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23
Water.
During the past year an average daily volume of
water estimated at 154,823,360 gallons, an amount in
excess of the average daily supply in 1884 by two and
a half millions of gallons, was supplied to the inner
circle of the Metropolis. The average daily consumption
of water per head of the population was in 1884
29.0 gallons, and in 1885 28.6 gallons. Of the total
volume about 79,000,000 gallons were on an average
taken from the Thames, 65,000,000 gallons from the
Lea, and nearly 11,000,000 gallons from deep wells in
the chalk.
The average temperature of all the river waters is
practically identical, but is subject to great variations
according to the season of the year, whilst the temperature
of the deep well waters remains at all times
nearly uniform.
From March to October inclusive, the proportion
of organic matter in the river waters was unusually
small, but in the winter months it had considerably
increased. The deep well waters invariably contain
much less organic impurity, as they are filtered through
porous strata of considerable thickness, instead of
through a few feet of sand.
Of the water supplied by deep wells that supplied
by the Kent Company was the best, and of the river