Sewage in River was not an accident (Hammersmith and Fulham Liberal Democrats)

Hammersmith and Fulham Liberal Democrats <info@hflibdems.org.uk>

Sewage in River was not an accident

July 7, 2009 9:42 PM

The release of 20,000 tons of raw sewage into the Thames last week was not an accidental spill, says Thames Water, which has acknowledged that after heavy rain last week it had "no option" but to discharge the untreated sewage into the river, because it could not cope with the volume of sewage at its treatment plant in Isleworth.

Meanwhile Conservative leaders at Hammersmith and Fulham Council continue to campaign against plans for the Tideway tunnel (aka the Super-Sewer) which is being proposed by Thames Water and the Environment Agency to deal with the problem of excess rain overwhelming London's Victorian sewage system. (The Tunnel would act as a giant storage tank taking the rainwater and raw sewage under the river to treatment plants downstream of London, replacing the present system where excess just overflows into the Thames though 32 "outfalls").

H&F Tory Councillors are determined to put every obstacle, however petty, in the way of the project, including instructing Council Officers to be as obstructive as possible in dealing with requests for cooperation in carrying out tests. Needless alarm was caused to H&F residents by rumours that Thames Water was planning to start the tunnel at Furnival Gardens or Ravenscourt Park, even though these have been clearly ruled out by the company, and Council propaganda implied that the full construction costs would be borne by residents of the Borough.

Residents in London have reason to complain about Thames Water's failures, and their environmental record, but after years of failure to invest, it is time we did something about our 19th century sewage system.

Meanwhile in the 21st century the River is full of sewage and dead fish.