Estuary of the River Mersey : The effect of the discharge of crude sewage into the estuary of the River Mersey on the amount and hardness of the deposit in the estuary.

  • Great Britain. Water Pollution Research Board
Date:
1938
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Estuary of the River Mersey : The effect of the discharge of crude sewage into the estuary of the River Mersey on the amount and hardness of the deposit in the estuary. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The main discharge of organic material is in the Narrows, where nearly two-thirds of the total enters the Estuary, but the shallow and narrow reaches between Warrington and Widnes are heavily polluted, nearly one-third of the total quantity of organic matter being discharged in this section of the Estuary. SUMMARY An estimate has been made of the relative quantities of organic matter discharged into the Mersey Estuary from different sources. The fresh-water streams entering the Estuary are, in general, heavily polluted by sewage effluents and trade effluents. In the tidal reaches, sewage, mostly in an untreated condition, from a population of about 1-4 million persons, is discharged, together with trade effluents from a variety of manufacturing processes. An estimate has been made of the weight of organic matter discharged in effluents from the tanning industry, one of the largest sources of industrial pollution in the area of the Estuary. It is estimated that the total weight of organic matter discharged into the Estuary is equivalent to not less than 100 tons of organic carbon per day. Of this total quantity about 19 per cent. is brought in by fresh-water streams, about 68 per cent. is contained in sewage and about 13 per cent. in tannery effluents discharged direct into the Estuary. The relative importance of the discharges from other types of industrial works has not been assessed. REFERENCES () Hocan, M. A. River Gauging. A Report on Methods and Appliances Suitable for Use in Great Britain. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. H.M. Stationery Office, 1925. ) Mitts, E. V.. J. Soc. chem. Ind., Lond., 1931, 50, 3751; 1932, 51, 3497 and 3747; 1934, 53, 61T. (3) ALEXANDER, W. B., SOUTHGATE, B. A., and BASsINDALE, R. Survey of the River Tees. Part II. The Estuary—Chemical and Biological. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Water Pollution Research Technical Paper No. 5. H.M. Stationery Office, 1935. (4) Lovett, M., and Garner, J. H. J. Proc. Inst. Sewage Purif., 1935, Part 2, 283. (5) MoHIMAN, F. W., and Epwarps, G. P. Industry. Engng Chem., 1931, 3, 119.