Beckton Sewage Treatment Works

Since construction first began in 1864, the plant has been extended numerous times and now covers over 100 hectares (250 acres) - the largest sewage treatment works in Europe [disputed, Seine Aval in Paris also claims to be biggest].

[1] It treats waste water arriving from the Northern Outfall Sewer and the Lee Tunnel, serving a large portion of London north of the River Thames.

[4] The presence of raw sewage contributed to the high death toll in the 1878 Princess Alice disaster, when over 600 died in Britain's worst inshore shipping tragedy.

[7] The Beckton plant comprised:[7] Sewage sludge was disposed of by dumping at sea in the outer Thames estuary until this practice was banned in 1998.

[9] Wastewater collected by the Thames Tideway Scheme will be transferred to Beckton for treatment, via the Lee Tunnel from Abbey Mills Pumping Station.

[11] The scheme was resurrected by his successor, Boris Johnson, as part of a deal with Thames Water to reduce delays in fixing roadworks throughout London.

The desalination plant collects brackish water from the river Thames while the tide is flowing out, treating it through a four-stage reverse osmosis process before re-adding minerals and sending it on to the freshwater distribution system.