"It was like Antiques Roadshow in the river" - How an Outfall Safari uncovered mysterious finds at Guphill Brook in Coventry

Photo of staff and volunteers standing in front of a pile of rubbish

Our Sherbourne Valley team and their amazing volunteers completed a litter pick and river clean up at Guphill Brook in Coventry. By removing litter from the area, they made it cleaner and safer for wildlife and people.

What is an Outfall Safari?

An Outfall Safari: a glamourous-sounding monitoring technique of urban rivers that is an important method of observing and reporting what is entering our waterways.

Drainage pipes connected to our rivers are intended to only collect surface water from rainfall and transport it to our rivers. However, some pipes from properties that carry wastewater are incorrectly connected. This means that rather than this wastewater being cleaned through the sewage treatment system, it is going directly into our waterways untreated.

Our volunteers and Sherbourne Valley team kept an eye out for drainage pipe outfalls linked to the Guphill Brooke, assessed if there was any flowing liquid from them, and investigated what it might be if there was.

One of the pipes had a strong smell of laundry detergent and they suspected there may be a washing machine incorrectly connected to the drainage pipe.

Although they make your clothes smell delightful, laundry detergents directly entering rivers can be harmful to the habitat because they often contain chemicals which don’t break down easily and remain within the waterways for a very long time.

This can impact aquatic life such as fish, plants and microorganisms that are essential parts of the ecosystem.

So, by completing this Outfall Safari, Joe, our River Restoration Officer, was able to send the findings to Severn Trent using the EpiCollect app so that this will be investigated and the appropriate actions taken to prevent this from happening in the future.

Volunteering with our Sherbourne Valley project makes a genuine difference to the health of our rivers for nature and people.

Sophia Bellion
Sherbourne Valley Project Trainee

What did the team find?

Lazy people are viewing the brook as a local dumping site for some rather peculiar objects…

photo of pile of rubbish from the clean up

Imagine peacefully wading through the River Sherbourne and coming to an abrupt halt because there is a massive sofa in your way - this is not the kind of dam-building we want people!

If you enjoy sunbathing near water on a warm day, expect to see a metal ornate umbrella stand floating past!

Our team found these items and more: a rusty old bow saw and a slightly wonky golf club to name a few

Although the juxtaposition of these items being found in an unusual place are humorous, litter in our rivers is a major contribution to water pollution and can be detrimental to wildlife habitats in & around our waterways.

Fancy going on a safari?

Visit the Sherbourne Valley Project website or follow on social media @TheSherbourneValleyProject to find out more about volunteering with the project, helping with future river clean ups, and what exciting events are in store.