[Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City.

  • Aberdeen (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    80/94 (page 72)
    The Water Engineer and myself were satisfied from these tests that a very small proportion of free lime was cajjable of sterilising the water in so far as regards disease-producing organisms. We also believed that with a more prolonged action of the lime than was possible in the existing small reservoir at Invercanuie, and with a more equal action that might be secured by a structural modification of the existing reservoir so as to prevent short-cutting of a part of the water across the reservoir, it would be possible to obtain a sterilising effect with a still smaller proportion of lime. As it was not possible meanwhile, because of the great expense of the necessary works, to enlarge the reservoir at Invercannie, we suggested to the Town Council that the reservoir should, however, be structurally modified for the purpose just uientioned, and that proper works should be constructed for liming the water by machinery as also for filtering the whole of the water through rapidly acting filters. The 2Jrovision of such filters seemed to be necessary anyhow in view of tho typhoid epidemic, which was regarded as jDrobably due to water pollution. The Town Council authorised the construction of the suggested works at Invercannie, and instructed us to make a fuller and more complete trial of the liming process when these works were carried out. The works were estimated to cost £28,700, of which £18,700 were applicable to the filters, £2,100 to the alteration of the Invercannie Reservoir, and £4,200 to the liming plant and buildings. The plant included provision for treating, if required, the limed water with carbonic acid, so as to remove the excess of free lime before distribution of the water to the City. The further experiments thus authorised were not begun until the following year, but, meanmhile, in October, 1913, a report was submitted by the Water Engineer and Mr. C. P. Hogg, Consulting Engineer, as to the cost of various schemes for increasing and improving the present water supply, as also for procuring a new supply from a fresh source. The report showed that for a scheme giving ten million gallons per day, or two millions more than the authorised present supply, the cost for extending the present supply from the Dee, and for providing sufficient storage and filter beds at Invercannie, would amount to £603,000, and that, if such scheme were modified by the use of lime, and the extent of storage and. filter beds thus reduced, the cost would be brought down to £488,000. Against these estimates were put estimates by the Engineers of £953,000 for an Avon scheme and £555,000 for a Dye scheme. Allowing for the requisite sinking fund and interest in each case, it was estimated that the annual expenditure in connection with the Dee schemes would be, roughly, £41,000 for an improved Dee supply without liming, and £36,000 for a similar supply with liming; while for the Avon sujjply it would be £58,000, and for the Dye supply £37,000. DESTRUCTION OF REFUSE. Reference was made in the report for the preceding year to a change of view by the Cleansing Committee as to their proposals for dealing with the disposal of the City refuse. It had previously been fully resolved to provide a refuse