London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – In London, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of filthy sewage have already been stopped from flowing into the Thames by the new super sewer.
The first valves at four of a total of 21 sites, which act like giant gates, along the seven metre-wide tunnel have spread. Early evidence of the clean-up was uncloaked, showing that in one 24-hour period, when London witnessed heavy rainfall on September 23, nearly 600,000 metres squared of sewage was collared by the London Tideway Tunnel with the first four connections activated.
How does the Tideway Tunnel work to prevent sewage overflow?
Andy Mitchell, chief executive of Tideway, said: “We are starting to have an effect, we have got a long way to go but the cleaning up of the tidal Thames has created. We are now on the cusp of starting to have some tangible results. The super sewer has been switched on and is starting to protect the river from sewage pollution.”
What is the capacity of the London Tideway Tunnel?
The super sewer, which is 25km (15 miles) long, was attached to the 6.7km Lee Tunnel in May, completing the full London Tideway Tunnel network. The system will block, store and ultimately transfer sewage waste away from the River Thames with a connected capacity of 1.6 million metres squared.
Tideway is distinct from, but supported by, Thames Water, with its 16 million customers spending through their bills for the giant sewage pipe operating underground along the bank of the river. “These are early days, with more links to make and further testing to come, but the super sewer’s positive impact on the health of the Thames will grow over the coming months – and London will soon be home to the cleaner, healthier river it deserves,” Mr Mitchell said.
The expectancy is that with less sewage in the river, wildlife and fish stocks will be restored.
Teams are now operating to connect the remaining discharge points to the new super sewer and test the whole system during different weather conditions, including heavy storms.