Massive, Slimy ‘Fatberg’ Clogging a London Sewer Weighs 143 Tons

LONDON (AP) — British engineers say they have launched a “sewer war” against a giant fat blob clogging London’s sewers, which may soon be destined for a museum.
Utility company Thames Water is trying to dislodge the smelly blob, which is 820 feet long, by breaking it up with high-powered hoses. They say the process could take weeks.
Thames Water’s Matt Rimmer says the fatberg is “a total monster and taking a lot of manpower and machinery to remove as it’s set hard.”
He said the task is “basically like trying to break up concrete.”
Museum director Sharon Ament said Wednesday that adding the fatberg to its collection “would raise questions about how we live today and also inspire our visitors to consider solutions to the problems of growing metropolises.”
The museum hopes to obtain a cross-section of the fatberg. It hasn’t decided how it would be displayed.
Related News
From Archive

- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- Final construction phase kicks off for Indianapolis deep rock tunnel
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
Comments