Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

PART OF THE ROOF OF THE HONOR OAK RESERVOIR, SHOWING ARCHES. (Photo, Topical.) HOW LONDON GETS ITS WATER. BY THE EDITOR. This Article describes the development of the great system of Water Works by means of which over seven million people are supplied daily with more than thirty gallons each of wholesome, pure water. IN previous articles have been described the great engineering works carried out to give New York and some of our greatest British, cities an abundant supply of water. We have seen liow the authorities responsible for the health of these cities have gone far afield to draw upon the resource;; of a suitable gathering ground. It may seem strange, in view of these f; ,cts> that “ Water ” London, the greatest of all centres of human life, with its 514 square miles, and its population of over 7,000,000 people, should be able to derive most of the good water that it needs from within the area supplied. From the Thames, turbid and brackish as it passes through the heart of the city, nearly 130,000,000 gallons may be drawn daily at points just inside and (1.408) The Needs of a Huge Population. outside the boundary line.* Wells sunk into the chalk that underlies the metropolis and its suburbs yield over 44,000,000 gallons in the twenty-four hours, and during the same period the sources of the river Lee supply some 50,000,000 gallons. it has indeed been a huge task to so or- ganize and develop the supply that every in- dividual of the 7,000,000 men, women, and children shall have on the average nearly 32 gallons for Flures, daily use. Every day 1,000,000 tons of water have to be pumped from wells and rivers into reservoirs, whence the flow descends by gravity through many thousands of miles of pipes, * The Metropolitan Water Board has an unrestricted right to take this quantity from the river, together with an addi- tional 35,000,000 gallons daily for the Staines reservoir, or, by consent of the Local Government Board, 45,000,000 gallons. 13 VOL. III.