,
but it would appear that this seasonal decline is not a