Thames Water conquered a 100-tonne fatberg beneath the streets of west London after a month-long operation. The solid mass was primarily comprised of wet wipes, which had combined with fat, oil and grease to form a thick sludge. This combination led to the largest sewer system blockage ever recorded! This removal effort speaks to a larger concern regarding illegal waste disposal practices that are creating similar hazards throughout the city.
At its greatest, the fatberg stretched an impressive 125 meters long along the sewer main. It was jammed nearly 30 feet below the curb line. Thames Water’s team of engineers used picks, shovels and high-pressure hoses to break up the huge blockage. Clearing out this complicated clearance operation needed unique techniques with the sheer size and location of the fatberg.
In 2023, Thames Water successfully removed a remarkable 28,899 rag blockages. Nearly all of these were due to wet wipes. They removed 14,810 FOG blockages. In addition, they removed 686 third-party blockages due to things like concrete. Fatberg removal serves as a reminder of the issues caused by irresponsible waste disposal. This campaign is timely indeed, with the government’s recent commitment to bring forward a new law banning all plastic in wet wipes.
Alexander Dudfield, a representative from Thames Water Engineering, discussed the hardships experienced by the engineering team during the operation.
“The clearance of this fatberg was hugely complex for our team of engineers,” – Alexander Dudfield
He pointed out how dire the circumstances are. Blockages can be as heavy as up to 25 elephants, but many develop in municipal sewer pipes that may not even be wider than a smartphone. Typically, they are caused by the careless disposal practices of a handful of homes.
“When these pipes get blocked, we can’t simply switch off the sewage. It backs up and must come out somewhere, whether that’s roads, rivers or even people’s homes.” – Alexander Dudfield
Unfortunately, recent surveys indicate that as many as 48% of Britons continue to dump FOG down their drains. This continues, even in the face of longterm awareness campaigns that showcase the deadly results of this behavior. Keeping these practices in place only makes the already difficult task of maintaining a robust sewage system harder for water authorities.