Infrastructure
The amalgamated company established waterworks at Battersea Fields with two depositing reservoirs with a capacity of 32 million gallons; and two filtering reservoirs holding 11 million gallons. In 1850 the company's water was described by the microbiologist Arthur Hassall as "the most disgusting which I have ever examined". The Metropolis Water Act 1852 was enacted in order to "make provision for securing the supply to the Metropolis of pure and wholesome water. Under the Act, it became unlawful for any water company to extract water for domestic use from the tidal reaches of the Thames after 31 August 1855, and from 31 December 1855 all such water was required to be "effectually filtered". In the meantime, an outbreak of cholera in 1854 led to the deaths of 286 people supplied by the company.
To comply with the legislation, the Southwark and Vauxhall Company built new waterworks in Hampton above Molesey Lock in 1855. The site was shared with the Grand Junction Waterworks Company and the West Middlesex Waterworks Company. The company also constructed the Stain Hill Reservoirs which had a 36-inch-diameter (910 mm) main to Battersea. A third reservoir was opened later in the year between Nunhead Cemetery and Peckham Rye. In 1903 the SVWC supplied a population of 860,173 in 128,871 houses of which 122,728 (95.3%) had a constant supply.
Read more about this topic: Southwark And Vauxhall Waterworks Company