London’s new super sewer, aimed at safeguarding the River Thames from sewage contamination for years to come, has officially been activated.
In May 2024, the 25km super sewer was linked to the 6.9km Lee Tunnel, finalizing the entire ‘London Tideway Tunnel’ system, which boasts a total capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters to shield the River Thames in London.
Recent data indicates that during a day of heavy rain on September 23rd, the London Tideway Tunnel captured 589,000 cubic meters with only the initial connections operational.
Giant gate-like valves are now functioning at 4 out of the 21 designated sites, with the remaining connections expected to be activated in the upcoming months, allowing the sewer to achieve its full operational potential.
Tideway CEO Andy Mitchell remarked, “This marks a significant milestone for the Thames. The super sewer is now operational and beginning to safeguard the river from sewage contamination.
“After eight years of construction, involving nearly 25,000 individuals contributing over 40 million work hours, this system is functioning for the first time.
“While we are in the early stages, with additional connections and further testing ahead, the super sewer’s beneficial impact on the Thames’s health will grow in the coming months—leading London to a cleaner, healthier river.”
The new system’s capacity is equivalent to 640 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Teams are currently focused on fully operationalizing the system, which includes linking the remaining discharge points and testing the infrastructure under various weather conditions, including severe storms.
As testing progresses, work continues above ground to complete the new riverside public areas associated with the project.
The first of these spaces was opened to the public last year by Putney Bridge. Crews are now active across London—from Chelsea to Wapping—to finalize the remaining six public areas.
Once fully operational, Tideway expects the super sewer to nearly eliminate the detrimental effects of sewage pollution on the River Thames throughout central London.
Initiated in 2016, the project involved activities at around two dozen construction sites, spanning from Acton in west London to Abbey Mills Pumping Station in east London.
Tideway anticipates that the super sewer will significantly mitigate the adverse impacts of sewage pollution on the River Thames in central London.
Over 20 deep shafts—some as wide as St Paul’s Cathedral’s dome—were built across London to redirect sewage flows and facilitate the descent of tunneling machines.
The first of these massive machines commenced work beneath London in 2018, with the main 25km tunnel and two smaller connection tunnels completed by 2022.
By autumn 2023, all tunnels had their secondary lining finished, and the major civil engineering work was concluded in spring 2024.
The Tideway project is being executed by a consortium of contractors. The western region is managed by a joint venture of BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, and Balfour Beatty. The central area is overseen by a partnership of Ferrovial Agroman UK and Laing O’Rourke. The eastern region is managed by Costain, Vinci Construction Grands Projets, and Bachy Soletanche.
System integration is handled by Amey, which provides process control, communication technology, and software systems for operation, maintenance, and reporting across the Thames Tideway Tunnel network.
The project is expected to be fully operational (with testing concluded) by 2025. Thames Water will then oversee the system as part of its London wastewater network.
Chris Weston, CEO of Thames Water, stated, “This is an incredibly exciting time for us as we witness the final phase of this extensive initiative aimed at preventing sewage pollution from entering the River Thames. We acknowledge that no single organization can achieve this vision alone and are eager to collaborate with partners to fulfill community and environmental expectations.
“The Thames Tideway Tunnel, a £4.5 billion investment from our customers, is approaching completion. We are already observing benefits from our £700 million investment in the Lee Tunnel in 2016, with the Channelsea River and River Lea now exhibiting ‘good to excellent’ water quality—demonstrating that the Thames Tideway Tunnel will further enhance conditions in central London.
“We have outlined plans to upgrade over 250 of our sewage treatment facilities. In London, we have initiated a £100 million upgrade of Mogden sewage treatment works and are investing £145 million in upgrading Beckton sewage treatment works to boost capacity and reduce storm discharges.”
Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell commented, “We take pride in having collaborated with partners on the Tideway project, reducing storm sewage spills into the tidal Thames by approximately 95%.
“Our efforts ensure the best possible environmental outcomes; we are confident that this project will continue to deliver substantial benefits for the Thames.”
Source :Tideway
