The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-14 00:00:00

LONDON WATER SUPPLY.

Some time ago we gave the abstracts of several
projects for improving the watter supply of the
metropolis.. Another has been added to the already
lengthy list by Mr. Bateman, C.E., which is worthy
of attention, though there are a great many diffi-
culties in the way of its adoption. That gentleman
suggests that no scheme having reference to the
water supply is worthy of consideration which
would not be calculated to bring in 200,000,000
gallons per day to the metropolis. The quantity
should supply the whole, or nearly the whole of the
metropOlitan district by gravitation without pump-
ing. The nearest district from which such a quan-
tity of water could be obtained under such con-
ditions is that lying on the flanks of the mountain
ranges of Cader Idris and Plinlimmon, in North
Wales, and forming the upper basin of the main tribu-
taries of the River Severn. Here Mr. Bateman sug-
gests a large fall of rain may be expected on ac-
count of the direction of the mountain chains, the
heights of the summits, their proximity to the
sea, their geographical position, and their physical
peculiarities. Then assuming by means of various
data drawn from other similar districts what would
be the amount of rainfall, Mr. Bateman proceeds to
compute the area of drainage ground required to
supply the necessary quantity of water, and he
selects two districts, one of 66,000 acres in area,
forming the drainage ground of the rivers Banw and
Vyrn*y, which join the Severn about halfway be-
tween Welshpool and Shrewsbury, and the other dis-
trict of about equal area, forming the drainage
ground of the upper portion of the River Severnpro-
per. The discharge pipes of the lowest reservoir in
each of these districts would he placed at an elevation
ofabout 450 feet above the level of Trinity high-
water mark. The water would be conducted by se-
parate aqueducts of 19 and 21i miles in length re-
spectively to the point of juncture near Martin
Mere, a little to the north-east of the town of Mont-
gomery, whence the joint volume of the water
would be conducted.by a common aqueduct, cross-
ing the river Severn close to the town of Bridge-
north, and passing near to Stourbridge, Bromsgrove
Henley-in .Arden, '\Varwick,Banbury, Buckingham,
Aylesbury, Tring, Berkbampstead, and Watford,
to the high land near Stanmore, where extensive
service reservoirs must be constructed, which would
be at an elevation of at least 250 feet above Trinity
high water mark. From these reservoirs the water
would be .delivered to the metropolis _at " high
pressure," and under the constant supply system.
The entire length of aqueducts necessary would be
183 miles, and would be capable of conveying
220 million gallons of water per day. Mr. Bateman
observes that theworks would be exceedingly simple
in their construction, presenting no difficulties of an
engineering character, and the total outlay he esti-
mates at a sum of £8,600,000, and when we are
told by the same authority that the present water
companies have recently expended nearly £4,000,000
sterling in merely extending their works in order to
meet the increased demand upon them, it really
does appear an astonishing thing and quite incredi-
ble to the uninitiated that an outlay of little more
than double should be sufficient for carrying out
so prodigious an undertaking. He also suggests
the advisability of buying up the existing water-
works in London, and in that case £22,000,000
would approximately represent the necessary esti-
mates. With regard to the present condition of the
London water supply, it appears that an average
daily quantity of about 100,000,000 gallons of wa-
ter is now required for the three millions of popula-
tion. Half of this quantity is abstracted from
the river Thames, and the other half from the river
Lea and from deep wells on the easterly and northerly
sides of London. Upon the present gross popula-
tion, therefore, the average supply is about 30
gallons per head per day, and if the increase of the
water supplied were to keep pace with the increase
of population, the daily supply required 20 years
hence would be about 150,000,000 gallons. It ap-
pears that by the various Acts of Parliament which
were passed in 1852, authorising the withdrawal of
water from the River Thames, the maximum quan-
tity which the water companies are empowered to
take is 100,000,000 gallons per day, and Mr. Bate-
man assures us that there is no adequate source
within the means of any of these companies to
which they can resort, and therefore it becomes a
matter of urgent necessity that the question should
be liberally considered while there is yet time to
execute the requisite works for obtaining a more
ample supply from other distant sources. He sug-
gests, therefore, that no narrow considerations of
parsimonious economy ought to interfere with the
execution Of any large and comprehensive scheme
which would give us for many years an abundant
supply, and there is no doubt that the present sys-
tem of supplying the metropolis with water urgently
demands prompt and energetic reform.

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