Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman].

  • Copeman, S. Monckton (Sydney Monckton), 1862-
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Sewerage and Drainage. Tlic town possesses a main drainage system, which is made up of three sub-divisions; two serving the area north of the harbour to be termed the northern and central system respectively, the third serving that portion of the town wrhich is situated south of the river. The sewers of these three systems all converge to a point called Lowestoft Ness, the easternmost spot in England, where they are supposed to discharge to the sea. The main sewer of the central system, which serves the greater portion of the old town, is built of brick, and is 4 feet in diameter. The main sewer of the northern system is composed of 30-inch earthenware pipes, while the terminal portion of the sewer serving the south town is a 12-inch iron pipe. Formerly this latter used to open directly into the harbour, but, in consequence of complaints as to the condition of the water in the harbour at certain periods, the sewer was continued by an invert under the harbour, and allowed to discharge into a pumping well on the north bank, whence the sewqge was forced by means of ejector pumps on the Shone system to the present outlet at the Ness point. Here the north town sewers were originally carried to a “valve chamber,” * to which, later, the contents of the south town sewer were also pumped and from which twin outfall pipes, supported on piers and protected by groynes, carried the sewage out to sea. For some years past, however, the sea has been encroaching on the beach in the vicinity of the Ness point, more particularly to the south of the outfall works, and, in consequence, in 1884, Mr. Henry Law, C.E., was called in to advise as to what steps should be taken to protect the works. On visiting the locality he formed the opinion that the safety of the valve chamber and the 4-foot sewer from the old town had, on its way to the valve chamber, become seriously endangered by such encroachment. As the action of the tide was apparently enhanced by the obstruction offered by the groynes and jetties, he recommended that the obstruction should be reduced to the least possible dimensions, by removing the groynes and by cutting down the piles to the level of the pipes which they carried. In this way he anticipated that free movement of shingle from the north would be permitted, and that the disturbance and agitation of the water which appeared to be the tcause of the scouring action on the soutli side of the jetty would be prevented. As the result of Mr. Law’s report the height of the piles was reduced and the groynes removed, in consequence of which the expenditure on maintenance was for a time considerably reduced. The sea has, however, gradually continued to encroach and to so great an extent that eventually the valve chamber settled down so much as to close up one of the converging sewers, while a large fracture in about the centre of the structure also resulted. This shifting of the beach due to encroachment of the sea in the vicinity of the Ness point has now been progressing, especially during the autumn and winter, for many years and to so great an extent that the 4-foot and 30-inch main sewers between the valve chamber and the town have been frequently exposed, and during heavy seas and strong spring tides have been considerably weakened and damaged, the main 4-feet sewer suffering most by reason of its more exposed position. Between December 1893 and January 1895, indeed, portions of the 4-feet sewer collapsed from time to time so that at present about 100 feet of it are wrecked, the chief part of the damage having been occasioned by a very high tide which occurred on December 22nd, 1894. At the present time therefore the contents of this sewrer do not reach the valve chamber, but escape to the sea as best they can across the beach. While in Lowestoft I visited the site of the outfall works when I found that the terminal portion of the 4-foot or intercepting sewer broken away in several places for some considerable distance before reaching the 'valve chamber, and the end of the section, as yet intact, completely blocked with sand and shingle so that no solid matter whatever could escape, while T’ i bis “ valve chamber” is a square brick collecting tank to which the three main sewers all converge. The exit opening towards the sea is provided with a flap valve in order to prevent ingress of sea-water at high tide.