Reengineering the 'Great Stink': A Look into the London City's Massive Super Sewer

This 15.5-mile tunnel shadows the Thames, lurking beneath it.

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Its task is to efficiently transport massive amounts of sewage and wastewater.

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With London's weather becoming wetter and its population around 9 million, the current sewage system is struggling.

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An estimated 44 million tons of sewage and rainwater flow into the Thames annually.

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Wet wipes, like sewage and rainwater, overflow into the river.

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The solution is a gigantic underground overflow pipe, intercepting overflows from the existing Victorian sewer.

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The 7.2-meter-wide tunnel, built over eight years for £4.5 billion, can hold 1.6 million cubic meters.

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The main tunnel, 24 feet in diameter and reaching 217 feet deep in the east, is the project's centerpiece.

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Once operational, this tunnel could reduce Thames' annual sewage spillage by 95%.

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