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Túnel Thames Tideway
Descripción general
LocalizaciónGran Londres
EstadoBajo construcción
ComienzoActon, Londres
FinalLee Tunnel , Abbey Mills, entre Hackney y Stratford, Londres
Operación
Trabajo comenzado2016 [1]
ConstruidoVarios (ver artículo)
Abre2025 [2]
Dueño
  • Túnel de Bazalgette Ltd
  • (comerciando como Tideway)
OperadorTúnel de Bazalgette Ltd
Personajesuper alcantarillado
Técnico
Ingeniero de diseñoVarios (ver artículo)
Largo25 km (16 millas)
Elevación más alta−30 m (−98 pies) en Acton
Elevación más baja−70 m (−230 pies) en Abbey Mills
Ancho7,2 m (24 pies)
OSC interceptadas34
Costo£ 4.2 mil millones [3]
Ruta propuesta

El Thames Tideway Tunnel será una súper alcantarilla de 25 km (16 millas) que correrá principalmente debajo de la sección de mareas (Tideway) del río Támesis a través del interior de Londres para capturar, almacenar y transportar casi todas las aguas residuales sin tratar y el agua de lluvia que actualmente se desborda hacia el Támesis. . Estos eventos se producen cuando las precipitaciones volúmenes superan la capacidad del Bazalgette 's sistema de alcantarillado de Londres .

Bazalgette Tunnel Limited (BTL) es el proveedor de infraestructura con licencia para sus finanzas, construcción, mantenimiento y operación. Tiene como inversores: Allianz , Amber Infrastructure , Dalmore Capital y DIF. Desde la concesión de la licencia, también cotiza como Tideway. El 3 de noviembre de 2015 el premio fue otorgado por Ofwat , asegurando el inicio del proyecto. [4]

Comenzó en 2016, la construcción tenía como objetivo estar terminada en 2024. [1] [5] [6] La pandemia COVID-19 ha retrasado esto hasta principios de 2025. [2] Una vez construido, el túnel principal tendrá un diámetro interno de 7.2 m (24 pies) y se extenderá desde -30 m (-98 pies) en Acton en el oeste de Londres por más de 25 km (16 mi) a través de todo el diámetro del interior de Londres y finalmente llegará a -70 m (-230 pies) en Abbey Mills en el este.

Este túnel conectará 34 de los desbordamientos de alcantarillado combinados (CSO) más contaminantes y se prevé que conducirá al 3,7% de los desbordamientos existentes, en un máximo de cuatro días al año, en el momento de la puesta en servicio. Esto puede aumentar, gradualmente, debido al cambio climático y al crecimiento de la población, pero se verá mitigado o posiblemente cortado por reformas de calles y por propiedades que instalen y adopten drenaje de aguas superficiales , lo que les otorga un ahorro anual poco mencionado; [7] y se obliga a todas las edificaciones nuevas en virtud de la ley urbanística, que impone sistemas de drenaje urbano sostenibles . El túnel transferirá la alcantarilla combinada, por lo tanto, un poco de agua sucia diluida, a la parte de Stratford a East Ham.para su posterior entrega a Beckton Sewage Treatment Works . El agua allí tratada y aceptablemente limpia se verterá en el Tideway.

El costo de capital estimado, excluyendo financiamiento, operaciones y mantenimiento, fue de £ 3.8 mil millones con £ 1.1 mil millones adicionales para trabajos preparatorios. [3] Debido a la pandemia de COVID-19, se incurrió en costos adicionales de £ 233 millones. [2]

Su emisario, el túnel Lee, se extiende por debajo del distrito londinense de Newham hasta Beckton Sewage Treatment Works .

Antecedentes [ editar ]

Construido entre 1859 y 1865, el sistema de alcantarillado original de Sir Joseph Bazalgette en Londres fue diseñado para capturar tanto la escorrentía de agua de lluvia como las aguas residuales producidas por cuatro millones de personas. A prueba de fallas, para evitar que las aguas residuales se acumulen e inunden las casas de las personas, el sistema de Bazalgette tenía la capacidad de desbordarse hacia el Támesis a través de 57 desbordamientos de alcantarillado combinados (CSO) a lo largo de las orillas del río.

En 2001, la densidad de población de Londres era de 18.457 personas por kilómetro cuadrado, en comparación con sólo 6.825 por kilómetro cuadrado en la época de Bazalgette. A medida que la población ha crecido, también lo ha hecho el desarrollo que involucra la construcción y pavimentación de grandes áreas. Esto ha alterado el drenaje natural de la captación de alcantarillado, por lo que ahora la mayor parte de la lluvia y la escorrentía de agua superficial va directamente a las alcantarillas de Londres, en lugar de ser absorbida naturalmente en el suelo permeable. Cada año hasta 2001 se ha perdido un área que duplica el tamaño de Hyde Park debido a superficies duras. [8] [9]

En los resultados del censo de 2011 (es decir, omitiendo a los residentes que no revelaron su residencia) el Gran Londres acogió a poco más de 8,1 millones de residentes [10] y Thames Water en un folleto de ese año explicaba cómo sus obras y alcantarillas necesitaban expansión. [8] El interior de los verdaderos suburbios utiliza el sistema original de Bazalgette y esto se enfrentó peor a los residentes adicionales, los techos y los paisajes duros. [8] A medida que Londres continuó creciendo, ciertas zonas y hogares de los suburbios más periféricos han separado el alcantarillado y el drenaje de agua de lluvia. La distribución de sistemas de drenaje separados equivaldría a tres veces el costo del túnel y causaría interrupciones en casi todas las calles de Londres. [8]En 2011, los desbordamientos en el río se produjeron más de una vez a la semana y tan solo 2 mm de lluvia pueden provocar una descarga. [8] El total medio de esto fue 39.000.000 m 3 (3,9 × 10 10  l), es decir, 39 millones de toneladas, de aguas residuales pluviales que ingresan al río. [11] Estos vertidos, una mezcla de aguas residuales sin tratar y agua de lluvia, debían cortarse para cumplir con la Directiva de tratamiento de aguas residuales de la UE (UWWTD). Si se corta a tales niveles, se restauraría la ecología del río a la de 1865-1870 o mejor, es decir, antes de que tuviera lugar un crecimiento tan absoluto.

Evaluación de opciones [ editar ]

Iniciado en 2001, el Estudio Estratégico de Thames Tideway, [12] realizado por un grupo integrado por Thames Water, la Agencia de Medio Ambiente , DEFRA y la Autoridad del Gran Londres , tenía como objetivo evaluar el impacto de las descargas de CSO en el Támesis e identificar objetivos y proponer posibles soluciones, teniendo en cuenta los costes y beneficios.

Resultados [ editar ]

Después de cuatro años, el informe del Estudio Estratégico de Thames Tideway se publicó en 2005 y describió los siguientes objetivos:

  1. Para proteger la ecología de Tideway;
  2. Reducir la contaminación estética debida a la basura derivada de las aguas residuales; y
  3. Proteger la salud de los usuarios de aguas recreativas

Estrategias potenciales [ editar ]

Se discutieron cuatro estrategias potenciales:

  1. Adopción de control de fuentes y drenaje urbano sostenible;
  2. Separación de drenaje superficial y sucio y almacenamiento local;
  3. Cribado, almacenamiento o tratamiento en el punto de descarga al río; y
  4. Tratamiento en río

Después de la evaluación, se decidió que solo una estrategia, el cribado, el almacenamiento o el tratamiento en el punto de descarga, cumpliría plenamente los objetivos. Se descubrió que el resto no era práctico o era insuficiente para proporcionar una solución. Sin embargo, una serie de partes cuestionaron la validez de esta conclusión, en particular el rechazo de los SUD / infraestructura azul-verde como solución. Algunos grupos que se opusieron al túnel afirmaron que es una solución insostenible del siglo XIX para un problema del siglo XXI. Argumentaron que el agua de lluvia debería capturarse o ralentizarse antes de ingresar a las alcantarillas combinadas, lo que reduciría la presión sobre la capacidad y eliminaría la necesidad de un túnel. [13] Esto ya está débilmente incentivado en el sentido de que los propietarios de tierras que construyen sumideros para sus canalones son elegibles para recibir facturas de tratamiento de agua con descuento.

Detección, almacenamiento y tratamiento [ editar ]

La solución de tres partes para implementar la detección, el almacenamiento y el tratamiento se conoció colectivamente como las Mejoras de London Tideway. [14]

Stratford a Beckton [ editar ]

Esta primera parte es un túnel de almacenamiento y transporte amplio y profundo excavado y alineado desde Jenkins Lane, Beckton hasta Abbey Mills, Stratford, descendiendo en sentido inverso. Se prevé que este túnel de 6,9 ​​km (4,3 millas), que desciende hasta 75 m (246 pies) de profundidad desde Abbey Mills hasta Beckton, capturará 16.000.000 m 3 (1,6 × 10 10  l), o 16 millones de toneladas anuales de la OSC más contaminante. punto en Londres. Thames Water adjudicó el contrato de construcción de £ 635 millones a la empresa conjunta MVB de Morgan Sindall , VINCI Construction Grands Projets y Bachy Soletanche , en enero de 2010. La construcción comenzó en 2010 [15]y el 28 de enero de 2016 el alcalde de Londres ( Boris Johnson ) confirmó la apertura del túnel. [16] [17]

Modernización de obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales [ editar ]

La segunda parte fue el proyecto de £ 675 millones para modernizar y ampliar las cinco principales obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales de Londres [18] para tratar más aguas residuales, reduciendo así en gran medida la necesidad de descargas de tormentas al río:

  • Obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales de Mogden : una mejora de 140 millones de libras esterlinas para ampliar la capacidad de tratamiento en un 50% [19]
  • Obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales Crossness : una mejora de 220 millones de libras esterlinas para ampliar la capacidad de tratamiento en un 44%; [20]
  • Obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales de Beckton : una mejora de 190 millones de libras esterlinas para ampliar la capacidad de tratamiento en un 60%; [21]
  • Obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales de Riverside: una mejora de 85 millones de libras esterlinas para mejorar la calidad del agua y producir energía renovable en el lugar; [22]
  • Obras de tratamiento de aguas residuales de largo alcance: una mejora de 40 millones de libras esterlinas en Dartford ; [23]

Estos pretenden mejorar el estándar con el que se tratan las aguas residuales, mejorando así la calidad del agua de Tideway .

Acton a Stratford [ editar ]

La parte final es el túnel Thames Tideway. Cuando se construye, intercepta los flujos de salida de las OSC más contaminantes de Londres, los almacena y los dirige (transporta) a las plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales para su procesamiento.

Planificación y consulta del Thames Tideway Tunnel [ editar ]

Diseño inicial y consulta de la fase 1 [ editar ]

Después del Estudio Estratégico de Thames Tideway, Thames Water consultó con las autoridades pertinentes para obtener comentarios de las partes interesadas que podrían verse afectadas por la construcción del Túnel de Thames Tideway. Thames Water solicitó comentarios sobre las rutas propuestas para los túneles y las posibles ubicaciones de los sitios de construcción. [24]

Se consideraron tres rutas de túneles:

  1. Ruta del río Támesis: tal alineación, en términos generales, seguiría el río desde el oeste de Londres hasta Beckton STW y atravesaría la península de Greenwich , reduciendo la longitud del túnel donde no hay OSC que interceptar.
  2. Ruta Rotherhithe : una alineación similar, pero esto habría cortado adicionalmente a través de la península de Rotherhithe, reduciendo la longitud del túnel principal en aproximadamente 1.8 km (1.1 millas) pero requiriendo túneles de conexión más largos de algunas OSC.
  3. Ruta de Abbey Mills: esta ruta conectaría el Túnel del Támesis con la cabecera de la parte de Stratford a East Ham en la estación de bombeo de Abbey Mills. Este seguiría la misma ruta pero se desviaría hacia el noreste hasta Abbey Mills. La longitud del túnel principal sería aproximadamente 9 km (5,6 millas) menos que la ruta del río Támesis y ahorraría alrededor de £ 900 millones.

Selección de rutas y sitios [ editar ]

Se creó una larga lista de 373 sitios potenciales utilizando un estudio de escritorio de la tierra a ambos lados de las 34 OSC más contaminantes (como se identifica en el Informe estratégico de Thames Tideway). Luego, estos sitios se evaluaron más a fondo contra consideraciones más detalladas de planificación, ingeniería, medio ambiente, propiedad y comunidad, lo que resultó en una lista corta de sitios. [25]

Las tres rutas de los túneles, así como la lista restringida de sitios, se pusieron a consulta entre septiembre de 2010 y enero de 2011. [24] En total, se enviaron 2.389 formularios de comentarios (tanto en línea como impresos), 480 piezas de correspondencia y cinco peticiones. recibió.

En respuesta a los comentarios recibidos, se consideraron cambios y mejoras en algunos de los sitios, incluido el uso potencial de sitios alternativos y soluciones técnicas alternativas. En base a esto, se llevó a cabo una ronda de participación interina de marzo a agosto de 2011. [24] Se enviaron cartas a los residentes de 11 sitios específicos en los que se explicaba que estos sitios se estaban considerando como sitios alternativos, [26] y se les invitó a asistir a sesiones sin cita previa para plantear preguntas y comprender mejor el proyecto. En total se llevaron a cabo diez sesiones de dos días y una reunión de enlace comunitario. A ellos asistieron más de 800 personas. En total, se recibieron y consideraron 168 tarjetas de comentarios y 147 piezas de correspondencia específica del sitio. [24]

Sobre la base de esta primera ronda de consultas y compromiso interino, se recomendó que, para que el proyecto sea lo más rentable posible y cause la menor interrupción, sin dejar de cumplir con los requisitos del UWWTD, el esquema preferido para el Túnel Thames Tideway sería necesidad de involucrar:

  • la ruta de Abbey Mills
  • un túnel principal de 23 km (14 millas) de largo con un diámetro interno de 7,2 m (24 pies);
  • interceptación directa de 21 OSC;
  • interceptación indirecta de 12 más y solución local para el resto de las OSC;
  • selección de cinco de los 52 posibles pozos de acceso que se construirán, incluidos tres que se combinarán con la interceptación de OSC; y
  • selección de diecisiete de las 71 posiciones alternativas de OSC de la lista final.

La nueva ruta y los sitios preferidos se enviaron luego para una segunda ronda de consulta pública y comentarios. [24]

Fase 2 y consulta dirigida [ editar ]

La segunda fase de la consulta se llevó a cabo entre noviembre de 2011 y febrero de 2012 [27] cuando se consultó a las autoridades locales, propietarios de tierras, empresas locales y comunidades sobre:

  • La necesidad del proyecto y si un túnel era la solución más adecuada.
  • La ruta preferida del túnel (incluida la alineación detallada del túnel)
  • Sitios preferidos y obras permanentes (teniendo en cuenta los comentarios recibidos de la primera fase de la consulta, como el paso de los terrenos totalmente nuevos a los terrenos abandonados)
  • Propuestas detalladas para los sitios preferidos (nuevamente teniendo en cuenta los comentarios de la consulta de la fase uno)
  • Los efectos que tendría el proyecto (como se describe en el informe preliminar de información ambiental)

A total of 1,374 feedback forms (online and hard copy), 4,636 pieces of correspondence and nine petitions were received.[27]

Following this consultation, and taking into consideration all the feedback received, the proposed route was finalised as the Abbey Mills route and the preferred construction and drive sites were identified. Several sites were also identified as needing further, targeted consultation which resulted in further refinement and improvement of designs at those sites.

Site list and type[edit]

  • Acton Storm Tanks – main tunnel reception and CSO interception[28]
  • Hammersmith pumping station – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[28]
  • Barn Elms – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[29]
  • Putney Embankment foreshore – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[30]
  • Carnwath Road riverside – main tunnel drive and reception and connection tunnel reception site[31]
  • Dormay Street CSO- interception and connection tunnel drive site[32]
  • King George's Park – CSO and connection tunnel reception site[33]
  • Falconbrook pumping station – CSO and connection tunnel drive site[34]
  • Cremorne Wharf Depot – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[35]
  • Chelsea Embankment foreshore – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[36]
  • Kirtling Street – main tunnel double drive site[37]
  • Heathwall pumping station – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[38]
  • Albert Embankment foreshore – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[39]
  • Victoria Embankment foreshore – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[40]
  • Blackfriars Bridge foreshore – CSO interception site[41]
  • Shad Thames pumping station – system modification site[42]
  • Chambers Wharf – main tunnel drive and reception site[43]
  • Earl pumping station – CSO interception site[44]
  • Deptford Church Street – CSO interception site[45]
  • Greenwich pumping station – CSO interception and connection tunnel drive site[46]
  • King Edward Memorial Park – CSO interception site[47]
  • Bekesbourne Street – system modification site[48]
  • Abbey Mills pumping station – main tunnel reception site[49]

Proposed design and construction[edit]

To build the Thames Tideway Tunnel, four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) were needed to excavate the main tunnel plus two others for smaller connection tunnels. It also required two types of construction sites: main tunnel sites, where the TBM was either launched or received, and CSO sites, where interception tunnels and a connection culvert were built to connect the existing sewer to the new tunnel.[50]

Construction of the shafts at the CSO sites, to transfer flows from the existing sewer to the tunnel, would vary depending on the depth, the amount of flow they need to carry and the geology. The shaft would be a concrete cylinder with an internal diameter of 6–24 m (20–79 ft) and 20–60 m (66–197 ft) deep. Ventilation structures at CSO sites to allow air in and out of the shaft were also required. Construction at these sites was expected to take between 2+1⁄2 and 3+1⁄2 years and once complete each site would be landscaped.[50]

At the main drive sites, four main activities took place: shaft construction (where a concrete cylinder 25–30 m (82–98 ft) in diameter and about 40–60 m (130–200 ft) deep was constructed), tunnelling preparations (preparing the site for arrival of the TBM), TBM assembly and lowering into the shaft, and then driving the TBM to excavate the main tunnel.[50]

As the TBM moved forward precast concrete segments were brought in and fixed together to create the tunnel wall. Excavated material would be transported out the tunnel via a conveyor belt and processed before being taken off site. In order to minimise disruption, Thames Water committed to use the river as much as possible to transport materials both in and out of the construction sites. At the main tunnelling sites, work was expected to occur 24 hours a day.[51]

In 2017 the public voted on a short-list of 17 to name the six TBMs. They were named after female pioneers of their fields linked to where each began to dig. One began tunnelling from Fulham in 2018, the Rachel Parsons, after the engineer and advocate for women's employment rights, who set up the first women-only engineering company in Fulham.[52] The others were cryobiologist Audrey ‘Ursula’ Smith and suffragist Millicent Fawcett for the Central area and suffragist Charlotte Despard for the Frogmore Connection Tunnel from Wandsworth to Fulham. That for the east section from Bermondsey was named after doctor Selina Fox who set up Bermondsey Medical Mission for Southwark's poor and disadvantaged residents. The machine for the Greenwich Connection Tunnel was named after Annie Scott Dill Russell, the first female scientist to work at the Greenwich Observatory.[53]

Planning application[edit]

In October 2012, the deadline of the tunnels' Section 48 consultation closed.[54] This lasted 12 weeks and was the last opportunity for the public to have their say on the updated proposal.

The Application for Development Consent – for the final, detailed plan for the construction – was delivered to the Planning Inspectorate on 28 February 2013. The Inspectorate then had 28 days to decide whether the application was valid and whether the consultation undertaken was adequate.[55] On 27 March 2013, it was decided that the application was valid and that Thames Water's consultation for the project had been adequate.[56] All the application documents were made available in their own section of the Planning Inspectorate's National Infrastructure website. Thames Water also made the documents available for scrutiny at six public places along the route, three either side of the river.

On 3 June 2013, it was announced that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government had appointed inspectors Jan Bessell, Libby Gawith, Emrys Parry, Andrew Phillipson and David Prentis as the examining authority to consider any matters arising.[57] As part of this process, interested parties were able to make representations.

A preliminary meeting, open to those who had registered an interest, began on 12 September 2013 at the Barbican Centre.[58] Chaired by the Planning Inspectorate, this determined how the examination would be carried out, including consideration of more detailed hearings on site-specific matters, as well as project-wide issues. Once the Inspectorate concluded its examination of the application, a recommendation on whether or not to issue a development consent order would be submitted to ministers to make the final decision.

Planning acceptance[edit]

On 12 September 2014, the UK Government approved the plans,[59] overriding some of the findings of the Planning Inspectorate.[60][61][62] The decision gave rise to at least three Judicial Reviews.[63][64]

Funding and delivery[edit]

The budget for the scheme steadily increased since it was first estimated. For example, the budget in 2004 was estimated at £1.7bn, which included the East Ham to Stratford part and sewage treatment works upgrade costs. In the words of the Consumer Council for Water in 2011:

"The estimated cost of the project has escalated, from £1.7bn in 2004 (including Stratford to East Ham part and sewage treatment civil engineering construction movements (STW) costs) to £2.2bn in 2007 (also including Lee Tunnel and STW costs) to £3.6bn now for the shorter Thames Tunnel as far as Abbey Mills, plus some £1bn for the Lee Tunnel and upgrade of works at Beckton. The total costs of all the Tideway schemes have therefore increased from £1.7bn six years ago to £4.6bn today (all costs at relevant year prices). There is no guarantee that the current estimate will not be subject to further escalation."[65]

Less than a year later, in November 2011, a further £500 million was added to the estimate.[66]

Following detailed analysis it was decided that the best means to deliver the project would be through a regulated infrastructure provider (IP)[67] as this would maximise value for money. The IP, originally to be formed through a competitive process starting in the spring of 2013, would hold its own license from the industry regulator, Ofwat, and would build, manage and maintain the tunnel.

In January 2013, it was announced the IP was to be delayed because Thames Water as main funder sought state financial assurances. This was a polemic. Opponents argued the government should not bear any such risks; Thames Water have noted the government faced EU fines if the work was not done.[8] In a letter to the Financial Times in November 2012, Sir Ian Byatt (former Director General of Ofwat) and politician Simon Hughes MP stated:

If Thames is unwilling to make a rights issue, the owners, Macquarie, should be expected to return funds to the utility. If they do not, Thames should go into special administration (allowing for continued service to customers) and another company or financier allowed to take over its activities.[68]

However, procurement for main contractors (who would eventually be contracted to the IP) for up to three packages of work valued at around £500m each started in the summer of 2013.[69] On 29 July, Thames Water announced that a contract notice for work on the tunnel had been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Following prequalification questionnaires, Thames Water invited shortlisted contractors to tender between November 2013 and April 2014.[70]

The successful contractors for the three main tunnelling contracts were announced in February 2015:[71][72]

  • West: Joint venture of BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty Group
  • Central: Joint venture of Ferrovial Agroman UK and Laing O'Rourke Construction
  • East: Joint venture of Costain, Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Bachy Soletanche

In August 2015, the independent investors to finance and deliver the scheme were confirmed. Bazalgette Tunnel Limited, a new special-purpose company appointed to take the project forward, received its licence from Ofwat as a new regulated utilities business, separate from Thames Water.[73][74] The special-purpose company is backed by pension funds and other long-term investors represented by Allianz, Amber Infrastructure Group, Dalmore Capital and DIF.[73]

Planned timeline[edit]

  • 2014: Planning decisions and approval
  • 2015: Main works and financing contracts awarded
  • 2016: Primary work completed; Main works preliminary construction begins
  • 2018: Tunnelling begins
  • 2019: Secondary lining begins
  • 2022: Tunnelling ends
  • 2024: All works completed.[75]

In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a project lockdown and revised working practices meant the project was delayed by nine months and had incurred additional costs of £233m (taking the estimated project cost to £4.133bn). Completion was targeted for the first half of 2025.[2]

Controversy[edit]

Since the initial proposal, questions focussed on the cost, the location of construction sites, duration, disruption, and whether a tunnel was the correct solution for London and for Thames Water customers.

Cost and reward to the business owners

The £4.2bn cost of the Thames Tideway Tunnel project is to be funded by Thames Water customers. This has angered customers who dispute an accounting practice confirmed by the industry regulator. Ofwat confirmed the extent of leveraging on the balance sheet, reducing tax due and allowing annual payouts of fairly typical levels of dividends – money some customers feel should have cut the cost of the scheme.[76] Thames Water maintains it has done nothing unusual by making tax-deductible investments in the natural and proper domain of its business which reduces tax; this is conventional practice. It explains the money raised was used for essential maintenance and upgrade works.[77]

Disruption

Some people who live alongside proposed sites were concerned about the noise, disruption and potential loss of public space resulting from construction. To address this Thames Water put together a Code of Construction Practice to outline site-specific and project-wide requirements and measures to minimise the impacts of the construction and ensure that best practice standards and requirements across all sites and contracts.[78] The Code also covered transport (both road and river transport), noise and vibration mitigation, air quality and water resources, land quality, waste management and resource use, ecology and conservation and historic environment.[79] In the report that concluded its inspection of these documents, the Planning Inspectorate found that Thames Water had "underestimated of impacts on those that have been identified as having a significant effect and underestimated the number of receptors experiencing a significant effect" (12.97) and concluded "We do not consider that [Thames Water's] proposals meet the first aim of the NPS test to avoid significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life from noise" (12.357).[61]

The need for a tunnel

Some people prefer an option that Thames Water's studies show would be about three times dearer.[8] This is excavation of a sustainable urban drainage separate system (SUDS) under almost all streets of London and adding some pumping stations for the consequent denser foul water not combined sewerage in places of low gradient.[8] Often they tout the added boon of building green infrastructure, particularly returning green brooks to the inner boroughs of London, as before when they became suburbs. Their most progressive arguments are for replacing paved, impermeable surfaces in London with permeable options and implementing green roofs, swales and water butts to promote the infiltration of rain-water, preventing it from reaching the combined sewer system, thus reducing peak flows and limiting the number of CSO overflows. Some of these advocates denounce Thames Water's 2011 five theoretical case studies of the solution (finding the threefold cost), citing householders' assistance such as emptying water butts, gardening more, and not using land for parking, and say this could be the cheapest option.[80][81] Green infrastructure would have further benefits for London in addition to addressing the rainwater overflow problem, such as:

  1. Increased resilience to drought and floods,
  2. Reduction in urban air pollution,
  3. Climate change mitigation – contrasted to the tunnel's significant carbon footprint,[82]
  4. Enjoyment, aesthetics and health benefits of green spaces and nature,[83]
  5. Reduced urban heat island effects with an associated reduction in cooling load and carbon emissions,
  6. Improved urban biodiversity.
  7. Earlier avoidance of EU fines for not meeting water standards than under the scheme.

The earliest customers’ bills would be affected was 2014–15, with charges rising gradually after that. The project was estimated to add up to £70 to £80 (excluding inflation) to average annual wastewater bills from around 2019. However, these figures were subsequently revised downwards. In August 2015, the impact was expected to be around £20 to £25 per year by the mid-2020s.[73][84]

Continued overflows forecast

The annual number of CSO discharges is set to fall from average of 60 a year to under five.[8] The Environment Agency is satisfied predicted Tideway water quality after such discharges will be acceptable.[8] When both the tunnels are operational, the overflows occur after sustained periods of intense rainfall and after the tunnels have captured the most damaging ‘first flush’ from the sewers. The remaining total overflow is an average of 2.6 million cubic metres per year, on 2011 estimates.[8]

Archaeological discoveries[edit]

Much like the contemporaneous Crossrail and High Speed 2, archaeologists and tunnellers uncovered unknown details of London's past. In late 2018, a 500-year old skeleton of a man found lying face down in the mud at Chamber's Wharf Bermondsey was discovered. The man was still wearing his knee-high leather boots, suggesting that he may have been a fisherman or mudlark. Lack of obvious signs of injury is compatible with a natural death.[85]

Tunnelling found a World War II bomb in Chelsea in December 2019.[86]

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External links[edit]

  • Official website