Sewage pollution in our rivers is never far from the headlines. We're digging deep into the topic of the stinky stuff in this episode (not literally) and asking; how is sewage getting into our waters? Why might treated sewage present an even bigger problem for rivers than the raw stuff? How do we map, monitor, and fix the broken system? What does it all mean for swimmers, paddlers, and anglers? And how can citizen scientists help us change the system?

You'll hear from:

Simon Browning, Technical Lead at The Rivers Trust, on why we use e.coli levels to understand whether there's sewage in the water, and what the limitations of this method are.

Philippa Nicholls, Evidence Officer at Thames 21, on how Outfall Safaris in London are identifying missconnections and cross connections, which are resulting in pollution, and working with Thames Water to reconnect pipes properly. This project has been developed by CaSTCo, which was created through the OFWAT Water Breakthrough Challenge.

Find out more and get involved: 

The Rivers Trust Sewage Map⁠

Thames21 and Outfall Safaris

⁠Find your local Rivers Trust⁠ 

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Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.