NEWSDESK
Data shows that in one day alone, when London saw
heavy rainfall on September 23rd, 589,000 m3
was
captured with just the first connections activated
Super Sewer heralding
new era for the Thames First 4 of 21 sites switched on, with new tunnel starting to protect River Thames from sewage pollution for the first time
In May 2024, the new 25km super sewer was connected to the 6.9km Lee Tunnel – completing the full ‘London Tideway Tunnel’ network, which has a combined capacity of 1.6m m3 to protect the River Thames in London.
And data published today shows that in one day alone, when London saw heavy rainfall on September 23rd, 589,000 m3 was captured by the London Tideway Tunnel with just the first connections activated.
Valves, which operate like giant gates, are now open at 4 of the 21 locations that make up the system, with the rest due to come online in the coming months, when the sewer will reach full operating capacity.
Tideway CEO Andy Mitchell said: “This is an important moment for the Thames. The super sewer has been switched on and is starting to protect the river from sewage pollution.
“After eight years of construction, in which almost 25,000 people have contributed more than 40 million working hours, this system is operating for the first time.
66
“These are early days, with more connections to make and further testing to come, but the super sewer’s positive influence on the health of the Thames will increase over the coming months – and London will soon be home to the cleaner, healthier river it deserves.”
The new system will have a capacity equivalent to 640 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Teams are now working to bring the system into full operation. This involves connecting the remaining discharge points to the new super sewer and testing the entire system during different weather conditions, including heavy storms.
While the testing phase is now underway, work continues above ground to finish the new riverside public spaces being created as part of the project.
The first of these was opened to the public last year, next to Putney Bridge. Teams are now working across London – from Chelsea to Wapping – to finish off the remaining six public spaces.
Once fully operational, Tideway anticipates that the super sewer will
| November 2024 |
www.draintraderltd.com
virtually eliminate the harmful effects of sewage pollution on the River Thames through central London.
Work on the project began in 2016 – with activity taking place at two dozen construction sites from Acton in west London to Abbey Mills Pumping Station in Stratford, east London.
More than 20 deep shafts – some as wide as the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral – were constructed across London to divert sewage flows and to lower tunnelling machines into the ground.
The first of these giant machines started work deep beneath London in 2018, with primary tunnelling on the 25km main tunnel and two smaller connection tunnels fully completed in 2022.
By the autumn of 2023, secondary lining was fully complete on all the tunnels, with the heavy civil engineering work then completed in the spring of 2024.
The Tideway project is being delivered by an alliance of contractors. The west region is being delivered by a joint venture of BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Balfour Beatty. The central region is
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86
