Sewage disposal / report of a committee appointed by the President of the Local Government Board to inquire into the several modes of treating town sewage.

Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sewage disposal / report of a committee appointed by the President of the Local Government Board to inquire into the several modes of treating town sewage. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    127/202 (page 57)
    plans to be prepared of an intercepting sewer to divert the sewage from the Rocli, and this work is now being carried out a cost of 20,000Z. The intercepting sewer commences at Ashbrook Valley on the eastern boundary of the borough, and from that point to Heybrook Valley, it is 4 feet in diameter and laid at a gradient of 1 in 250; from Heybrook Valley to George Street it is increased to 5 feet in diameter ; from thence to Duke Street it is further increased to 6 feet in diameter ; from thence to the Spodden Valley, it is 6 feet in diameter, but laid at a gradient of 1 in 1,000; and from the Spodden Valley to the outfall into the Koch, below Oaken Kod Weir, it is 9 feet in diameter ; laid at a gradient of 1 in 1,000. When these works are completed there will still be 12 overflow-outlets into the Koch, above the Town Mill Weir, to relieve the main seAvers of flood water during heavy storms of rain. The sewers are ventilated by open grids in the covers of the lamp- holes and manholes ; these are placed on the lines of sewers and are not more than 150 feet apart. Owing to the configuration of the town the sewers have steep gradients, and it was found that a considerable volume of sewer gas ascended to the highest points of the system ; to remedy this, self-acting valves (as recommended in the published suggestions of the Local Government Board, pages 7, 8, 9,) are placed in each manhole, and this has had a beneficial effect; it has prevented the sewer-gas accumulating at the higher points and has facilitated its escape through the gratings in the surface of the streets. The volume of sewage entering the Koch, Spodden, Hey-Brook, and Sudden Brook, by the numerous outlets, is about 1,250,000 gallons every 24 hours. In 1869, the corporation of Rochdale decided that they would not continue the contract for cleansing middens and removal of the contents; and, after some consideration as to the best form of privy and ash place, they adopted the pail, or that now known as the Kochdale system. The corporation have erected buildings as a depot on a site within the borough, and purchased the necessary plant, horses, and rolling-stock for collecting the excreta and refuse at short intervals. The cost of the works, plant, and stock, up to the 28th of January 1876, has been about 10,000/. The mode of collection is as follows :— The town is divided into six districts, and each pail-privy is numbered consecutively in a district register, so that in case of any contagious or infectious disease arising in the town, the numbers of the pail-privies in connexion with the houses in which the disease exists can be communicated to the local authority, when arrangements can be made for the daily disinfection of such pail-privies, and for the isolation of such excreta. As a rule all pail-privies are empted once a week, to ensure which, the driver of the collecting van, on his return to the works, gives in a list showing the number of each pail-privy from which he has collected ; this is posted in a book, in such a form that it can be seen at a glance whether any have been neglected, and on every Monday morning a list of those overlooked (if any) is made, and a supplemental van is then sent out to make good the week's collection ; the entire onus of removal rests upon the corporation. The pail-privies are supplied at each collection with a fresh pail, which has been well washed, and in which has been placed a liquid deodorizer and disinfectant. The collections, according, to the regulations, should be made between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5-.30 p.m. To prevent any nuisance arising from the collecting van when passing through the streets on its return to the works, air-tight lids are placed