Thames Water release plans to reduce wastewater in capital

The water quality of the River Thames could improve if plans to reduce sewage discharges are given the go-ahead.

On Monday (September 13th 2010), Thames Water announced its 14-week consultation to build a tunnel in London's river in an attempt to reduce the amount of wastewater that is pumped into it.

The company revealed the tunnel will be placed 75 metres below the water surface and stretch 20 miles from west to east London.

Thames Water has argued that the Victorian sewage network in the capital cannot cope with the amount of wastewater that is currently produced.

Chief executive for the group Martin Baggs said: "Allowing sewage to continue to overflow into the river at the current frequency is unacceptable. This causes significant environmental damage."

He added that the consultation, which will come to an end on October 22nd, will help it determine what steps to take next.

The plans have already received the support of environment secretary Caroline Spelman, who recently stated that building a tunnel to divert the wastewater will help tackle the "unacceptable problem of raw sewage" in the Thames.

Posted by Lauren Steadman