HEALTH – Samples of water supply Redcar and Coatham

Accreditation The Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette 01/02/1878.

SAMPLES OF WATER-SUPPLY REDCAR & COATHAM

The following extract is from the Sanitary Record of Jan.25^th, and forms part of one of a series of valuable articles under the above heading from the pen of Mr. G. W. Wigner, F.C.S. :-

I am indebted to Dr. A. Ewing Keith, medical officer of health, for forwarding me the following samples from Redcar, Coatham

REDCAR

Has a population of about 2,500, the water supply is in the hands of the Local Board, and is derived from springs in the sandstone on some hills about 3 miles from the town. There is a constant supply from a small storage reservoir containing about one day’s consumption, and this supply is available for fire. A sample drawn from a In the house of the chairman of the Local Board, and forwarded to me on December 11 by Dr. Keith, gave the following results.

Total solid matter 15.00

Loss on ignition after deducting combined carbonic acid 4.21

Lead and Copper – none

Iron – traces

Chlorine calculated as chloride over sodium 5.38

Hardness before boiling, 4.4° (Clark’s scale)

Hardness after boiling, 4.2° (Clark’s scale)

Nitrogen as ammonia 0.0074

Nitrogen as albuminoid 0.0059

Nitrogen as nitrates 0.1220

Nitrogen as nitrites 0.0030

Total nitrogen in these four forms 0.1383

Oxygen and absorbed by organic matter – traces.

COATHAM

Grains
per gallon

Total solid matter 7.80

Loss on ignition after deducting combined carbonic acid  2.37

Lead and Copper – none

Iron – traces

Chlorine calculated as chloride over sodium 0.94

Hardness before boiling, 4.4° (Clark’s scale)

Hardness after boiling, 4.2° (Clark’s scale)

Nitrogen as ammonia 0.0067

Nitrogen as albuminoid 0.0057

Nitrogen as nitrates 0.0450

Nitrogen as nitrites 0.0624

Total nitrogen in these four forms 0.1720

Oxygen and absorbed by organic matter – traces.

This sample contained very slight traces of suspended matter, and had a pale yellow colour, and when warmed it had a decidedly unpleasant small taste. The microscope showed such heavy traces of vegetable matter as to render it very probable that the water had received peaty contamination at its source. The chemical results showed that while it contained less solid matter than the Redcar water, and that the albuminoid ammonia was almost the same, there was on the other hand, a great increase in the oxygen absorbed, while the physical results were of so much worse a character that this Coatham water must be put into the second class.