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44
but as none of them had been exposed for sale, legal proceedings were not
considered necessary.
WATER SUPPLY.
The East London Waterworks Company.
This Company now gives constant supply to about 106,043 services.
The Company has been engaged in the reconstruction of one section of
their filter beds at Lea Bridge on more approved principles, which appear
to be attended with such satisfactory results as to justify the reconstruction
of the remaining section (Beds Nos. 5, 6, and 7) on the same
principles. The execution of this work would render the filtering establishment
of this Company complete, and the reconstruction at an early
date is not only desirable, but necessary. This Company has also under
construction three new filter beds at Lea Bridge, which will be ready for
use by the end of 1881.
The Company has completed the construction of, and has now in use,
a large tank at Buckhurst Hill capable of containing 70,000 gallons.
This is kept in reserve in case of fires at night, or when the engines are
not at work, being situated on the highest ground in the above neighbourhood,
and placed at a sufficient altitude to command the surrounding
houses.
The supply of the Company is drawn from the impounding reservoirs
at all times, and the intake is closed during floods.
The auxiliary works at Sunbury and Hanworth were in use during the
months of July, August, September, October, and November.
I extract the following remarks from the monthly return of Colonel
Bolton, the Water Examiner for the metropolis :—
In the absence of a duly authorised and official "standard of filtration" regulating the
quantity of water to be passed through a given area in a given time, it has been found
during the past eight years that when the rate of filtration does not exceed 540 gallons per
square yard of filter bed each 24 hours, the filtration is effectual, and this has been
generally recognised as a tentative standard rate of filtration. The "Water Companies
now nearly all keep within this limit, but it is disheartening to reflect that, notwithstanding
the efforts that have been made and the large expenditure that has been incurred
in works for properly treating and improving the quality of the water, these efforts are
rendered nearly abortive and but of little value by the apathy and carelessness of a great
number of the householders. The water delivered for domestic purposes is frequently
deteriorated after leaving the Companies' mains by the dirty state of the cisterns on the
premises of the consumers. Many of the cisterns, tanks, and butts for containing water
in small tenement houses in the Metropolis are in a disgusting and filthy state. An
opportunity for inspecting these presents itself when travelling on some of the