The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-09-05 00:00:00

THE FLUSHING OF THE RIVER LEA.

The suffering to which the unfortunate residents
on the banks of the river Lea have of late bven sub-
jected has been temporarily mitigated. On Sundhy
an expedient was adopted by which the stream
between Tottenham Lock and Old Ford was to a
great extent purified. It has already been explained
that the horrible state of the river has been
brought about by the simultaneous exercise
of Parliamentary powers of pouring in sewage and
taking out the clear water. Hertford, Enfield,
Tottenham, and other places have been discharging
into the river " effluent water" from their sewage
works, and the New River and the East London
Waterworks Companies have been drawing off the
clear water. These two operations have been suffi-
cient in themselves completely to ruin the river even
in seasons of average rainfall. Last year, and again
this, however, drought has co-opor.ited to bring about
a state of things which the inhabitants declare they
will stand no longer. If various symptoms of public
feeling may be relied upon, all concerned in this dis-
graceful state of things may take it to be quite
certain that a permanent remedy will have to be
found. _ _

•
As a temporary relief, however, the Lea Conserva-
tors and the two water companies arranged for a day's
flushing of the River Lea by the opening of the lock
sluices above Tottenham, and the pouring down into
the lower reaches of the stream of a day s supply of
clear water. At nine o'clock on Sunday morning the
state of the stream at Lea-bridge fully justified all
the indignant denunciations recently called forth upon
the subject. The effluvium was horrible in the ex-
treme, and the appearance of the river was most
repulsive. The water was black and looked positively
thick, and here and there upon its surface floated a
filthy scum. A logether the Lea was, as it has been said
simply en open sewer, perfectly stagnant and abomin-,
aoly offensive. At nine o'clock, however, in accord-
ance with previous arrangement, the sluices in the lower
lock gates, just above the Tottenham sewage works,
were drawn, and a similar opening of sluices was
made at Old Ford, down below. Within a
couple of hours or so the surface of the pestilential
flood had fallen some six inches, having that which
at one time was a yellow gravel bottom all as black
as coal, and of Course with a very filthy smell. By
this time a good many people were out upon the
river paths and banks, seemingly much interested in
the experiment going on, and, no doubt in expectation
of getting a more wholesome watercourse, a good
many oarsmen had got afloat. Walking along up
towards Tottenham a very decided change soon
became perceptible, and fishermen were here and
there posted along the river, rejoicing in a current
such as the Lea has not known for many a long day.
For half a mile or so below the sewage works, but for
the black fringe on each side the stream, the water—
though not by any means clear, as clearness is
understood in the upper Thames—looked quite
fresh and wholesome by comparison with what
had been seen below, and the long trail of
white foam jutting out into midstream from the
sewage works looked in the distance to be a pure and
sparkling lasher of some sort. It was distance!
alas! which alone lent enchantment to the view.
This was the "effluent water" from the sewage
works which was tumbling over in a cascade, possibly
" purified " in a comparative sense, but nevertheless a
nasty yellow torrent, with a very disgusting odour as
one leant over it. This is the stream which the
Tottenham Local Board are going to spend £20,000
to increase. Mr. Corble, speaking for the Conser-
vancy Board, says analysis proves this to be simply
"untreated sewage," and no one who looks at it can
find much difficulty in believing it. Above this the
water tasted sweet and pleasant, and it was quite re-
freshing to stand below the lock-gates and watch the
water rushing and bubbling through; though even
here, it should be borne in mind, the current has
being polluted by more "effluent water" up above.
Still, as rivers go about London, the Lea at Totten-
ham lock was a pure and pleasant stream, and the
rush and swirl of the current quite fascinating to the
loungers on the bridge and along the banks, accus-
tomed to the stagnant channel of this much abused
river. The lock-keeper did not remember ever to
have given passage to such a stream before, and esti-
mated that the outflow through his sluices must have
been not less than 100 tons of water a minute. The
sluices were drawn, as we have said, at nine o'clock,
and they were to be closed at five; and during these
eight hours it must be understood that the two
water companies were yielding the whole of their day's
intake from the Lea, another computation gave the
quantity of water let through at about 60 million
gallons—a computation which, it must be confessed,
does not convey to ordinary minds any very tangible
idea. At all events, the outflow was sufficient to set
up after two or three hours a tolerably strong current,
which in the course of the day effected a marvellous
change in the state of things. Some of the spectators
of the proceeding were apparently disappointed that
instead of the mere drawing of sluices the lock-gates
were not themselves opened. By getting a good head
of water, and then throwing open both the lock-gates,
it was argued, a splendid flushing of the stream
might have been effected. Such an idea ignores the
enormous hydrostatic pressure on lock-gates with a
good head of water above them. It would, of
course, have been quite impossible to open the gates
under such circumstances, and the best that
could be done was that which in fact was
done. It was undoubtedly a wise proceeding, but
unfortunately the effects will be but temporary, and
the requirements of the two water companies for the
supply of London will not permit of a repetition.
Bills are everywhere posted about the Lea, and hand-
bills have been circulated, calling on the people to
assemble in a "monster mass meeting" to protest
against the continuous pollution of the stream, and it
is to be hoped that this agitation will not cease till
this vile debasement of a beautiful river has been abso-
lutely and totally brought to an end, by forbidding
the pouring in either of sewage or anything that
comes from i 4