River Thames treated wastewater plans go on show

The wastewater will be treated at Mogden Sewage Treatment Works in south-west London

A public consultation has begun into a water recycling scheme that would see treated wastewater pumped into the River Thames in south-west London.

The Teddington Direct River Abstraction project is designed to provide 75 million litres of water each day for London during droughts.

Under the plans, water would be transferred from the river to a reservoir to be added to the drinking water supply. The Thames would then be topped up with treated wastewater pumped in through an underground pipeline from a nearby sewage treatment works.

The plan has been criticised due to safety concerns, but Thames Water said the project was "essential to prevent taps from running dry" in future dry spells.

Under the scheme, water would be transferred to Lee Valley reservoirs to add to the drinking water supply, and the river would then be topped up with treated wastewater from a sewage works in Isleworth

The provider said the scheme was based on a "tried and tested" method and that the water would get an additional level of cleaning before it went back into the river.

Over the coming weeks, Thames Water is to hold a series of local events to exhibit plans for the scheme as part of the consultation process.

The firm, which is the UK's largest water supplier, says it is encouraging customers and local communities to view the proposals and have a say on them.

The consultation comes weeks after the water company was fined a record £122.7m for breaching rules over sewage spills and shareholder payouts.

'Critical water security challenge'

The stretch of the Thames is popular with swimmers, rowers and kayakers.

Twickenham's Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson previously said she was concerned by the plans and believed the scheme could damage the environment and human health.

"Lots of people are very worried about the amount of sewage that is already going into the river," she told the BBC.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said no untreated sewage would be added to the river under these plans.

The provider's head of engagement, Leonie Dubois, said the project was necessary, as London faced a "critical water security challenge".

"This spring has already broken records as the warmest and sunniest in over a century and has also been extremely dry, increasing the risk of drought.

"Our London drought resilience project is therefore essential to prevent the taps from running dry during increasingly frequent droughts."

The public consultation will remain open until Tuesday 26 August.