The 19th of May marks the anniversary of the turning of the first sod of the outfall sewer. In 1888, a Royal Commission into Melbourne’s public health led to an ambitious plan to construct a sewerage system of underground pipes, sewers and drains to carry sewage from homes and factories to a sewage treatment farm. The commission also supported the establishment of the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), the authority that would build the sewerage system and manage Melbourne’s water supply. This photograph is from The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works Water Supply, Sewerage, and etc Photographic Views, 1908This photograph is in excellent condition and provides a detailed insight into Board personnel of the MMBW. It is of historical importance to the history of Melbourne in the turning of the very first sod.Black and white photographphotograph, mmbw, melbourne metropolitan board of works, melbourne water, historic, turniing of the first sod, book, sewerage, water