We are going on a Safari, but not as you know it!
Our aim is to work with the Bedfordshire community to spot pipes and outfalls that lead to run off pollution into our local River Great Ouse.
Why we need your help
The reason we need your help is that through Bedfordshire, sewage and rainwater flow through separate pipes. Sewage goes to treatment plants, and rainwater flows into rivers. However, sometimes the systems get crossed (due to mistakes, blockages, broken infrastructure or even deliberately), causing sewage to leak into rivers. Separate from sewage overflows, this “diffuse pollution” is an often-overlooked driver of urban pollution. We still don’t know how much they contribute, so more surveys of the river is needed to better understand their impact.
The magic of Outfall Safari is that by working with the community to find these pipes/outfalls , we can pinpoint where further investigation is needed and use our testing programmes to do something about it. Pollution from surface water outfalls can harm our rivers, even in places where drains should carry only rainwater. Outfall Safaris help identify these hidden pollution sources. Our testing programme regularly highlights sections of the river with excessively high levels of E. coli but with no apparent source. Whilst it is most unlikely that the contamination comes from a treatment plant, we have to discover where it comes from, as it is undoubtedly damaging the health of the river and potentially the health of river users.
What we need you to do
We are planning an Outfall Safari programme on the River Great Ouse between Turvey, the entry point into Bedfordshire and Roxton, as it leaves the county. We need help in identifying pipes and outfalls, or water running from pipes/outfalls into this section of the river, which are not the usual sewer pipes. This will provide much more in-depth information to help us understand what pollutants are coming from which sources. These pipes/outfalls can be seen from the bankside, so if you spot any whilst walking, fishing or paddle boarding etc., we would really appreciate you sending us the information to info@bedsgovet.org. If you are in a field, or a rural location to help us locate it the App WhatThreeWords is helpful to pinpoint the exact spot. Below are a couple of examples of these type of outfalls.