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Thames, both tidal rivers, are under the control of the Port of
London Authority as regards the Thames and part of the
River Lea. The rest of the Lea and its backwaters are under
the Lea Conservancy.
There are two main sources of pollution into the river
before it enters West Ham at Temple Mills, viz., from the
sewage effluents of two neighbouring Authorities. These
enter this area at Temple Mills Railway Sidings and discharge
into the Water Works River (a tributary of the Lea).
Under the London County Council (General Powers) Act,
1925, both these Authorities now have powers to discharge into
the L.C.C. Sewer at Hackney. In respect to one of these
Authorities plans have been prepared, and the work should be
in hand shortly. If and when both the above-mentioned
effluents cease to enter the Lea, the river will be improved as
regards pollution, but will still be subject to storm waters
which are, so far, inevitable.
A further contingency may develop should the two effluents
previously mentioned be cut off, for during the summer months,
with extreme heat and little tide running, the river beds may
run dry owing to the whole of the Lea water being taken up
by the Metropolitan Water Board with the exception of just
sufficient to allow for the navigation of the Lea Cut from Lea
Bridge to Old Ford.
DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE.
The water carriage system of sewage removal is
almost universal throughout the whole area. With few
exceptions all houses are provided with properly flushed
modern water-closets, discharging through appropriate drains
into Public Sewers, which also convey the surface water and
most of the rainfall. A certain portion of the Borough, being
isolated by the Victoria and Albert Docks, is drained into a
main sewer running from west to east through a narrow strip
of the southern portion of the Borough of East Ham, whence
it discharges into the London County Council Sewer at North
Woolwich.
The North-Western corner of the Borough—an area of,
roughly, 120 acres containing two terraces of houses and some
isolated buildings remains unsewered, but is drained into a