Thames Tideway Tunnel – Index
To many the Thames Tideway Tunnel is contentious. But how will it effect London and where will the construction sites be?
This map from the official site shows the route.
Thames Tunnel Route
Obviously, living in Dalston, the main construction is well away from where I live.
I should say that I have heard convincing arguments, as to why the sewer should be built, from both Thames Water and users of the river, who want it cleaned up.
As a non-resident of effected areas, I probably have no right to directly comment, but with my project manager’s hat on I do have a right to comment on the quality of both the whole project and all the smaller ones related to it.
The following lists the names al the construction sites for the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
23 – Abbey Mlls Pumping Station – My Comments
1 – Acton Storm Tanks (Ealing) – My Comments
13 – Albert Embankment Foreshore (Lambeth) – My Comments
3 – Barn Elms (Richmond) – My Comments
24 – Beckton Sewage Treatment Works (Newham) – My Comments
22 – Bekesbourne Street (Limehouse) – My Comments
15 – Blackfriars Bridge Foreshore (City of London) – My Comments
7 – Carnwath Road (Hammersmith and Fulham) – My Comments
17 – Chambers Wharf (Bermondsey) – My Comments
10 – Chelsea Embankment Foreshore (Kensimgton and Chelsea) – My Comments
9 – Cremorne Wharf Depot (Kensingon and Chelsea) – My Comments
19 – Deptford Church Street (Deptford) – My Comments
5 – Dormay Street (Wandsworth) – My Comments
18 – Earl Pumping Station (Deptford) – My Comments
8 – Falconbrook Pumping Station (Wandsworth) – My Comments
20 – Greenwich Pumping Station – My Comments
2 – Hammersmith Pumping Station (Hammersmith and Fulham) – My Comments
12 – Heathwall Pumping Station (Wandsworth) – My Comments
21 – King Edward Memorial Park (Wapping) – My Comments
6 – King George’s Park (Wandsworth) – My Comments
11 – Kirtling Street (Wandsworth) – My Comments
4 – Putney Embankment Foreshore (Wandsworth) – My Comments
16 – Shad Thames Pumping Station (Bermondsey) – My Comments
14 – Victoria Embankment Foreshore (Westminster) – My Comments
The numbers are those of the map of the route.
The following sites also make up the Greenwich Interconnection Tunnel, that is effectively a branch tunnel to bring sewage from Deptford and Greenwich into the main system, through a junction at Chambers Wharf
17 – Chambers Wharf (Bermondsey) – My Comments
18 – Earl Pumping Station (Deptford) – My Comments
19 – Deptford Church Street (Deptford) – My Comments
20 – Greenwich Pumping Station – My Comments
Thames Tideway Tunnel – Preparatory Works At Blackfriars Bridge
As I walked along the river from Cannon Street, I noticed what looked like a small oil rig in the middle of the Thames.
t is actually a secondary site that is being used to develop a new Millenium Pier as the old one is in the way of construction works for the new Thames Tideway Tunnel at Blackfriars.
It was good to see that they are putting up pictures of what they are doing.
This picture clipped from this page on the tunnel website, shows an impression of what the completed works will look like.
Tideway Tunnel At Blackfriars
Blackfiars Bridge leads off over the river at the top right of this image.
When completed there will be a public space with shops and a cafe.
The web site for the Thames Tideway Tunnel is impressive.
Thames Water Gets It Wrong Again
Thames Water has just announced that it is applying to put up water bills. It is reported here on the BBC. Here’s the first couple of paragraphs.
Thames Water has asked its regulator, Ofwat, for permission to raise prices.
It wants to put up bills by about £29 per household during 2014-15, but has asked Ofwat if it can spread the rise over more than one year.
I have been privileged to go on a Thames Water tour of the sewers a couple of years ago, so I know some of the problems they face in dealing with London’s sewage and delivering the city’s water.
But I can’t help comparing the way they handle their customers, with the way Crossrail deals with those who might use their new railway.
From the burst water mains in Herne Hill, Notting Hill and Regent Street recently to the timing of announcements of price rises, they either seem to be unlucky or have no sense of how to use positive information to get customers on their side in a small way. For instance, where is the parallel archaeology project to the Super Sewer, like Crossrail’s one with their new rail line?
We’ve also seen no report on what caused the fatberg in Kingston recently? This would appear to be something that was beyond their control. So why not be honest?
I have seen no reports too, about some of the superb water and sewage engineering, put in by Thames Water at the Olympic site. And where’s the sewer cam on the Internet, that can show the conditions that they have to deal with?
Thames Water seem to be going out of their way to attract bad publicity.
Crossrail And The Super Sewer
The two large tunneling projects in London at the moment are Crossrail and the Thames Tideway Tunnel or Super Sewer.
They both require long tunnels and will cost billions of pounds each.
But the public seem to have different attitudes to the two projects.
Nearly everybody seems to support Crossrail, whereas there is substantial opposition to the sewer.
I did ask a friend, if there had been any opposition to Crossrail and he said, there was a bit in the early days from places like Mayfair. People seemed to have been worried about dust and noise during the construction phase. But now everybody just gets on with life and hopes that Crossrail will be finished and walking and driving will get back to normal.
To be fair to Crossrail, they seem to have gone out of their way with green walls to minimise noise, using the river to carry tunnel spoil and being a good neighbour as at Stepney City Farm. They have also launched a well-funded and publicised archaeology program.
On the other hand, the Super Sewer, doesn’t seem to have done the same to allay the fears of a public, who don’t want all the problems of construction and the increase in water bills.
I do wonder, whether the difference is down to the fact that a new railway is something people can use and feel gives them tangible benefits, but a sewer, is something that they only use a few times every day and don’t want to think about. And it looks to me, that Thames Water have not done a good enough job to sell the benefits of the new sewer to the general public.
The Mayor Calls in the Supersewer
I know it’s election time and there are votes to be won, but I’m pleased that Boris has called in Thames Water proposal for a super sewer under the Thames. As I said in a previous post.
Although I should say, that as someone who has spent a lot of time around project management and managers, I will say that what gets built in the end, will be quite unlike what was originally proposed. That’s what good project management is about. It makes a project better, cheaper and less disruptive.
Let’s hope the engineers prove me right. Unfortunately, some of the alternatives, like stopping householders from creating hard-staandings in their front garden, are sometimes more unpopular than the super sewer.
Around Chambers Wharf
Chambers Wharf has made the news recently, as Thames Water want to make it one of the sites from where London’s Thames Super Sewer is to be built. So I went and had a look round this lunchtime.
I couldn’t actually see much of the site as it is surrounded by blue fencing. But it strikes me that if they do any serious digging from here, that because the site is so close to the Thames, any serious engineer would take the spoil out that way. If Thames Water don’t do that it will probably cost them a lot more, as lorry journeys through a city like London are always delayed by traffic and only carry a few tonnes, whereas a proper barge can carry many times more. If we look at the Olympic site, a lot of materials like concrete and spoil were moved in and out by rail. Also go to Pudding Mill Lane and look at the portal for CrossRail, which is for two much larger tunnels, where the spoil will probably be removed by train. So opponents of the use of the Chambers Wharf site, who say there will be thousands of lorry journeys are not talking engineering sense. The site is also quite large and the hole is only going to be under thirty metres wide, so there should be quite a lot of space for machinery to move the spoil to the river.
I have no direct interest in whether the sewer is built, but I have a friend, who used to live in an area of London, that flooded badly every ten or so years. The sewer will hopefully stop all that.
Although I should say, that as someone who has spent a lot of time around project management and managers, I will say that what gets built in the end, will be quite unlike what was originally proposed. That’s what good project management is about. It makes a project better, cheaper and less disruptive. Hopefully, because of the sensitivity of this project, Thames Water will follow the example of Transport for London on the East London Line and hire the best people and contractors to build the sewer.
I was upset though to see the bench that had held Doctor Salter’s statue is now bare. A picture of it is in this set of pictures.
Thames Water Can’t Win
There is a big row brewing in London about the Super Sewer that will run down the middle of the Thames.
The problem isn’t about foul water, but mainly about heavy rain causing problems, when it overloads the current system, which then causes foul water to be forced out onto the streets and into the Thames.
When I went down the sewers, I was given a presentation on the Super Sewer and totally understand that something must be done.
The question is what.
Some things don’t help.
London had 55,000 sewage blockages last year. Many are caused by inappropriate things, like chip fat, disposable nappies and general rubbish being put down the toilet. I’ve been told and not by Thames Water, I should add, that in tower blocks some residents are too lazy to walk down with their rubbish and use the toilet instead. There was also the notorious fatberg in Leicester Square outside a fast food restaurant.
Thames Water has launched a Bin it – Don’t Block it campaign.
There are also lots of people who have concreted over their front garden, which means that the water now runs off immediately.
You could argue that if you have a concreted front garden, then you should pay an extra drainage rate. I have a small patio between my front door and the road and wouldn’t mind paying a charge on a pro-rata basis. I also have a mature tree, which I think is a hornbeam, between the patio and the road, which might be bad for my hay fever, but it soaks up an awful load of water.
My Roadside Tree – A Hornbeam?
On a similar tack, new buildings should have plenty of green space and trees. But often this restricts the places to park cars and other vehicles.
Those that object to the Super Sewer use two main arguments.
The first is that it might not work and the second is that it will cost too much.
But most of the opposition is just the usual Nimbys, who don’t want construction near them. How many of these peple use disposable nappies on their babies? We never did in London, as in those days of the 1970s, there was still an affordable nappy service, where clean nappies were delivered regularly and the dirty ones taken away. The trouble is today’s parents are seduced by advertising. They may be all for saving the whale and the tiger, but when it comes to stopping sewage blockages, then that is not their problem.
So what do I think should be done?
Obviously, we first need to stop the blockages. This is mainly a publicity problem to get people to change their bad habits. If they won’t then more draconian solutions like the banning of disposable nappies and extra water taxes on fast food restaurants will be pushed for and might have to come in.
One idea I’d like to see tried is a SewerCam on the Greenway, showing what was going on beneath their feet in the Northern Outfall Sewer.
Thames Water have the start of a private museum at the old Abbey Mills Pumping Station, but where is the London Museum of Water and Sewage?
New technology has a part to play too.
On the Olympic Park all of the toilets and grass watering is going to be fed from recycled water, in part taken from the Northern Outfall Sewer.
Are London’s many parks kept green in the same way. I suspect many just use mains water, which just adds to the problem.
Surely someone could come up with a small water purification plant, that uses water collected from say housing estates to water the nearby parks.
We should also stop the covering of gardens with concrete and decking and make sure that all new buildings reuse all of the water they collect on their roofs.
But I’m afraid that if we use all the tricks we have available, we will probably need to put a Super Sewer under the Thames.
The Anonymous Widower 
