Volume 6

Report of the Commissioners appointed in 1898 to inquire and report what methods of treating and disposing of sewage (including any liquid from any factory or manufacturing process) may properly be adopted.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal.
Date:
1902-1915
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Commissioners appointed in 1898 to inquire and report what methods of treating and disposing of sewage (including any liquid from any factory or manufacturing process) may properly be adopted. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    889/1008 (page 23)
    Question 3a. The standard I suggest is, that an effluent on standing when saturated with air Mr. W. H. in a filled and tightly-stoppered bottle for 24 hours at the laboratory temperature, should not slacscr have more than 50 per cent. of its oxygen in solution taken up. In case of doubt the incubator test should also be considered. My reasons for this standard will be found in the above table. Question 4. See Question 1. (B.) Effluents. which pass into a Drinking Water Stream. Question 5. In this case I consider that, in addition to the effluent fulfilling the conditions laid down above, a limiting value should be placed upon albuminoid ammonia value, which should not exceed ‘08 parts NH, per 100,000. The free ammonia should also be low, say not more than ‘4 parts per 100,000 NH,, as this value is probably the best test as to the efficiency of the process. _ Question 6. In addition to the foregoing standard it should be made compulsory for the effluent from the bacterial processes to pass through plots of land or shallow clinker-dust. beds, worked intermittently, z.e., running continuously for, say, 2-4 weeks and resting 12-24 weeks, . The method of passing a filter effluent through a layer, 6 in. in depth, of very fine clinker, has when working satisfactorily, been found to decrease the number of bacteria per cc. very con- siderably. With an effluent such as comes from a Whittaker Bed, and containing about 10 parts of suspended matter per 100,000, we have found it possible to work such plots continuously for over a month when filtering at the rate of 2,000,000 gallons.per acre, I have no observations to offer which bear upon your last request, I am, Yours faithfully, * W. H. Harrison, F. J. Willis, Esq.