Thames Water has revised its Teddington Direct River Abstraction project following community feedback, aiming to address concerns over the initial plans.
- The project involves extracting 75M litres of water from the River Thames and replacing it with treated effluent from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works.
- Following community consultation, key design changes include switching from pipejacking to tunnel boring for the pipeline construction, promising a less disruptive process.
- Thames Water plans to widen the recycled water pipeline, reducing the impact on local communities by minimising surface-level disruptions.
- Despite community opposition, Thames Water asserts the project’s necessity for future water supply security, backed by a full environmental assessment.
Responding to significant community feedback, Thames Water has announced major revisions to its Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project. The initiative initially generated concern due to its proposal to draw 75 million litres per day from the River Thames, substituting this with effluent treated at Mogden Sewage Treatment Works.
The updated plans include a switch from pipejacking to tunnel boring for constructing the pipeline. This method, previously utilised in significant projects like the Thames Tideway Tunnel, allows a more direct route to the river, hence shortening the tunnel and lessening potential disruption. The revision also involves altering the pipeline’s diameter from 1.8 metres to 3.5 metres, which facilitates a single intermediate shaft placement at Ham Street, consequently omitting four previously planned shafts and construction sites.
Thames Water’s decision followed consultations with over 2,000 community members, revealing widespread opposition and a formal petition in Twickenham against the TDRA. In response, Thames Water pledges to refine its design strategies continually to minimise disruptions and meet the area’s water demands effectively. The company’s head of engagement, Leonie Dubois, emphasised the importance of these revisions to lessen community impact, promising further consultations and environmental assessments to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
Despite the opposition, Thames Water underlines the project’s critical role in its Water Resources Management Plan 2024 (WRMP24), designed to secure a stable water supply against future drought scenarios occurring once in 200 years. The project is expected to deliver significant improvements in water management to support London’s growing needs, partnering infrastructure expansion with sustainability goals.
The consultation results have seen Thames Water commit to releasing further details on these design modifications during community events planned for the autumn. This engagement aims to balance the essential infrastructural advancements with environmental stewardship and community well-being.
The Defra and Environment Agency’s involvement assures that full environmental impact assessments will prelude any developmental consent, promising adherence to stringent environmental requirements. The earlier opposition, marked by potential risks to health, environment, and biodiversity, underscores the project’s complexity and the necessity of these comprehensive evaluations.
Thames Water’s redesigned TDRA scheme represents a critical juncture in balancing infrastructural needs with community and environmental considerations.
