HH62/2/STIRLI/47

Transcription

[Page] 46

supply. The water is understood to be from a spring. It is
stored in a wooden tank, which is much decayed and causes
pollution of the water. It is distributed by means of eight pillar
wells on the streets.
The southern part of the Whins of Milton village takes water from
the mill lade, from the Bannock burn. It is taken at a point just
on the east side of the Glasgow road, where the lade crosses the
road, while road washings which also contain some slop water
thrown out from the houses, enter the lade higher up on the
west side. Horses come to drink at the west side, and the
place is very dirty and swampy. There is a good flow in the lade;
otherwise the pollution would be much greater from this cause;
but unquestionably there must sometimes be risk in using this
water. The upper part of the village is supplied by private wells,
usually shallow wells in manured garden ground. The majority
are merely dip wells, without a pump, and are specially open to
pollution. The Stirling water supply is conveniently situated,
and could be easily introduced to the village. Its introduction
would form a valuable improvement. Since the above was written
a petition has been received from the inhabitants to form a special
District and introduce the Stirling water.
In Cambuskenneth Abbey the Stirling burgh water is provided
by five or six pillar wells, and in some cases is piped into the
houses.
Haggs District. - The water supply is on the whole very bad.
From one end to the other of the long roadway already described
it consists of shallow wells, in many cases at a lower level than
the houses, and open to risk of serious pollution. At Bonny-
bridge the position of the wells is better than in some other parts
of the district, they being situated as a rule either on level ground
or on rising ground behind the houses. But wherever wells are
dug in gardens, there is considerable danger of contamination
from manure. The wells here are mostly provided with pumps,
so that surface washings do not directly flow into the water.
At Dennyloanhead the wells are badly situated, owing to the
garden ground sloping down towards them. Some are pump wells
and some are open.
At Parkfoot, the supply could hardly be worse. For the most
part the houses are built on the south side of the road, and as the

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ground slopes from north to south there is risk of pollution from
surface washings. In two cases the wells are directly under
the footpath, and in one of these the only access is by the
common washing-house of the property. A direct opening which
recently existed between the washing-house and the well has
been closed by boards, so as to hinder children from falling in.
A pump has been erected, but in the event of any infectious
disease existing in the tenement (which is a large one, containing
a number of small houses of one and two apartments), there would
be great risk from the soakage of infected slop water into the well.
This part of the district suffered from want of water during last
summer.
Omitting details, the same general description of water supply
applies to Longcroft, Haggs, and Hollandbush. At Hollandbush,
in the course of my enquiry regarding a death from enteric
fever which occurred at a dairy there, I examined the water
supply. The well mouth opens into the floor of the back part
of a cellar underneath the house. A sub-soil drain discharges
into the well. The garden is immediately behind the house, and
the ground level is about six feet above the cellar floor. It slopes
upwards from the back of the house to a couple of wooden piggeries,
without drainage, and from which the liquid filth soaks into the
soil. The byre, also of wood, is situated between the piggeries and
the dwelling-house. It is through this garden ground that the
water filters to enter the well, which is a favourite in the neigh-
bourhood.
Banton. - There is a proposal to form the two villages of Banton
into a Special Water District, but a difficulty has arisen in connec-
tion with certain water privileges, and has prevented, in the mean-
time at anyrate, the carrying out of the scheme. The supply
would be from a burn just above Upper Banton, and would be
ample. At present, water is led from this burn by a small earthen-
ware pipe, which discharges over the surface channel in front of
the houses. The water is liable to serious contamination.
Another supply is by a partly open and partly closed channel from
the same burn, on the opposite side of the roadway. Where open,
this channel is liable to pollution from a neighbouring piggery.
In Lower Banton, water is obtained from several sources. The
chief of these are - (1) A burn behind the houses at the upper part