Poor old Father Thames. His beard is full of stained scraps of tissue paper and other unmentionable solids.
The Thames is a national treasure. A symbol of patriotic majesty and pride. That's the perception we'd all like to think was true. In reality, it's an open sewer, increasingly channeled by new housing and expanding infrastructure. A river can only take so much before it is compromised beyond repair. It's not yet too late to clean-up the naturally muddy brown tidal-waters, but time is ticking.
Having considered all the evidence, the RSPB agrees with Thames Water. A new tunnelled super sewer is the only way to remove the tonnes of raw human sewage that spills or plops into the Thames. In an ideal world, we'd say go green and install fields of reeds and willow, soften London's landscape and filter off rainwater to reduce the pressure on the existing Victorian drains. But our Capital has developed in such a way that we have neither the physical space for natural sewage filtration of the scale required, nor the plumbing ability to untangle all the mis-connected and bodged sewage, storm and road drains.
This is one of those occassions where an engineering fix is needed and we acknowledge that. Our job is to ensure that the "fix" includes as much green infrastructure as possible and that the system will be as resilient and reliant as Joseph Bazalgette's nineteenth century brick-built sewers have proved.
The gains from the super sewer are too great not to grasp. At present there's a mini-fleet of boats that pootle up and down pumping oxygen into the water. High nutrient levels exacerbate algal growths and fish stocks struggle to survive. Rowers, wild swimmers and other river users are at constant risk of a bucketful of diseases. Removing the sewage changes all this.
Arguments against the plan say it's not necessary or focus on the disruption caused by the construction. A small number are concerned that air vents will be close to their homes. I want a healthy London. A Capital fit for the 22nd century and throbbing with life, enriched by beauty and where the air is fresh and clean to breathe. The super sewer is part of that vision.
If you share our vision, show your support by using our #jethames tag on Facebook or Twitter, or come and see us this coming weekend at the Thames Festival. We're down at Potters Fields and outside the Tate Modern.