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(8)
“From and after the first day of August, 1906, all water delivered by the
Company from their works to their consumers within the limits of supply as existing
at the date of the passing of this Act, shall be softened to a degree of hardness not
exceeding nine degrees and according to the process known as Clark's process, or
such other process as shall be at least as applicab'e and efficacious, and the Company
may enter into such arrangements and generally do all such things as may be
expedient for such purpose.
“Provided that if the Company make default in complying with the provisions
of this Section it shall be lawful for the High Court of Justice, upon the application
of any Local Authority within the area of supply, to enforce the same by mandatory
order or otherwise as the circumstances of the case shall require."
Other important concessions were also granted dealing with “charges for water
supply for public purposes," “supply by meter for other than domestic purposes,"
“reduced charges for private dwelling houses used in part as retail shops (for which
water is not required for trade purposes)", etc.
From the greater safety in the use of boilers, the saving in the cost of the
present necessary repeated cleansing of the same, and also in the quantity of soap
necessary for washing purposes, the softening of the water supply will be financially
a great boon to the consumers, but in addition to this the water, in my opinion, will
be much improved for dietetic use, and the process of softening, as is well known,
becomes a further safeguard against any possible accidental contamination.
Sewage Disposal.—The sewage of the district is conveyed by a system of sewers
to a farm situated in the north-west portion of the district, that from the higher level
by natural gravitation, whilst from the lower part of the town pumping has been
required to enable the liquid to reach the works.
The system of treatment adopted is by double contact bacteria beds or filters,
and was first inaugurated here in 1896, on the suggestion of Mr. Dibdin, F.I.C., at
that time a member of the Council, the sewage up to this period having been dealt
with by chemical precipitation. The single coarse grain bed originally constructed,
which was the first of its kind in the country, gave such good results that the Council
subsequently converted the chemical tanks into coarse grain filters, and also constructed
additional beds, both coarse and fine, so that at the present time the number
of beds comprises six coarse grain and six fine, at the high level, capable of treating
400,000 gallons, when cleared twice a day, as necessary. The depth of the coarse
beds varies from 3ft. 6in. to 8ft., and that of the fine grain ones from 2ft. 9in. to 4ft.
Originally the coarser matters in the sewage were extracted by a rotary screen propelled
by the sewage, but on the advice of Mr. Chambers Smith, the Council's
engineer and surveyor, this was dispensed with, and sedimentation tanks, having a
capacity of 100,000 gallons, or one-fifth of the daily flow, were adopted with considerable
success.
During the past year the capacities of No. 1 coarse grain and No. 4 fine
bed have been increased by the addition of new material, and new works have
been inaugurated on a lower level, by which the considerable cost of pumping may
be saved. The latter consists of a new system of triple contact, the three beds,
coarse, medium and fine, being arrranged on one level and worked automatically by
the use of Adam's siphons. This system promises to be very successful and of
considerable service, especially in places where but little fall is available. The
general results of the treatment of the sewage still continues to give great satisfaction,
the beds being maintained in a condition free from odour, and no complaints of
nuisance arising from the works have been received by me during the last three years,
whilst samples of the effluent, which I have analysed, were very satisfactory. The
effluent is discharged into the Pyl Brook, a tributary of the Thames, consequently
under the constant supervision of the Thames Conservancy Inspectors, from whom
no complaint has been received during recent years.