Lee Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Lee Tunnel |
| Coordinates | 51°31′51″N 0°00′03″W / 51.5307°N 0.000835°WCoordinates: 51°31′51″N 0°00′03″W / 51.5307°N 0.000835°W |
| Status | Under construction |
| Start | Abbey Mills Pumping Station |
| End | Beckton Sewage Treatment Works |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 2010 |
| Opened | 2015-16 (expected) |
| Owner | Thames Water |
| Operator | Thames Water |
| Technical | |
| Construction | MVB JV consortium |
| Length | 6.9 km (4.3 mi) |
| Highest elevation | −75 m (−246 ft) at Abbey Mills |
| Lowest elevation | −80 m (−260 ft) at Beckton |
| Width | 7.2 m (24 ft) |
The Lee Tunnel is a tunnel for storage and conveyance of sewage mixed with rainwater. The tunnel is part of the Thames Tideway Scheme and runs from Abbey Mills Pumping Station down to Beckton Sewage Treatment Works under the London Borough of Newham.
This 6.9 km (4.3 mi) long tunnel, diameter 7.2 m (24 ft), running from 75 m (246 ft) deep at Abbey Mills down to 80 m (260 ft) deep at Beckton, will capture 16,000,000 m3 (1.6×1010 l), or 16 million tonnes, of sewage annually from the single largest polluting CSO in London. This sewage would otherwise flow straight into the River Lea, the Thames Tideway and eventually the Thames Estuary. However, the sewage will now be pumped up to the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works - the largest sewage treatment works in Europe - and the resultant clean water will be emptied into the River Thames. The reason for starting at -75m is to be ready to collect sewage from the lowest point of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which is yet to be built but is intended to connect.
Thames Water awarded the construction contract to the MVB JV consortium, comprising Morgan Sindall, VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Bachy Soletanche, in January 2010. The cost is an estimated £635 million.[1]
The construction of the tunnel began with sinking of vertical shafts in 2010. In February 2012, the TBM, built by Herrenknecht and named Busy Lizzie, started work at the Beckton end. In 2013, a UK record concrete slipform pour was achieved, with 29 days of continual pouring.[2] The tunnel is the deepest tunnel ever bored in London, exceeding the Crossrail excavations.[2] The TBM reached Abbey Mills in January 2014.[3][4] The remaining work is expected to be completed during 2015-16.
References
- ↑ "Lee Tunnel - London Tideway Improvements". Thames Water. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Engineering the Lee Tunnel and shafts through chalk at depth". Geological Society (PDF). Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ↑ "Thames Water's Lee Tunnel completed on time and on budget". Water Briefing. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ↑ "Lee Tunnel project running 'on time and budget'". Utility Week. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
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