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THE REPORT OF THE CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH
INSPECTOR, Mr. E. S. HERBERT, IS CONTAINED
IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS C, D and E.
SECTION C. — SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
OF THE AREA.
1. Water Supply.
The drinking water supply in Richmond is served partly from local
wells and partly from the Metropolitan Water Board, and the origin,
purity and treatment of these supplies has been fully reported in the
past.
Water from the five local wells is pumped to the low level reservoir
at Petersham Pumping Station, and thence to the high level reservoir
in Richmond Park; from here it is distributed by gravity to a proportion
of the residents and, in particular, to those living in and around
Richmond Hill.
Formerly the water was treated only by chlorination, but during
1962 apparatus was installed to enable treatment by "superchloriantion
and dechlorination" to be carried out. The advantage of this process
is that a dose of chlorine large enough to deal with any possible contamination
can be added to the water at its entry to the Petersham
Reservoir and, after a suitable contact period excess chlorine is
destroyed by the addition of an appropriate amount of sulphur dioxide.
This procedure gives an even greater measure of safety, and in
addition, by preventing fluctuations in the level of residual chlorine
reduces to a minimum the chances of the water tasting unpleasant.
Frequent sampling ensures that the purity of the water supply is
maintained, and throughout the year the sample results have shown a
high standard of bacteriological and chemical fitness. The drinking
water supplies in the district are not plumb-solvent and every dwelling
house in the Borough has a piped supply of water fit for human
consumption.
The determination of radioactivity in the well water supplies of
the Borough was first carried out in 1959 when samples from each of
the five wells proved to be satisfactory. The examination has been
repeated annually at times of flooding 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
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