Difference the sewage works are making
The Beckton scheme is part of a programme that aims to make the Thames cleaner for both Londoners and river wildlife.
Currently, even a moderate amount of rainfall can see sewage overflowing into the Thames, reducing oxygen levels and leading to fish suffocating. The project should mean less waste spilling into the river.
The work to reduce odours at the plant should make the air clearer for people living near the site.
How the work is being done
The Beckton upgrade includes the connection of a new siphon tunnel to the Lee overflow shaft.
Engineers excavated the new tunnel using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) nicknamed 'Beckton Becky.' The TBM used a rotating cutting head to cut through the ground.
A temporary railway behind the machine allowed workers to move pre-cast concrete segments to line the tunnel as it was dug out.
Workers gave the tunnel a second lining of concrete to make it more watertight and boost its durability.
This meant installing a cylindrical steel shutter in a short length of tunnel and then pumping concrete into the gap between the shutter and the pre-cast segments. The steel was taken down when the concrete had set.
Reducing smells caused by treating sewage at the plant meant installing odour containment covers to storage tanks.
This part of the project cost £67m and included work on 16 settlement tanks covering an area of 10 football pitches. A settlement tank purifies water by filtering out waste materials.
Project engineers also installed an odour management system. The system uses extraction fans and irrigation pumps to control smells from the site.