London’s super sewer, designed to protect the River Thames from sewage pollution well into the future, has now been turned on.
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.
Photo by Evgeniy Grozev
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.
Covered by the BBC Gates open on Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer