A team of water resources engineers spent a month, exploding and helping out 100-ton Fatberg, free from West streets LondonField
The blockage, consisting mainly of wet napkins glued with interested fats, oil and fat, was equivalent to a mass of eight buses with double jaws, stuck 10 meters below the level of the street.
Thams Water has disseminated detailed information about mammoth cleaning to mark the monthly national campaign in order to increase awareness of how substances and objects applied to drainage affect our rivers, seas and a wider environment.
It comes as Thams Water lenders ask The water industry regulator, OFWAT, for 15 years of indulgence from the rules for contaminating the waterways of England, arguing that it would be impossible for the company to make updates to London and Southeast England more quickly due to the scale of work necessary after many years of neglect. Thams Water was struck by huge debts built for two decades by the owners who were criticized for the payment of dividends, without investing enough in its flowing pipes and faulty treatment.
Fatbergs is formed when oil, fat and fat, spilled drains in combination with non -biodegradable objects, such as wet napkins, diapers and cotton buds. If it remains to grow, they can cause floods and widespread pollution of drains in reverse condition.
It was after such an incident that investigators found that the last Fatberg, hiding 10 meters below Feltham's streets. It was composed mainly of wet napkins, compacted in a fibrous and gelatin mass that blocks the flow through a large sewer pipe under the district.
Specialist engineers in the field of protective equipment entered the sewer in a security cage with two people, descending into the maintenance chamber with a diameter of 3 meters. Working deep underground, they used kits, shovels and high -pressure hoses to shift the vile accumulation of 125 meters of the sewer line before it was planted to the surface and went to recycling at the burial site as toxic waste.
“The design of this Fatberg was extremely difficult for our team of engineers,” said Alexander Dadfield. WaterField
“But while some locks in our largest sewers can weigh up to 25 elephants, we must not forget that most of the locks are found in local pipes – often narrower than a mobile phone and usually caused by several households.
“When these pipes are blocked, we cannot just turn off the wastewater. He retreats and must go out somewhere, whether it is roads, rivers or even at home of people.
“The consequences can be destructive.”
Thams Water claims to spend 18 million pounds every year. Until now, this year the company said that she cleaned 28,899 rag blockages, which mainly consisted of wet wipes; 14,810 fats, oil and lubricants; and 686 third -party blockages consisting of concrete and other materials for blocking sewage.
Fiasco Feltham Fatberg followed the recent announcement of the government that it would introduce legislation on the ban on wet cloths containing plastic. But some problems remain more stubborn: Recent survey It was found that 48% of the British are still pouring fats, oils and lubricating the drain.
