Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/754065
www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | DECEMBER 2016 | 11 there's a significant incentive that will be shared between the six parties. So if one of the parties has got some problems, one of the JVs for instance, then the other five parties to that arrangement have every reason to help and assist for the sake of the whole." As well as this arrangement, the project is also unique in that it is being financed by a special-purpose company as infrastructure provider, Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd. Stride has spent most of his career delivering projects for Thames Water - where he held the role of Head of Capital Delivery before focusing on the Tideway projects – and says that what makes this project different is the sheer scale of it. "The Thames Tideway Tunnel is the largest project in the UK water industry for 150 years, and it will probably be the largest for the next 150 years as well. It's been a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in what is from a water industry perspective an incredibly high profile project. It's also very outward-focusing. Across London we've dealt with 14 London boroughs, and there is a stakeholder map of the project showing all the stakeholders the project's got, which needs a decent-sized wall to put up. That calls for a different set of skills than you normally need on a water industry project and there is a huge external dimension in terms of hundreds of public meetings, external briefings and the like, and a lot of engagement with local communities." With work set to take place 24 hours a day at the main construction sites, one of the key issues in winning planning consent was noise pollution for residents living in the densely populated surrounding areas of London. The plans involve machinery that works with electric motors rather than diesel to minimise noise; acoustic hoods for machinery; warehouse-type structures with closing doors that surround the working sha•s; and 5m high hoardings surrounding sites. For 700 nearby properties where reasonable noise In numbers 65 metres: The depth of the Thames Tideway Tunnel at its deepest point, Abbey Mills. It will be 35 metres deep at the western end 25km: The length of the tunnel. By comparison, the recently completed Lee Tunnel is 6.9km long; it cost £635M, compared to the Tideway Tunnel's projected cost of £4.2BN 4000: The number of people who will be working on the project. Tideway and its contractors have committed that for every 50 people working on it, one will be an apprentice; for every 100 people employed, one will be an ex-offender 3 acres: The area that will be taken up by new structures on the embankments of the Thames, which will be enhanced by seats and other facilities for the public to enjoy the river a er the project is finished 7.2m: The diameter of the tunnel along its length 24: The number of construction sites. The most important of these are the three main drive sites, Carnworth Road (Hammersmith & Fulham), Kirtling Street (Battersea) and Chambers Wharf (Southwark) where the tunnel boring machines and tunnel lining material will enter, and the excavated material be extracted 2022: The expected completion date. The project team have been incentivised to finish on time but have also drawn up ambitious plans to complete 18 months ahead of schedule if all goes to plan £25: The cost of the project per Thames Water customer per year. This has come down from original estimates of £70-80 levels still cannot be guaranteed, trigger action plans (TAPs) have been put in place which allow the householder to access funds for additional sound protection to their windows. From a sustainability perspective, one of the key concerns has been ensuring that as much of the transport for the project as possible – particularly the removal of the excavated material – is done by boat rather than by road. The commitment in the project's consent order is that 90% of the excavated earth from the main drive sites will be taken away by barge (56% from the sites overall) where it will be reused to provide banking, habitat protection and flood defence down river. The project has overcome opposition in the planning process from those who said that sustainable drainage (SuDS) initiatives would be a better way of preventing London's sewers overflowing. However most people now acknowledge that SuDS solutions will be required in London in addition to the Tideway Tunnel, rather than the two being alternatives. Stride says that he hopes the legacy of the project will be better water quality and an improved aquatic environment, economic benefits, jobs, and a river that everybody can enjoy. "Our vision for the project is to reconnect London and Londoners with the River Thames," he says. "We have this fantastic iconic river going through the heart of London, which for many years has been heavily polluted by sewage going in to it, and we are very keen Londoners see the River Thames as an asset, something they are proud of and something that they would go and walk along or sit by at their leisure to enjoy." You can hear more about the Thames Tideway Tunnel when Phil Stride speaks at WWT's Wastewater 2017 conference in Birmingham on 31st January. Agenda and booking details at: events.wwtonline.co.uk/wastewater