[Report 1972] / Medical Officer of Health, Stamford Borough.

  • Stamford (England). Borough Council
Date:
1972
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1972] / Medical Officer of Health, Stamford Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Routine chemical investigation of till the sources of supply and from tho distribution mains went on throughout the year with commendable regularity. The responsibility for this work by arrangement with the South Kesteven Rural District Council is that of the latter’s Analytical- Chemist, Mr Maxfield, now settled in a fine new well equipped laboratory. This arrangement has proved more satisfactory than e ven its most ardent advocate could have envisaged. It has allowed for the monitoring of all the supplies by someone who is familiar with the individual characteristics of each, so that any variation from the normal is immediately apparent. It allows for immediate sampling of ary water from the domestic pipes about which a complaint has been made, which is most reassuring if it is clear and allows for prompt action if it is not. No distant laboratory would ever hope to give such a relevant service. Furthermore the longer delay there is from collection to analysis tho more inaccuracy can creep in, due to certain constituents depositing on the walls of the container, as for example Fluoride. Sampling of the ’Whitewater supply to the South Lincolnshire Water Board network revealed a high nitrate content reaching at one time a figure of 58 parts per million! This before being supplied to the Service Mains was diluted by admixture with water of a very low nitrate content. Nevertheless as it was also subject to bacterial pollution it was pleasing that in the latter part of the year it was possible to phase it out of supply. The quantity and quality of the water supply remained satis¬ factory throughout the period. The estimated per capita consumption of water in the Borough this year was 66.46 gallons which shows an increase of just under 3 gallons per head per day and total increase of 8 million gallons in the year. This, as an index of progress and hetter living standards, is to be applauded. On the other side of the coin the ever increasing demands throw great stresses upon the sources of supply, which a relatively low precipitation has barely recharged. It is for these reasons and to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding population that the drowning of the Valley at Empingham has become a necessity. Whatever the scenic attractions such proposals may have and the part which the new resevoir may play in the field of recreation and pleasure, tho fact remains that over 3^00 acres of valuable agricultural land will have disappeared for ever, with a corresponding reduction in our food producing potential. It is surely becoming increasingly clear that water should be re-cycled after use, starting with big industrial users of it, and not exploited recklessly. Inspite of comments about water on rairy days it is a natural resource of unparalleled importance to tho future wellbeing of the Nation.
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