London operates super culverts to prevent floodwaters from pouring into the river Thames

London’s super sewer was activated for a decade after starting construction. The 25 -km Tideway tunnel put the entire system into operation to protect Thames river from pollution due to sewer. The project also prevents 5.5 million tons of sewer water, equivalent to 2,200 Olympic swimming pool, from pouring into the river Thames when operating, Interesting Engineering On February 21, reported.

“This is another important step. With the final connection completed, the super -sewer comes into full operation and protects the Thames river. Our next step is to test the work under stormy conditions. The reason why we closely monitor the weather in the coming months, ”said Andy Mitchell, CEO of Tideway Company in charge of the project, said.

Tideway revealed a 25 km superprising to the 6.9 km long Lee tunnel, forming the “London Tideway” (LTT) system. In the fall of 2024, Tideway announced the first 4 connections to help LTT collect 589,000 tons of rainwater in just 24 hours. Last December, Tideway announced the system collected 848,365 tons of rainwater in heavy rain on November 27.

Steve Reed, British Environment Minister, emphasized that Thames Tideway tunnel is an example of the infrastructure investment needed to clean the waterway across the country and strengthen the national infrastructure.

Previously, the London sewer network struggled to handle the challenge from the increasing population and climate change, with heavy rains often causing the system to overload and have to discharge water into Thames river. Currently, after adequate connection, super culvert can prevent 95% of overflow water. The connections are located in famous places, including the starting point of the boat race between Oxford and Cambridge at Embankment embankment, Chelsea and Victoria embankments, Blackfriars in central London, and Park Tuong Reciting King Edward in Wapping.