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SWIMMING BATH
The Corporation rented from the Surrey County Council (for the 1959
Summer season) the open-air swimming bath situated in the grounds
of what was formerly the Royal Female Orphanage, now the Carew
Manor School.

The bath is now quite old, and the work of maintenance becomes increasingly
difficult. Such remedial work as is required to keep it going,
is being done by the Surrey County Council, who have been responsible
for the maintenance of the Bath, since they acquired it.
Considerable enterprise is being shown in the provision of swimming
pools constructed in school grounds, for school children, to give them an
opportunity to learn to swim. Financial arrangements are usually based
on a grant of fifty per cent of the cost, from the Education Authority, the
remainder being raised by public subscription.
This is a very desirable additional amenity for school children, but interest
and enthusiasm should not be allowed to obscure the dangers
associated with public swimming baths.
One safeguard, which must be watched in this connection, concerns
the standard of purity of the water. The County Medical Officer has
already drawn the attention of the County Council to this need and a
model system of standards has been issued, which, it is hoped, will be
followed throughout the County. The need for adequate filtration and
chlorination cannot be over emphasized, if such an attractive plan is not
to encourage the spread of infectious disease.
The Minister of Health has also shown considerable interest in swimming
bath development, and this year, in his Circular 1 /60, has asked
for a paragraph describing the public swimming baths in the district, the
source of the water used for filling, the method of treatment and the
frequency or changing the water together with commentary on bacteriological
examinations,
The water supply for the Carew Manor School Swimming Bath is
drawn from a well sunk in the grounds of the institution. After filling up,
the water is only topped up, and complete emptying of the bath does not
take place during the whole of the season.
Chlorination is by means of a chlorine gas injector; the standard of
chlorination maintained is 0.7 parts per million in the shallow end, and
0.4 parts per million in the middle of the bath. Filtration is carried
out by pressure through a sand filter. Samples of the swimming bath
water are submitted for bacteriological examination throughout the
season. Those submitted in 1959 (14), were returned as bacteriologically
sterile.
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