NA TURE 



197 



T" 



THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1874 



THE POLLUTION OF RIVERS 



HE Rivers-pollution Commissioners (Prof. Frankland 

 and Mr. J. C. Morton), having, during the last 

 five years, made and published more than 2,000 analyses 

 of river and other waters throughout England, Scotland, 

 and Wales, before and after pollution, and no less than 

 1,200 examinations of impure drainage waters, and 

 having visited and reported concerning the effluent 

 waters from 245 Chemical-dye and Print-works, Paper-, 

 Cotton-, and Woollen-mills, and mines and works of 

 various kinds spread over the country, have recently 

 published their fifth report on river pollution from 

 mining operations, reserving to themselves in 1 their 

 forthcoming and last report the consideration of the 

 potable waters of Great Britain. 



The importance of this systematic and thoroughly 

 scientific examination of the composition of the run- 

 ning water on the surface of our country can hardly 

 be over-estimated, and the value to the nation of the 

 mere analyses of the waters is such as amply to repay the 

 cost of the Commission. In addition, however, to the 

 special value to each district, to corporate bodies, or even 

 to individual manufacturers and riparian proprietors 

 which these analyses of river and drainage waters possess, 

 they are of the highest importance as forming the body of 

 evidence upon which alone action can be taken with 

 regard to legislation on the subject of the prevention or 

 abatement of river pollution throughout the country. 

 That some measure to ensure a greater degree of purity 

 in our rivers, especially those passing through the manu- 

 facturing districts, must, before long, be carried out by the 

 Legislature, is admitted not only by those who opposed 

 Mr. Stansfield's proposals of last year, but even by the 

 manufacturers who are now helping to foul the streams. 

 The question which has to be settled is not whe- 

 ther anything is to be done to remedy the certainly 

 disgraceful state of some of our streams, but rather 

 to what extent can the purification be pushed without 

 detriment to the industry of the district ; and when 

 this has been decided comes the next question, how this 

 partial purification is to be eflected. That it can only be a 

 |i:irtial purification is clear from the conclusions of the 

 Commissioners themselves, who do not propose any plan 

 by which the water of our rivers, in populous districts at 

 present little better than sewers, shall be so purified as to 

 he fit for drinking purposes. 



Without attempting to give even a part of the data 

 upon which the Commissioners base their conclusions, and 

 declining altogether, as inopportune, to criticise their 

 scheme, it appears to be desirable that conclusions 

 arrived at after so much labour and consideration 



i should be made widely known. 



The proposal, then, which the Commissioners make as 



I in their opinion the best and most feasible means of legis- 



' lating on the prevention of river pollution is the establish- 

 ment of certain standards, the infringement of which 



) shall render the water liable to be deemed polluting and 

 inadmissible into any stream, provided always that no 

 Vol. IX. — No. 220 



effluent water shall be deemed polluting if it be not more 

 contaminated with any of the polluting ingredients than 

 the stream or river into which it is discharged. 



The standards are as follows : — 



(a) Any liquid which has not been subjected to perfect 

 rest in subsidence-ponds of sufficient size for a period of 

 at least six hours ; or which having been so subjected to 

 subsidence, contains, in suspension, more than one part 

 by weight of dry organic matter in 100,000 parts by 

 weight of the liquid, or which, not having been so sub- 

 jected to subsidence, contains, in suspension, more than 

 three parts of dry mineral matter, or one part by weight 

 of dry organic matter in 100,000 parts by weight of the 

 liquid. 



{b) Any liquid containing, in solution, more than two 

 parts by weight of organic carbon, or o'3 part by weight 

 of organic nitrogen in 100,000 parts by weight. 



((■) Any liquid which shall exhibit by daylight a distinct 

 colour when a stratum of it one inch deep is placed in a 

 white porcelain or earthenware vessel, 



(<•/) Any liquid which contains, in solution, in 100,000 

 parts by weight, more than two parts of any metal except 

 calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. 



{e) Any liquid which, in 100,000 parts by weight, con- 

 tains, whether in solution or suspension, in chemical com- 

 bination or otherwise, more than o'oj part by weight 

 of metallic arsenic. 



(/) Any liquid which, after acidification with sulphu- 

 ric acid, contains, in 100,000 parts by weight, more than 

 one part by weight of free chlorine. 



{g) Any liquid which contains, in 100,000 parts by 

 weight, more than one part by weight of sulphur, in the 

 condition either of sulphuretted hydrogen or of a soluble 

 sulphuret. 



(//) Any liquid possessing an acidity greater than that 

 which is produced by adding two parts weight of real 

 muriatic acid to 1,000 parts by weight of distilled water. 



(z) Any liquid possessing an alkalinity greater than 

 that produced by adding one part by weight of dry caustic 

 soda to 1,000 parts of distilled water. 



{IS) Any liquid exhibiting a film of petroleum or hydro- 

 carbon oil upon its surface, or containing, in suspension, 

 in 100,000 parts, more than 0*05 part of such oil. 



The Commissioners further add that any law having 

 for its object the prevention of river pollution, should 



1. Absolutely forbid, under adequate penalties, the 

 casting of solid matters into river channels. 



2. Enact the foregoing standards of purity below which 

 any liquid discharges into water-courses should, with the 

 exceptions already mentioned (certain few short mining 

 rivers), be forbidden. 



3. Give power to all manufacturers in towns, except 

 those of gas, paraffin oil, pyroligneous acid, animal char- 

 coal, tin-plate, and galvanised iron, to discharge their 

 drainage water into the town-sewers under suitable regu- 

 lations. 



4. Confer additional powers on corporations, local 

 boards, manufacturers and mine-owners, to take land 

 compulsorily under " Provisional orders" for the purpose 

 of storing their waste refuse, or of cleansing sewage or 

 other foul liquids either by irrigation, filtration, or other- 

 wise. 



They are of opinion that Government Inspectors 



