U.K. engineers launch ‘sewer war’ against giant blob of fat two football fields long
by The Associated Press
Officials expect the unsavoury blob, also known as a "fatberg," will take workers three weeks to dissolve. You don't want to know what it's made of
The 250-yard blog clogging a section of London’s sewers. PHOTO: Thames Water
LONDON—British engineers say they have launched a “sewer war” against a giant fat blob clogging London’s sewers.
Thames Water officials said Sept. 12 it is likely to take three weeks to dissolve the outsize “fatberg.”
They caution against expecting quick results as the fatberg is 250 yards (228 metres) long and weighs as much as 11 double-decker busses.
The unsavoury 130-tonnes blob consists of congealed wet wipes, diapers, fat and oil.
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.”
Eight workers are using high powered jet hoses to break up the blob before sucking it out into tankers for disposal at a recycling site.
