[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Godalming Borough.

  • Godalming (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Godalming Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/44 (page 17)
    care which he always does, any potential pollution, if it arose, would at once be spotted and adec^uate steps taken to deal with it. Drainage and Seweri^ge.—The Town Council during 19o7 conii)letcd the sewering of the iMinsteV: area, and with few excei)tions (which will be converted early in 1938) all houses having cesspools and ])eing within reasonable tlistance of the new sewers were connected during the year. In Catteshall Lane, 550 yards of 9in. soil sewer were laid, to replace an old 6in. sewer laid forty years ago as a private drain and now totally inadequate for the needs of the district; the latter being thoroughly cleansed and con- verted into a surface water sewer. In connection with the development of the private housing estate at Silo Wood, FariU'ombe, 430 yards of 9in. and 230 yards of Gin. soil sewers were laid by private enterprise during the period under report. Rivers and Streams.—No case of pollution of the River Wey, or any streams or ditches leading to it in the Borough, was re})orted during the year. Close touch is kej^t by the Sanitary, Inspector with the local Inspector of the Thames Conservancy Board, and any cases of suspected pollution is re])ortcd to the latter for taking of samples and any other action considered necessary. Notwithstanding, some suspicion arises from time to time as to i)ollution of the River Wey and Bacillus Coli in 0.5 c.c. was found in sam])les taken from the Charter- house bathing place. It was doubtful as to the method in which this contamination gained access to the river, and houses on the bank with cesspool drainage were under suspicion, but nothing definite could be proved. Such contamination is quite usual in rivers, and though un- desirable, would probably not prove harmful to bathers unless their water consumption while bathing was above normal, or definite organisms of intestinal disease gained access to the water. No definite illness, definitely traceal)le to pollution of a bathing place, has been described in recent years, and the 11 owing water, of course, helps to dilute the infection and spread it rapidly on.