Practical suggestions by Mr. Rogers Field, M. Inst. C.E., as to water supply, drainage, and sewage disposal for lunatic asylums / issued by the Commissioners in Lunacy.

  • Field, Rogers.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Practical suggestions by Mr. Rogers Field, M. Inst. C.E., as to water supply, drainage, and sewage disposal for lunatic asylums / issued by the Commissioners in Lunacy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    N Water drawn from rivers and streams. Rain-water collected from roofs. Amount of rain-water available. account, not only the water which is necessary for use at the asylum, but also that which is necessary for compensation water,” i.e., the water which must be continually discharged into the stream to com¬ pensate for the water that is abstracted. (c.) There must be a suitable position for the construction of an impounding reservoir of a sufficient size to store the flood water, and thus equalize the annual flow. This reservoir should if possible be at such an elevation as to enable the water to be supplied to the asylum by gravitation. (d.) Ample provision should be made for the discharge of flood water from the impounding reservoir, so that there may be no danger, even in the most extreme floods of the water rising in the reservoir sufficiently high to flow over the top of the bank. (e.) The construction of an impounding reservoir and the other matters involved in the installation of a water supply from a gathering ground, are things that require the most skilful engineering treatment, and should only be entrusted to a professional man, who has had ex¬ perience in such matters. (12.) In some cases the supply is drawn from rivers and streams, but this is a source of supply which should be looked upon with great suspicion, on account of its liability to pollu¬ tion. If the pollution is simply from vegetable matter, this can be removed by efficient filtration, but if the pollution is of an animal origin, such as sewage and the like, it is, according to the most recent and reliable authorities, not safe to rely on filtra¬ tion. Of course, it is possible that a stream may be available which is not liable to pollution, but the probability is, that if the course of the stream above the proposed intake is carefully ex¬ amined, sources of pollution will be discovered which were quite unsuspected. (13.) Rain-water collected from roofs forms an excellent auxiliary supply, on account of its softness, for laundries, steam boilers, &c. It is, however, quite insufficient in quantity for the general supply of an asylum, and under no circumstances should be relied on for that purpose. If, however, it is determined to save the whole or a portion of the rain water, for the special purposes mentioned above, proper provision of storage tanks, &c., would have to be made, and the following observations may in that case be found useful. (14.) In order to calculate the amount of water that is available, the fall of rain in the driest year must be ascertained, and then an allowance be made for loss by evaporation, absorption, &c. The available depth of rain multiplied by the aggregate area of the roofs will give the annual amount of water there is available. When only an approximate result is required) the following very simple rule will enable it to be immediately