Pong

©  2008  Rose George

Who would be a wastewater treatment manager? Not me. As well as having to efficiently and safely remove all manner of bacteria, viruses, hormones, medical residues, and whatever other crap apart from crap that we put down our toilets and drains, they also have to do this without offending their neighbours. Sewage treatment people spend millions on odour removal, even though as one acerbic American sewage expert said, if you move into a house near a sewage works, what do you expect? Were you drunk? At one of London’s largest sewage works, the odour has acquired the name of the Mogden Pong, and a noisy and feisty residents group. These are the posh and leafy streets of Twickenham, and they don’t like not being able to hold garden parties when the wind blows. Thames Water have spent over £40 million on odour treatment. They also spent many millions building the swanky Reading sewage works, where all treatment is covered - a lot of pong comes from e.g. open stormwater tanks, which collect overflow sewage and stormwater - after years of residents campaigning against the Whitley Whiff (after the old Whitley sewage works). But the Mogden Pong persists, apparently. There is a lot wrong with our water utilities but on this point I’m somewhat sympathetic; wastewater treatment has to be done somewhere, and the far-off sites where works were originally have been built up around because of population growth. I’m also sympathetic because they’re doing a thankless and little rewarded job. But still. Pong is pong.