The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-30 00:00:00

THE RIVER LEA.

The Royal Commissioners appointed to report as
to the pollution of rivers, Mr. Rawlinson, Mr. Har-
rison, and Mr. Way, have just presented a report
on the state of the river Lea, which was selected
for early 'examination, because it chiefly supplies
with water the East London district, in which
there was an outbreak of cholera last summer. It
appears that some unfiltered water was at that time
used, but it is not now delivered in that state, and
there were several local conditions calculated to
produce cholera. The report states that the river
Lea has been navigable from time immemorial;
King Alfred is known to have visited Ware by
water. The area of the watershed is about 500
square miles, the greater portion of which is a na-
tural filter, but in dry weather the flow is for the
most part spring water. This river supplies about
half the population of London with water, and the
limit of supply, without the construction of exten-
sive storage reservoirs, has been fully sederreac. ol-
lution of the waters of the Lea by sewage gral
throughout its course. At Luton, three miles from
its source, the depravation begins, and it goes on
increasing until, whenthe river reach Ponder's-
end, it becomes in a great degree like anes open com-
mon sewer, and in the latter part of its course runs
through a nuisance district, the seat of trades ex-
pelled beyond the limits of the better parts of the
metropolis. The clerk to the Bishop Stortford
Board of Guardians was frank with the Commission ;
he described a plan they had lately adopted at
that place which " succeeds remarkably well."
When the winter floods have come, they have
sent out a barge with a heavy rake to stir up all
the summer's accumulations of filth, which will
sometimes crop up almost to the mouth of the drains,
so that, he says, " we have passed it on to our
neighbours to some extent; we thought we had kept
it long enough." We need not go through the Com-
missioners' account of the attempts made to neutralise
the effect of such a vast supply of sewage. They,
come to the conclusion that none of them cure ;
what is required is prevention. The navigation
must be maintained, but the casting of a sewage
into the flowing water must be prohibited, and a
conservancy board created to see the prohibition
carried into effect. Fortunately, sewage can very
generally throughout the Lea-basin be applied to
land without difficulty by gravitation ; but when
pumping is required towns may fairly be called on
to adopt it. The Commissioners admit that it may
not be possible to raise the quality of the water of:
the lower Lea to the standard of the New River
water, which is to a great extent derived from
springs flowing direct from the chalk, and is most
jealously guarded from pollution in ins course along
an aqueduct devoted to no other purpose than that
of a water carrier ; but if proper measures be a lop-
ted to protect the Lea from avoidable pollution, a
great improvement in its purity *will be secured.
Large expenses have been incurred for' improving
the water taken for domestic supply, and a fir
wholesome water is obtained at Ponter's-endThe
by
the East London Waterworks Company..
or &stir
question whether a naviga
water tion
,sh?luel(,ilfboer
tailmlooswoepdplty
continue a conduit f o
os
stoner:
ersr,n odt
eroseproN!, ss say the Commis-
isserloneus wehoicnlslidera.tion. Dealin,4
commendw'i tht
hemtahtet eprr °ate ctt ofifntdh ePlrvaactteireaobfl (Lt hfe...ye a.roenl
the system inaugurated by the Aroctosoof
tl:estapSpessoinlotn.
relating to the Thames. They p p
conservancy board on
mhe
it tch
otfhe G agoovoedrainvelkilLgwmald be repreaented as
well as the water comp„
ies and the navigation and
trading interests and the city corporation ; and the
prohibition, after a certain period allowed for alter-
ation of existing arrangemnts, of the casting into
the Lea or its tributaries of any sewage or injurious
refuse, unless it has been purified by passing
over
land, The eonßervancy board 011041 d be furnished