Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1897 — London's Water Supply. [ARTICLE]

London's Water Supply.

The water supply system of London covers 845 square miles, and delivers daily, through 5,147 miles of pipe, 187,580,233 gallons, of which 107,000,000 gallons comes from the Thames, 51,000,000 gallons from the River Lea, and the remainder from springs and artesian wells. The per capita consumption of the 5,675,270 inhabitants is 33 gallons. The reservoirs, 54 in number, cover 580 acres, and have a capacity of 1,935,000,000 gallons, and there are 120 great filtering beds, some of which, it is said, can absorb 1,000,000 gallons of water per minute. There are also 83,965 fire hydrants. The water system is at present owned by private companies, but the immense pressure brought to bear by the people will probably make it municipal at no distant day.—Philadelphia Record.