Sewage Deluge Hits The Thames
December 3, 2009 12:00 AM
In Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle
In Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle
Dec 3 2009 By Dan Hodges And Ellie Dyer, London Informer
NEARLY 700 million litres of raw sewage and rainwater was pumped into the Thames from Chelsea and Hammersmith overflows in November.
The deluge has prompted public safety fears and calls for urgent action to curb untreated discharges.
Downpours over the last month resulted in a record 9,300 million litres of untreated effluent flooding into the river along its length.
The discharges, from pumping stations, overflows and treatment plants, were a result of ageing sewers failing to cope with the high volume of water during heavy rain.
Eight times more waste - an estimated 400 million litres - was pushed into the river through the pumping station in Chancellors Road, Hammersmith, last month than during downpours in July.
This caused an outcry over the summer, as river users came across visible sewage in the water.
At the Lots Road station in Chelsea, about 270 million litres overflowed into the river in November alone - two and a half times more than in July.
Martin Gough, a coach with Auriol Kensington Rowing Club, said some form of text alert to warn of sewage discharges would help rowers take basic precautions such as covering hands, shielding open wounds and showering after training.
"The Thames is supposed to be a fun place to be and rowing is meant to be a healthy outdoor sport," he added.
"Over the summer there were tales of whole islands of sewage.
"You could see large chunks floating down the river, and it got to the stage where you didn't want to touch the water. It's pretty horrible."
Mike Tuffrey, leader of the Liberal Democrats at the London Assembly and campaigner against sewage discharges, said: "The dumping of raw sewage into the Thames is something that happened in the Victorian era."
The latest discharge figures were released by the Environment Agency this week, days before a meeting to address the issue of sewage flooding into basements in the Counters Creek area - which covers both the Royal Borough and Hammersmith and Fulham.
In July 2007, hundreds of Holland Park residents saw their basements flooded with faeces and filth during torrential downpours.
Thames Water now wants to develop a storm relief tunnel network to reduce the risk of flooding to borough properties.
The meeting will be held tonight (Thursday) in the Council Chamber, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street. It starts at 7.30pm and is due to finish at 9.30pm.
ndoninformer.co.uk/london-news/london-local-news/2009/12/03/sewage-deluge-hits-the-thames-113489-25307931/
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