The idea is to take water from the River Thames at Teddington and divert it to the Lee Valley Reservoirs.

The shortfall would then be replaced with waste-water from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works.

But following an outcry from residents and river users in Teddington and the surrounding areas, Thames Water has made amendments.

They include changing the design of the pipeline that would transfer the treated waste-water from Mogden to the Thames.

Also, changing the construction method for the pipeline from a pipejacking method to a tunnel boring method.

The amended proposal also involves reducing the number of shafts and construction areas in the borough to alleviate building disruption.

Richmond Council says although it welcomes the changes, it remains firm in its opposition to the scheme.

The authority says water quality and the continued impacts of proposed construction sites in Ham and Kingston are still concerning.

Councillor Gareth Roberts, Leader of the Council, said:

“Following the outcry from local residents, councillors and MPs, Thames Water have been forced to change their controversial plans, but as a council we remain hugely concerned about the impact both on the river itself and in Ham.

“Thames Water need to do far more to convince residents that this scheme represents the best solution to predicted future water shortages. Until they do that, we will continue to oppose any scheme that we believe could harm the river and our land.”

Thames Water’s plan involves taking water from the River Thames at Teddington Weir and diverting it to the Lee Valley Reservoirs, replacing it with waste-water from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works.

Thames Water have made several key changes to their original proposal, including:
• Changing the design of the pipeline that would transfer the treated waste-water from Mogden to the Thames
• Changing the construction method for the pipeline from a pipejacking method to a tunnel boring method
• Changing the way they propose to extract material from the tunnel during construction

The amended proposal involves reducing the number of shafts and construction areas in the borough which would alleviate some but not eradicate all of the disruption to our residents and open spaces if the proposals were to go ahead.

You can find out more about the changes on the Thames Water website.

We’ve contacted Thames Water for comment.