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pumped into the Northern Metropolitan Outfall Sewer, which crosses
the Borough obliquely, whence it gravitates to the London outfall at
Barking.
Pollution of Streams.—The backwaters of the River Lee,
which consist of some 6½ miles of tidal waterways and intersect about
a quarter of the northern half of the Borough, are subject to pollution
chiefly from the urban districts of Leyton and Walthamstow, which
discharge their effluents into the Waterworks River north of West
Ham. The scanty flow of pure water from above and the long periods
during which the beds of the streams are exposed on the receding of
the tide have frequently during the hot summer months led to serious
complaints of nuisance, and the Corporation have had occasion not
only to draw the attention of the Lee Conservancy Board to the
nuisance arising in the Borough from the condition of the backwaters,
but have also on their own initiative taken steps to palliate as far as
possible the offensive state of the river beds. No radical improvement
in these waterways can be hoped for until the effluents from the other
districts shall cease to flow into these streams.
Pollution also from time to time occurs by reason of the
unauthorised overflow from piggeries into ditches communicating with
the backwaters. One such nuisance was discovered in 1909, and
dealt with by sanitary notice. These offences occur in that portion of
the Borough which is unsewered as mentioned above, and will be a
constant source of trouble until that district is properly sewered.
At the end of 1909 the Lee Conservancy Board took proceedings
against the Council in respect of a fouling of the Waterworks River at
Stratford. The proceedings were stayed on the Council making
arrangements to construct a special sewer for the reception of the
drainage of the houses affected.
Collection of House Refuse.—By the West Ham Corporation
Act, 1888, the Corporation is empowered to require owners
B