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Originally Surbiton, like Kingston and all
riparian towns, sent their crude sewerage into the
Thames, and likewise drew their drinking water
therefrom. As time went by, and the population
increased, and as we also came to know much more
about the sources of disease and that many of them
were water-borne, it was obvious that one at least,
or both, of these systems must be altered; either
that the sewage must be taken elsewhere if the
river water was to continue to be used for dietetic
purposes, or that a new and separate supply of
drinking water must be found for all the towns
on its banks, if the Thames and its tributaries
were to be used as conduits to convey the sewage
to the sea.
When public attention was first directed to
the matter, considerable stress was laid on the
great waste of fertilising organic matter that was
being thrown away, and sewage farms and treatment
came under discussion.
It was then that a Board was formed, and
representatives of all the towns from Barnes to
Hampton on both sides of the river, including
Mortlake, Isleworth, Richmond, Twickenham,
Teddington, and Kingston, were united under the
imposing title of The Lower Thames Valley Main
Sewerage Board, with the object of, if possible,
agreeing upon some comprehensive scheme that
should meet the needs of so large and diverse an
area with a rapidly increasing population.
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