| Topic: | Re:Emptying the Thames Tunnel etc. | |
| Posted by: | Nick Tennant | |
| Date/Time: | 16/03/11 11:54:00 |
| Jenny, I think I have got to the bottom of the ‘four times a year’ bit. The tunnel is expected to fill to capacity only three or four times a year, but would also be emptied every time it fills even partially, after collecting the discharges which currently happen over once a week on average. The maximum pump out time is 48 hours. The Thames Tideway Strategic Study was a comprehensive, detailed undertaking. Their reports are available on our consultation website, as is the Needs Case document for the Thames Tunnel, which provides a detailed analysis. The Victorian sewers are still in excellent working order. They just need extra capacity - ie the Thames Tunnel - to cope with the demands of the world as it is. The tunnel also has a 'design life' of 100 years plus. I appreciate odour is an emotive subject, but there is one key thing worth remembering. The ventilation for the existing sewerage system has no odour control technology, nor do the discharges into the river. The equipment installed to control the risk of odour on the Thames Tunnel would represent real progress. We have no interest at all in installing anything that will generate odour complaints in the future. We are working hard to refine the designs for any structures we might need, and to reduce the number of locations where they are needed. The designs presented during phase one consultation were our first thoughts, the start of the development process, not the end. |