[Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health, Wrexham R.D.C.

  • Wrexham (Wales). Rural District Council.
Date:
1938
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health, Wrexham R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    46/96 (page 44)
    Since this sample was taken visits have been made to these works and on no occasion was there any obviors source of pollution present in the gathering ground but naturally one cannot follow the water through the battery of sandy filters. The Company was advised to take samples of the water before and after it entered the filters. Cefn Water Company. Three samples of water were taken during the year from the water supplies of this Company. One of the samples taken from the top of Cefn, was found to be excellent in quality. A sample taken from the Trevor end of the parish shewed the presence of B. Coli and B. Coli aerogenes, but the water was regarded fit for drinking purposes. The third sample was taken from Quarry Place, Newbridge, and resulted in a lengthy controversy affecting our Council, the Parish Council, and the Cefn Water Company. The analyst found B. Coli and Streptococci present in 1 c.c. and the bacterial count was relatively high. The analyst was of the opinion that the sample was taken from the raw water before chlorination, and that the water could not be regarded as satisfactory for drinking purposes. It has, however, to be pointed out that the water is subjected to a continuous process of chlorination and we have no evidence that this process was interrupted at any time. Certain works were carried out by the Company in this locality, and a sample taken from the same locality in the early months of 1939 shewed that the water was satisfactory. A visit has also been paid to the gathering ground, reservoir, and the chlorination plant of this Company, and we health officials were struck by the large amount of detailed work that had been carried out during the last year or two with a view of preventing any pollution of the water, and safeguarding the passages to the reservoirs. One of the reservoirs has been entirely cleansed out and certain improvements were made to all of them. Nothing has been done with rehrcnce to the purchase of this Company by our Coimcil. 'Hus is a matter which has been discussed for very many years and, altliough the principle of purchase has been approved by the Council, no further action lias been taken by the Council. The Company have withdrawn any offer whicli they had previously made, and if this purchase is to be carried out it will