Pollution of the water.

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Abstract

T h e P o r t o f L o n d o n A u t h o r i t y is u n i q u e in t h e field of p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l , b e i n g t h e o n l y p o r t a u t h o r i t y t o h o l d full p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l p o w e r s a n d b y v i r t u e of t h e P o r t of L o n d o n . A c t 1968, p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l p o w e r s of t h e n o n t i d a l s t r e a m s in t h e L o n d o n E x c l u d e d A r e a a r e c e d e d to t h e G r e a t e r L o n d o n C o u n c i l u n d e r t h e ove ra l l c o n t r o l of t h e P o r t A u t h o r i t y . T h e 1968 A c t a lso specif ied t h a t t h e p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l func t ions of t he P o r t A u t h o r i t y w o u l d b e a d m i n i s t e r e d b y a P o l l u t i o n C o n t r o l C o m m i t t e e t h a t w a s c o m ­ p r i s e d of m e m b e r s of t h e P o r t A u t h o r i t y , t he Essex R i v e r A u t h o r i t y , t h e K e n t R i v e r A u t h o r i t y , t h e L e e C o n s e r v a n c y C a t c h m e n t B o a r d , t h e G r e a t e r L o n d o n C o u n c i l , t h e C i t y of L o n d o n C o r p o r a t i o n , a n d a p e r s o n n o m i n a t e d b y t h e C o n f e d e r a t i o n of Br i t i sh I n d u s t r i e s a n d a c c e p t e d by t h e M i n i s t e r as b e i n g i n d e p e n d e n t a n d qua l i f i ed . T h u s , m a n y , of ten d i v e r g i n g , in te res t s a r e b r o u g h t t o ­ g e t h e r in a c o m m o n c a u s e a n d t h e success a c h i e v e d to d a t e i n d i c a t e s t h e des i r ab i l i t y a n d efficiency of s u c h a c o m m i t t e e . R e q u i r e ­ m e n t s a r e a lso m a d e , i n t h e A c t , r e g a r d i n g t h e m i n i m u m n u m b e r s a n d qua l i f i ca t ions o f t h e p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l staff to b e e m p l o y e d b y t h e P o r t A u t h o r i t y . T h e cost of p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l ac t iv i t ies o n t h e t ida l T h a m e s h a s b e e n b o r n e c o m p l e t e l y b y t h e P o r t A u t h o r i t y s ince its i n c e p t i o n 96 M E D I C I N E , S C I E N C E , A N D T H E L A W Medicine Sei. Law 1972, April b u t d u e t o t h e e v e r i n c r e a s i n g costs of s u c h w o r k , p a r t i c u l a r l y as t h e scientif ic a spec t s b e c o m e m o r e c o m p l e x a n d soph is t i ­ c a t e d , t h e t i m e h a s n o w c o m e w h e n t h e neces sa ry finances s h o u l d b e r a i s ed b y p r e ­ cep t s o n loca l a u t h o r i t y r a t e s as is t h e case w i t h r ive r a u t h o r i t i e s . T h e j u r i s d i c t i o n o f t h e P o r t of L o n d o n A u t h o r i t y n o w e x t e n d s for a p p r o x i m a t e l y 92 mi les , f rom t h e l a n d w a r d l i m i t a t T e d d i n g t o n to t h e l i m i t of T e r r i t o r i a l W a t e r s i n E F F E C T S O F P O L L U T I O N L O A D S A l t h o u g h , as p r ev ious ly m e n t i o n e d , t h e t i d a l T h a m e s w a s u s e d as a d e p o s i t o r y for r u b b i s h f rom R o m a n t imes , t h e g e n e r a l c o n ­ d i t i o n of t h e r i v e r w a s r e a s o n a b l e u n t i l t h e e a r l y n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y . T h i s w a s b e c a u s e t h e foul d r a i n a g e of houses w a s u s u a l l y t o cess-pi ts , w h e r e t h e c o n t e n t s w e r e i n ­ f r e q u e n t l y r e m o v e d b y ' n i g h t m e n ' a n d s p r e a d o n t h e l a n d . T h e g e n e r a l i n t r o d u c ­ t i on of t h e w a t e r c l o s e t i n 1810, fo l lowed b y F I O . I . — T o show the area covered by the tidal Thames and administered by the Port of London Authority. {Reproduced by kind permission of Community Health '.) t h e N o r t h S e a . U n d e r t h e O i l in N a v i g a b l e W a t e r s A c t 1955, i ts j u r i s d i c t i o n e x t e n d s o v e r t h e w h o l e of t h e r ive r a n d e s t u a r y u n d e r its c o n t r o l b u t its p o w e r s u n d e r t h e R i v e r s ( P r e v e n t i o n o f Po l lu t i on ) Ac t s d o n o t e x t e n d b e y o n d t h e f o r m e r s e a w a r d l imi t of t h e P o r t of L o n d o n f rom H a v e n g o r e C r e e k to W a r d e n P o i n t {Fig. i ) . T h e A u t h o r i t y a lso h a s t h e a d v a n t a g e of o w n i n g n e a r l y a l l t h e b e d a n d foreshore of t h e r ive r b e t w e e n T e d d i n g t o n a n d S o u t h e n d a n d this assists it i n i m p o s i n g l i cence c o n d i t i o n s o n t h e use t o w h i c h this l a n d is p u t , w h i c h t e n d s t o r e d u c e p o l l u t i o n risks, a n d its b y e l a w s p r o h i b i t t h e d e p o s i t i o n of sol id m a t e r i a l s i n t h e r ive r . l eg i s la t ion i n 1848 m a k i n g h o u s e d r a i n a g e o b l i g a t o r y , t u r n e d t h e r i v e r i n t o a n o p e n sewer . T h e c o n d i t i o n of t h e r i v e r b e c a m e so offensive t h a t i n t h e 1850s, sessions of P a r l i a m e n t w e r e i n t e r r u p t e d a n d l i m e s o a k e d shee t s w e r e h u n g a t t h e w i n d o w s to r e d u c e t h e s t ench . T h e w a t e r w o r k s w e r e c o m p e l l e d t o m o v e t h e i r i n t a k e s t o a b o v e t h e w o r s t affected r e a c h e s e v e n t h o u g h t h e C h e l s e a W a t e r w o r k s C o m p a n y h a d i n s t a l l e d s low sandf i l t r a t i on as e a r l y as 1829. T h e d e t e r i o r a t i n g pos i t ion w a s i l l u s t r a t e d b y t h e fact t h a t t h e r ive r w a s m o r e i m p u r e a t B a t t e r s e a F ie lds i n 1849 t h a n i t h a d b e e n i n 1832 a t L o n d o n B r i d g e . Volume 12 Number 2 B . A . F . S . T W E L F T H A N N U A L SCIENTIFIC M E E T I N G 97 T h e r e w e r e m a j o r c h o l e r a o u t b r e a k s i n t h e p e r i o d 1832 to 1886 a n d in t h e o u t b r e a k o f 1849 m o r e t h a n 14,000 p e o p l e d i e d . U p to this t i m e i t w a s c o n s i d e r e d t h a t c h o l e r a w a s a n a i r b o r n e disease , b u t i n 1855 D r . J o h n S n o w p u b l i s h e d a p a p e r t h a t i l l u s t r a t ed c h o l e r a t o b e w a t e r b o r n e . H e d e s c r i b e d a n o u t b r e a k i n a n a r e a b o u n d e d b y O x f o r d S t r ee t , R e g e n t S t r ee t , P iccad i l ly , a n d D e a n S t r e e t w h e r e t h e r e w e r e m o r e t h a n 500 d e a t h s in 10 d a y s . T h e sou rce o f infec t ion w a s s h o w n to b e a wel l i n B r o a d S t r e e t t h a t h a d a s ewer pas s ing n e a r b y . I n v i e w of this a p p a l l i n g s t a t e of affairs t h e g o v e r i u n e n t , i n 1855, set u p t h e M e t r o p o l i ­ t a n B o a r d of W o r k s t o m a i n t a i n m a i n sewers a n d c o n s t r u c t n e w w o r k s t o p r e v e n t s e w a g e e n t e r i n g t h e T h a m e s i n t h e L o n d o n a r e a . A s c h e m e of i n t e r c e p t i n g sewers , p u m p i n g s t a t ions , a n d t h e e m b a n k m e n t of t h e r ive r i n C e n t r a l L o n d o n , w a s d r a w n u p in 1856 b y M r . J o s e p h B a z a l g e t t e ( l a t e r S i r J o s e p h ) a n d w a s i m p l e m e n t e d b y a n A c t of P a r l i a m e n t in 1858; t h e w h o l e works w e r e c o m p l e t e d in 1875. T h e sewers , w h i c h t r a v e r s e d L o n d o n in a wes te r ly to eas t e r ly d i r e c t i o n i n t e r c e p t ­ i n g t h e m a i n l i n e sewers o n r o u t e t o t h e T h a m e s , w e r e to c a r r y t h e s e w a g e of L o n d o n to t h e t ida l T h a m e s b e l o w t h e M e t r o p o l i s . F r o m 1864 d r a i n a g e f rom n o r t h of t h e r ive r d i s c h a r g e d a t t h e n o r t h e r n outfa l l a t Beckt o n , a n d f rom s o u t h of t h e r ive r d i s c h a r g e d a t t h e s o u t h e r n outfal l a t Crossness , w h e r e i t was p l a n n e d to d i s c h a r g e f rom reservoi rs in t h e e a r l y h o u r s o f t h e e b b t i d e t o h e l p c a r r y t h e s e w a g e o u t t o sea . H o w e v e r , a l t h o u g h t h e c o n d i t i o n of t h e r i v e r i m p r o v e d i n C e n t r a l L o n d o n , t h e r e w e r e m a n y c o m ­ p l a i n t s r e g a r d i n g offensive c o n d i t i o n s f rom G r e e n w i c h to G r e e n h i t h e . T h e M e t r o p o l i t a n B o a r d of W o r k s c o m m e n c e d to ins ta l c h e m i c a l p r e c i p i t a t i o n processes a t t h e n o r t h ­ e r n a n d s o u t h e r n outfal ls t o i m p r o v e t h e s i t u a t i o n , t h e r e s u l t a n t s ludges b e i n g t r a n s ­ p o r t e d a n d d u m p e d a t sea . T h e L o n d o n C o u n t y C o u n c i l , w h i c h s u c c e e d e d t h e M e t r o ­ p o l i t a n B o a r d of W o r k s , c o n t i n u e d to i m p r o v e t r e a t m e n t facilities as t h e n e w b i o ­ logical t r e a t m e n t processes b e c a m e a v a i l a b l e a r o u n d 1915. A n e w w o r k s , a t Crossness , c a p a b l e of g i v i n g full b io log ica l t r e a t m e n t t o t h e w h o l e of t h e s e w a g e flow c o m m e n c e d full o p e r a t i o n i n 1964. T h e B e c k t o n w o r k s , w h i c h was a b l e to g ive full t r e a t m e n t to 60 m i l l i on ga l lons p e r d a y of t h e s e w a g e flow before t h e S e c o n d W o r l d W a r , is c u r r e n t l y b e i n g e x t e n d e d to g ive full t r e a t m e n t to a d r y w e a t h e r flow of a l m o s t 300 m i l l i o n ga l lons p e r d a y . T h e p r e s e n t pos i t i on is t h a t t h e was tes of a p p r o x i m a t e l y 11 m i l l i o n p e o p l e e n t e r a 20-mile s t r e t c h of t h e t i d a l T h a m e s a n d m o r e s e w a g e effluents a r e a d d e d d o w n s t r e a m . E F F E C T S O F E A R L Y W O R K A N D T E C H N I C A L S T U D I E S I m p r o v e m e n t s in t h e c o n d i t i o n of t h e r iver , d u e t o in s t a l l ing t h e i n t e r c e p t i n g sewers , d i d o c c u r as e v i d e n c e d b y t h e r e t u r n of fish-life to t h