Next

to

Oxygen

water

is

the

most

vital

substance

essential

to

life,

it

is

most

crucial

to

life

forms

on

this

and

every

other

planet.

Water

is

a

chemical

composition

of

Oxygen

and

Hydrogen.

There

are

1.4B

km3

locked

in

our

planet.

We

all

take

clean

water

for

granted

its

a

part

of

every

day

life

never

a

thought

where

it

comes

from

or

how

its

made

the

journey

to

our

tap.

The

water

supply

to

Southend

and

surrounding areas did not just happen by chance but evolved through careful planning and expert engineering.

In

the

early

days

up

to

the

1800s

water

was

gathered

from

wells,

ponds

and

brooks

which

often

became

contaminated.

It

was

reported that there were numerous outbreaks of Typhoid and other water born diseases.

In

1865

the

first

water

facility

to

supply

Southend

was

built

by

the

firm

of

Thomas

Brassey

a

private

company

who

had

previously

built

the

railway

from

London

to

Southend

in

1856.

A

well/borehole,

pumping

station

in

Milton

Rd,

a

reservoir

and

later

a

water

tower in Scratton Rd/Cambridge Road supplied water to the area known as Cliff Town in central Southend.

In

1871

the

Southend

Waterworks

Company

became

a

limited

company.

In

1879

the

company

took

on

to

supply

the

nearby

surrounding

areas

and

in

1894

included

Thundersley

1907

the

Billericay

Rural

District

Council

and

the

Leigh

Urban

District

Council

were

purchased.

By

1924

the

company

had

expanded

and

now

supplied

water

to

Rochford

and

the

Parishes

of

Buttsbury

and

Fobbing

with

further

supply

to

Langdon

Hills

in

1959

and

Shoeburyness

in

1960.

In

early

1919

there

was

a

serious

water

shortage.

In

September

1919

the

first

of

many

meetings

was

held

at

the

Kursaal

to

protest

against

not

only

the

inadequate

supply,

but

an

increase

of

charges

by

90%

in

the

previous

rate.

Meanwhile

a

stormy

meeting

of

shareholders

of

the

water

company

strongly

criticised

the

payment

of

only

a

¾%

dividend.

The

33

wells

sunk

in

the

area

at

a

cost

of

over

£623,000

failed

to

give

sufficient

supply,

and

it

became

necessary

to

consider

a

river

source

–

the

wells

simply

drained

one

an

other.

Often

the

town

had

only

four

hours

supply

of

water,

two

in

the

morning

and

two

in

the

evening,

supplies

being

turned

off

at

the

mains

for

the

remainder

of

the

day.

This

continued

expansion

meant

from

1865

to

1921

extra

wells/boreholes

where

sunk

across

the

area

of

supply,

yields

were

generally

poor

compared

to

the

capital

expenditure

involved.

In

1921

Southend

Waterworks

Company

joined

with

South

Essex

Company

to

take

a

joint

supply

from

the

river

Stour,

but

the

Bill

enable

to

do

this

was

withdrawn

because

of

opposition

from

the

districts

in

which

the

Stour

flowed.

Ultimately

the

South

East

Essex

Company

went

to

the

Stour

and

Southend

Company

obtained

Parliamentary

powers

to

use

the

Blackwater,

Chelmer

and

Ter,

with

works

at

Langford,

which

were

partially

opened

in

1927

and

officially

opened

in

1929.

The

scheme

cost £1,100,000. By 1927 most of the wells/boreholes were maintained as reserve sources.

Until

1945

96%

of

the

Company’s

water

was

obtained

from

Langford

pumping

to

Oakwood

service

reservoir

to

supply

Southend

to

the

east

and

Canvey

Island,

Benfleet,

Pitsea

and

Laindon

to

the

west,

water

required

by

the

high

areas

of

Hockley,

Rayleigh,

Thundersley, Billericay, Ramesden Heath and Langdon Hills were all supplied by booster stations.

Before

the

war

it

was

realised

that

all

the

Company’s

resources

would

not

meet

demand.

The

normal

growth

of

the

undertaking

was

at

a

standstill

during

the

war

but

new

demands

were

being

made

on

the

Company’s

resources

with

the

advent

of

Basildon

New

Town

and

it

was

necessary

to

research

and

develop

new

sources.

In

the

years

1947

to

1964

a

policy

of

modernisation

of

the

pumping

plants

at

the

more

productive

resources

was

pursued,

27

automatic

electrically

operated

submersible

borehole

pumps

and

control

equipment

were

installed

at

Barling,

Benfleet,

Bowers,

Downham,

Dunton

Hall,

Fambridge,

Fobbing,

Great

Wakering,

Hole

Haven

well

2,

Leigh

Beck,

Mountnessing,

Nevendon,

Nobles

Green,

Oakwood,

Pitsea,

Prittlewell,

Shoeburyness,

Slices

Gate,

Southchurch,

Vange,

Wakering

Wick

and

Wickford

well/borehole

sites

to

provide

a

more

efficient

extraction

of

local

water.

Over

the

years

demand

for

water

supply

has

greatly

increased,

Hanningfield

reservoir

was

constructed

and

completed

in

1956

in

this

year

the

Company

boasted 15 service reservoirs, 8 water towers and 17 pumping stations improvements are ongoing to this day.

The

Southend

Division

has

1,300

miles

of

water

mains,

Raw

water

is

pumped

to

reservoirs

at

Langford

and

Hanningfield.

Treated

–

clarification,

softening

and

sterilisation

then

pumped

to

service

(covered)

Oakwood

reservoirs

17Mg

(76.5Ml)

218.5

ft

+

OD

Newlyn

where it gravitates to Southend. Present approx 30MGD to Division.