Mayor Boris Johnson spoke of future generations swimming in the Thames with otters as he opened the capital’s first super sewer with a flush.
The Lee Tunnel, at Beckton Sewage Treatment Works, is the largest single project in the history of the privatised water industry in England and features the deepest hole ever bored in London.
Its construction is expected to transform the quality of the Thames and Lea rivers by dealing with millions of tonnes of sewage from the Abbey Mills pumping station in Abbey Lane.
“This is a massive achievment for British engineering,” Boris said. “It will serve us for generations.
“It’s great for the environment and it’s great for us.
“We will make our river so clean that our children – or maybe grandchildren – will be able to swim in it with the otters and the salmon.”
The tunnel is the width of three double decker buses and is the most significant addition to the sewer network since it was first built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s.
Thames Water chief executive Martin Baggs said: “While the Victorian system still works very well, it needs additional capacity to cope with 21st century London.
“The Lee Tunnel and, when completed and connected, Thames Tideway Tunnel, will together capture the tens of millions of tonnes of sewage that currently overflow untreated into the tidal Thames every year.
“This will protect the future of the iconic river and capital for future generations.”
The construction of the tunnel, which stretches for 6.9km from Abbey Mills to Beckton, cost £678 million.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here