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Drainage and Sewerage.
No works of major improvement have been carried out during the year,
but certain difficulties have been met in connection with size and condition
of some of the sewers in the Hampton Area. An investigation is being carried
out on the possibility of removing corrosion in the sewer in Thames Street,
and in the meantime the important manhole at the junction of Church Street,
Thames Street and Hampton Court Road, which was shewing signs of collapse
has been entirely rebuilt.
Public Cleansing.
The shortage of manual labour has persisted until recently when it was
possible to augment the staff with the appointment of a certain amount of
Jamaican labour.
Refuse Disposal.
The new Charlton Works have now had over a year in operation and
although there is still difficulty in recruiting staff, the position is not nearly so
bad as during the first year and the men are getting more and more accustomed
to the various processes.
During the first twelve months of operation, salvage to the value of £20,566
was recovered and it is expected that this figure will be exceeded during the
second year's running because the sales to-date are equivalent to £27,000 per
annum.
Before the new works were opened pilot experiments were carried out on
the disposal of various size screenings in water and the action of sulphate
reducing bacteria was studied. In the light of the experience of these pilot
experiments it was proposed that large lagoons should be built in the water
area into which refuse (screenings from the plant) could be tipped.
Since the plant has been in operation lagoons have been built with clinker
from the burnt tailings and filling of one of these lagoons has been completed.
Throughout this work extensive records of the condition of the water in the
lagoon and in the surrounding pit have been kept and valuable data has been
obtained. No aerial nuisance was encountered and the method of disposal
of the screenings is considered to be highly satisfactory.
Additional lagoons have been built with clinker and further filling of these
lagoons is being undertaken under varying weather conditions and further data
will be collected which should be useful in connection with the general problem
of the tipping of refuse into waterlogged pits.
In connection with this full scale work the co-operation and help of the—
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
The Government Chemist
are gratefully acknowledged.
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