Dr. S.W. Wheaton's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances of the Bettws-y-Coed rural district, and on the prevalence of enteric fever and diphtheria in the district / [S.W. Wheaton].

  • Wheaton, S. W.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. S.W. Wheaton's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances of the Bettws-y-Coed rural district, and on the prevalence of enteric fever and diphtheria in the district / [S.W. Wheaton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    situate in the Bettws-y-Coed Rural District. The population and the number of dwelling's have probably much increased since that time ; and in summer the population is largely augmented by visitors, at which time also some hundreds of persons pass through the village every day on their way to Snowdon and the pass of Llanberis. For the accommodation of these persons there are a number of hotels. There is not for Capel Curig any public water supply. Water is obtained from springs and from watercourses flowing down from the mountains ; also from the river Llugwy. The springs and watercourses are as a rule free from risk of pollution. At Trefriw there is a public water supply. The water is obtained from the river Crafnant, at a point about one mile above the village. The river Crafnant flows from a large lake, Llyn Crafnant, and the point at which the water is taken from the river is two miles below the lake. The water passes directly from the river into the main, a coarse iron grating only being interposed to keep back debris. The water is not filtered and there is no provision for storage. The main, which is of iron, passes down the valley and supplies the village by gravitation. On examining the river above the intake, I found that between this point and the lake from which it issues, it passes for some distance through cultivated fields, some of which, at the time of my visit, were heavily littered with farmyard manure. There are several farmhouses on the banks of this stream above the intake. In connection with one of these, I observed a privy discharging on the surface of the ground only four yards distant from the stream. But the majority of the farmhouses have no privies. In the case of dwellings situated on the banks of the stream without privies there is serious risk of pollution of the river, since all excreta voided indoors into pails, as is especially the custom in case of illness, or where persons are too weak to use the fields, are almost invariably thrown into the neighbouring river. I observed, also, collections of manure from cowsheds and pigsties, and collections of house refuse stored on the river banks. For purposes of water supply, all the sources of pollution of this stream could be avoided by taking the water directly from the lake, the water of which is free from risk of pollution, since it is surrounded by uncultivated mountain land. There are other sources of water in this village, such as wells, springs, and small watercourses flowing directly from the mountains. The inhabitants of a row of ten dwellings, for instance, obtain water from certain shallow wells polluted by soakage from privies ; or they resort to a small watercourse, which dries up completely in summer time and upon the banks of which two privies are situated just above the point at which the water is taken. A public supply of water has been provided for Penmachno. It is piped, from a tank on the mountain side, in which the water from several springs is collected. The water is distributed to dwellings by gravitation. This supply appears to be free from risk of pollution. The water supply of Cwm Penmachno is very unsatisfactory. Water is obtained from an open dipping place in a quarry tip, from open watercourses draining flelds which are keavilv manured, from agricultural drains from fields, and from a spout the water of which appears to come from a spring in a field. The last is the principal source of supply, and at the time of my visit a privy discharging on the surface of the ground had recently been built in such a position that any liquid escaping from it, and from the small yard in which it is situated, mixed with the water of the spring before it passed to the spout. At Dolwyddelan there is a public water supply, which is obtained from the river Tfledr at a point near Roman Bridge railway station, and is conducted in pipes by gravitation to the dwellings. The water is taken directly from the river without storage or filtration. The river Lledr above the intake is bordered for some distance by fields, which are partly pasture partly arable, and which are dressed with farmyard manure. There does not appear to be any other serious pollution of this river for a long distance above the intake, except that arising from sheep-washing and sheep-dipping. It is remarkable that such unsatisfactory water supplies should have been selected as those which are obtained from the before-mentioned rivers. The district abounds in lakes the water of which is in nearly all cases free from risk A 2 16592