London sewerage system

Place to visit next: London sewerage system.

Mainly because I've never heard anyone talk about it and it was on wikipedia's list of modern wonders of the world (here). and that's amazing.

Here's why it's cool:

- because it's beautiful

- was covered in the BBC mini-series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World (covering feats of engineering during the Industrial Revolution)

- "In the summer of 1858...London was in the grip of a crisis known as the 'Great Stink'. The population had grown rapidly during the first half of the 19th century, yet there had been no provision for sanitation."

- Parliament only authorized funds for the sanitation after "The Great Stink," defined: The Great Stink, or the Big Stink, was a time in the summer of 1858 during which the smell of untreated human waste was very strong in central London, England. (link). awesome.

- so, what happened was this: "Joseph Bazalgette, a civil engineer and Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, was given responsibility for the work. He designed an extensive underground sewerage system that diverted waste to theThames Estuary, downstream of the main centre of population. Six main interceptory sewers, totalling almost 100 miles (160 km) in length, were constructed, some incorporating stretches of London's 'lost' rivers." (also wiki)

These people know how to build a sewage treatment plant - it's so beautiful! Much better job than these guys: MSD-St. Louis.