by Fern Shaw | Jun 3, 2013 | water cooler, Water Coolers
In order for us to reach the very convenient, refreshing and rather necessary plateau of the age of the Water Cooler, this is how water wended its way throughout the UK throughout the decades.
This week, we look at potable water solutions and discoveries through the 1800’s.
1808
Richard Gillespie devised a filter system for Glasgow’s Cranston Hill waterworks using a layer of sand and gravel.
1820s
Robert Thom in Scotland and James Simpson in England perfected mechanical and sand filtration at the same time.
1826
Aberdeen collected water from near the Bridge of Dee by building a tunnel alongside the river which drained off filtered water from the river bed.
1840
John Roe helped solve the problem of blocked drains by building an egg-shaped sewer.
1847
Polluting drinking water was made a criminal offence.
1847
An aqueduct and pipeline was built to bring water to Bristol from sources 25km away.
1848
Manchester built five reservoirs in the Langdendale Valley 15km from town.
1852
The General Board of Health recommended building new sewers in every town.
1853
Leicester was the first town to set up sewage works to treat waste water.
1859
Glasgow’s Loch Katrine works were opened providing the city with a supply of 230 million litres per day. At the time, the Corporation was warned about the dangers of lead pipe corrosion by soft acid waters.
1861
Aberdeen extended its River Dee tunnel system to supply 28 million litres per day.
1865
Joseph Balgazette designed the first interceptor sewers to carry London’s sewage down the banks of the Thames to be dumped into the estuary.
1867-78
New laws allowed town councils and local authorities to take water companies into public ownership.
1869
The “Native Guano Co.” at Hastings and Leamington dried and pressed sewage to sell as manure.
1880
Liverpool built Britain’s first all-stone dam on the River Vyrnwy in Powys.
1885
Water was checked for bacteria for the first time.
1890s
Bacterial sludge beds were first designed for treating sewage.
1892
Birmingham was given 18,000 hectares (45,000 acres) of Wales to build three reservoirs in the Elan Valley. These were opened in 1904.
At AquAid, we’re pleased to say that we offer the aforementioned potable water in a variety of forms, from bottle fed through to mains fed water coolers.
Water comes from 3 different sources throughout the U.K. and our water coolers are available nationwide, a few that are highlighted above. But do have a look at our nationwide coverage to establish which AquAid will best suit your requirements.
Plus, revenue from sales is donated by AquAid to sustainable charities like Christian Aid and The Africa Trust.
by Fern Shaw | May 29, 2013 | water cooler, Water Coolers
Here is the ‘Law-uh’! (to be said with an old-school-spaghetti-Western-type-small-town-sheriff pronunciation).
In the U.K. the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations of 1992, Regulation 22 places requirements on the employer with respect to the provision of drinking water.
It states:
1. An adequate supply of wholesome drinking water shall be provided for all persons at work in the workplace.
2. Every supply of drinking water required by paragraph (1) shall –
(a) be readily accessible at suitable places; and
(b) be conspicuously marked by an appropriate sign where necessary for reasons of health or safety.
3. Where a supply of drinking water is required by paragraph (1), there shall also be provided a sufficient number of suitable cups or other drinking vessels unless the supply of drinking water is in a jet from which persons can drink easily.
With this rather stern fact out of the way, I then proceeded to cross fjords, wade through rivers, scuba in ponds and was sadly, unable to find any unusual water laws per country.
What I did come across, however, were a plethora of unusual water tidbits and factoids.
- If the entire world’s water were fit into a 4 litre jug, the fresh water available for us would equal only about one tablespoon.
- Each Briton uses about 150 litres of tap water a day, but if you include the amount of water embedded within products, our water consumption increases to about 3400 litres a day.
- One cotton t-shirt has about 25 baths full of water embedded in it. (Frightening that, but the thought of seeing Colleague X nekkid at the water cooler, the t-shirt needs to stay)
- To produce just one pint of beer for example, takes 170 litres of water.
- It takes 200,000,000 litres per second to grow food for the planet.
Overall, that’s a lot of water used and some of that isn’t even for drinking!
So, employer, be kind to your employees and install a water cooler that will allow them to keep hydrated and therefore, be happier, healthier and more productive during working hours.
And remember, it’s the law-uh! *cue sunset and whistle Ennio Morricone theme to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and exit stage left*
by Fern Shaw | May 22, 2013 | water cooler
Ever wonder what came BTWC (Before the Water Cooler)? Here’s our first instalment about the history of water supply in the UK – hold onto your cups, because this timeline gets a little hairy at times!
1325
Franciscan Friars lay a pipeline into Cambridge from a spring one kilometre outside the town. Religious communities acquired a good reputation for water supply management in the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
1439
The mayor of London asked the Abbot of Westminster to help provide fresh water for the 55,000 people of the city.
1460
A system of lead pipes was laid under the streets of Hull. Householders paid for pumps to extract the water.
1574-82
Peter Morris (a Dutchman) installed an ingenious pump below London Bridge. It was driven by a waterwheel and forced water up a tower over 100 feet high into a big tank, or cistern. The water was then strained through a mesh and fed through large wooden pipes and small lead pipes to houses in London. Five wheels had been built by 1582.
1584
Sir Francis Drake helped Plymouth Corporation persuade Parliament to build a water system to bring water 25km across the moors to the town. Water was stored in cisterns to be used without charge. The supply served for 300 years.
1596
Britain’s first flushing toilet called a water closet was designed by Queen Elizabeth’s godson.
1605
Oxford used covered gullies to collect spring water from Hinksey Hill. The gullies lead to a 90,000 litre tank protected by a stone house.
1677
In York, water from the River Ouse was pumped by wind power into a tank on the top of Lendal Tower. This provided water inside the walls of the city.
1775
Alexander Cumming re-invented the Water Closet.
1777
James Prosser improved it.
1778
Joseph Bramah perfected the modern flushing toilet.
Each week, we’ll wend our watery way through the historical dates to the big ol’ 21st century and see how far we’ve progressed in terms of having access to fresh, clean, potable water.
At AquAid, we’re pleased to say that we offer the aforementioned potable water in a variety of forms, from bottle fed through to mains fed water coolers. Water comes from 3 different sources throughout the U.K.
Plus, revenue from sales is donated by AquAid to sustainable charities like Christian Aid and The Africa Trust. The Africa Trust being all about people in far flung rural communities in Africa being able to have access to potable water. Rather fabulous, to think that you drinking water from a water cooler in Gretna Green means many people in Africa will have access to safe drinking water too.
by Fern Shaw | May 13, 2013 | water cooler
(… that’s ‘Wobble’ not ‘Womble’)
We harp on about drinking water, water, water – with good reason!
I bet I’ll get your attention when I say that not drinking enough water can make you fat (wobbly). That’s because even when you’re mildly dehydrated, you can raise your stress hormone cortisol one to two percent. Among the many things cortisol does is store fat and break down muscle.
Now, you’re going to hear naysayers claim the dehydration issue is overhyped. They argue there’s no double-blind, placebo based study to show you need eight glasses of water every day and that by drinking tea, coffee or fizzy drinks, you will actually reach your water quotient for the day.
This is not true. Whereas there certainly is some truth that most beverages are made up of water – the fact of the matter is – pure water is better. The ideal is to drink half your weight in water ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces of water a day.
If you’re shaking your head that doing so is impossible, here are some tips that’ll easily help you achieve this:
- Buy a funky monkey water bottle – if you have children – perhaps they can help personalise it for you (nothing like a few glitter star stickers to vamp up your bottle). Or, personalise it yourself.
- Rally round the water cooler with your colleagues, or make a breakfast / tea / lunch time appointment with said colleagues to meet at the water cooler and fill up your water bottle. Take the bottle with you back to your desk.
- Teach yourself to sip from your water bottle. Repeatedly. Throughout the day.
- Replenish your water bottle. Head back to the water cooler (the in-place to clear the cobwebs, catch up on the jibber jabber and do a 5 minute de-stress).
- If you’re not able to buy a water bottle, then carry out the above 3 steps anyhow. Fill up your cup at the water cooler and finish the cup before you head back to your work station.
Now how easy was that?
You will save money, the environment and you won’t have to worry about that cortisol sneakily storing fat. You’ll also stay hydrated and enjoy the countless benefits water provides for your body.
