The new super sewer Thames Tideaway Tunnel from well 25 km and from the ability of 1.6 million m3 It is operational in London, in the United Kingdom, intercepts and transfers the excess waters by reducing the fogs annual in the Thames of 95%. The mega project, one of the greatest that the capital has ever seen, requested 20,000 people in 8 years To be completed in 2024, with a cost of Ben 4.5 billion pounds. Most of the United Kingdom have a combined sewage system, both rainwater (white) that the waste water (black), are transported through the same sewage system. On the occasion of the strong rains, the capacity of the treatment plants is often overcome and excess waters are downloaded in the sea and rivers, in particular the Thames, making their waters considerably polluted. A historical example that highlights the sewage problems of the capital of this country was the “Big smell“An event that hit London in the summer of the 1858 When the center of the British capital was invaded by an unbearable and intense smell of Human waste waters not treated.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel in numbers
The tunnel was made completely operational in August last year and prevents every year a half a million tons of sewage to arrive in the Thames. Has a diameter of 7.2 metroI, the equivalent of three famous two -story bus, while the two connection tunnels have a diameter of respectively 5 meters and of 2 meters. To get an idea, 5 meters are approximately the size of the London metro tunnels.
In Acton, west of London, where the tunnel begins, the lowest point is located a 31 meters deepthis, is increased by about 1 meter every 790 meters Until you get to 66 meters Near the Abbey Mills pumping station to the east of London. Four gigantic TBM machines have been used to dig the main super sewer and others two Smaller TBMs have been used to create the two connecting tunnels near Greenwich and Wandsworth.
I am 21 The vertical wells which have been made throughout the line: some were used only during the construction phases, to be able to install the TBMs, while most are used to channel the sewer flows into the super-tunnel with a storage capacity of approximately 600 Olympic swimming pools. These, once collected, are pumped in one of the larger waste water treatment plants of Europe in Beckton, in the east area of London.
Criticisms of the mega project
Despite the numerous advantages of the mega project, the criticisms come above all to the fact that a solution has not been found more modern and innovative of that choice that simply increases the ability of the existing Victorian vintage system. It is thought that climate change will bring more intense rains to the United Kingdom, which means that there will be moments in which the huge work will not be enough.
The proposed alternative, already in use also in Italy, provided for the realization of multiple projects spread throughout London and carried out in view of preventing the rain from flowing directly in the discharges thanks to the predisposition of green areas dedicated to absorbing it naturally.
