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14
repeated annually and further samples were taken in the past year
which continued to show entirely satisfactory results.
A river water supply is piped to Kew Gardens, allotments and to
many domestic gardens; the water is chlorinated as a precautionary
measure but it is not fit for drinking.
Table 17 gives information on the consumption of water in the
Borough and on the samples taken.
2. Swimming Pools.
There is only one public swimming pool in the Borough which
is the public baths establishment owned by the Council. The pool is
100 feet by 32 feet with a capacity of 96,000 gallons, the water supply
being from local wells and the Metropolitan Water Board. The water
is filtered by Candy pressure filters, giving a turnover of approximately
six hours, and sterilization is achieved by chlorine gas treatment.
Daily recordings are made of available and residual chlorine in
the water, the pH value, and the shallow and deep-end temperatures.
In addition, bacteriological samples of the water are taken each month,
and all during the year, have proved satisfactory.
3. Sewerage and Sewage Disposal.
The Borough is sewered on a partially separate system, with the
drainage from roads discharging directly into the river through surface
water sewers. The soil sewers drain to the purification works of the
Richmond Main Sewerage Board, which receives sewage from the
Boroughs of Richmond and Barnes.
The works are adequate for the area, and all sewage arrives there
by gravity, the sewage from Ham being pumped through a rising main
to join the main flow at Buccleuch Gardens.
4. Public Health Inspections.
The wide range of public health inspections is shown in Table 18
and once again it proved possible during the year to increase the
number of visits to food premises. The occurrence of a Sonne dysentery
outbreak added considerably to the number of infectious disease
enquiries.
The number of complaints received in 1962 (Table 20) shows a
marked decrease of 97 compared with 1961. Fewer complaints were
made about rats and mice and there were fewer complaints about
housing defects. It is interesting to note that, for the first time, a