St Mark’s Councillors met with representatives of Thames Water to discuss the smell that still comes from their treatment plant on Lower Marsh Lane and other environmental concerns in September 2011.  They have said there is major investment happening over the next 2 years to reduce/eliminate the smell and are updating frequently. 

We have been working to get Thames Water to take responsibility for the smells that come from the plant for several years and this meeting felt like a potential breakthrough.  The investment and planned works are starting and with regular updates, we can monitor progress.

says Cllr Liz Green

This page will report the regular updates that St Mark’s Councillors recieve, so to see the latest check to the bottom of the page.

Update October 2011:

The covering and odour control of the inlet works and part of Hogsmill pumping station is around 50% complete and is on schedule for being finished by Christmas.  Work is going to begin on the covering of the secondary digesters.

The meeting room for school children is 90% complete.  The toilets have been converted for their use and disabled facilities added.  The lighting has been replaced.  Disabled access around the site has been finished.

The enhancements to the river at the rear of the site have been completed.

Groynes have been installed to slow the movement of sediment in the river, reduce erosion of the riverbank and improve the flow of water. This will benefit the water voles, bats and fish that use the river.

Two floating rafts to provide nesting areas for birds have been installed, as well as a bird hide and a cliff for sand martins and kingfishers to nest in.  The soft landscaping of this area will begin in a couple of weeks time. 

Weekend working is continuing and our contractors GBM have sent letters to the residents that may be affected by this, however, they are keeping work that may create noise to the hours of 8am to 4pm on Saturdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

Update November 2011:

The covering of Hogsmill pumping station is around 50% complete, with the inlet works phase due to be completed imminently.  The building of the odour control plant has commenced and is on schedule to be commissioned early next year.

The installation of the biodome covers and the new gas mixers to the digesters is progressing well and it is hoped that the biogas domes will be in place before Christmas.

The meeting room for the school children is now 95% complete.  The remaining work, which includes installing ramps and wiring up an alarm, is on schedule to be finished by Christmas.

The landscaping around the site, which includes the Surbiton lagoon, Hogsmill river backwaters, the Eastern mound and Western scrub areas, started yesterday (28 November) and will take around two weeks to complete.

Tree, scrub and aquatic plugs are being planted and meadow seeding is also taking place.

The tree planting to provide a screen around the dried sludge cake storage area has begun and should be finished early in December.

Update December 2011:

The building of the odour control plant for the inlet works is progressing well, and is still on schedule to be commissioned early next year.

Covering the secondary digesters will also be complete around this time.

The washpactor chutes have been replaced and are now operational.  The cleaning of the inlet well is 50% complete.  This has been delayed due to high wind conditions and is scheduled to be finished early in the new year.

The meeting room for the school children, the landscaping around site and the tree screen around the dried sludge cake storage area are all complete.