Outfall Safari: River Rangers
Are you concerned about sewage pollution? Do you know of a sewage outfall that you would like to monitor? Then take part in our outfall safari and help us record what is going on in North Wales rivers. Take a look at the resources below to get started.
Your involvement in this citizen science initiative will provide critical data to identify the condition in our catchment and enable us to pinpoint future projects. Together, we can make a tangible difference and ensure a brighter future for our aquatic ecosystems.
Get Involved
An outfall safari is a method of identifying polluting outfalls. It was first launched in 2016 on the River Crane by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in partnership with Thames Water and the Environment agency. This has since been further developed by the Rivers Trust and ZSL for other organisations to participate.
Sewage in our rivers has recently been widely covered in the media with 602,987 hours of untreated sewage entering rivers in Wales in 2022. One of the methods to monitor the effects of sewage is through joining an outfall safari.
An outfall is a point where water is discharged from various sources, such as wastewater treatment plants or industrial sites, into a river or other bodies of water that can result in poor water quality.
Outfalls can sometimes be misconnected resulting in wastewater directly entering river systems.
By collecting data in our outfall safari project, a pollution score is automatically created that will help flag up the current conditions and if there is a major source of pollution entering the river. If the score indicates a major pollution indicated you will be advised to contact NRW.
If you regularly pass an outfall or want to monitor a specific outfall, join today!
Access
Access to outfalls is an essential aspect for the outfall safari. You must ensure that the outfall you are interested in monitoring is in an area of public access or that you have permission from the landowner. For more information see the step by step guide above.
Guide to Survey123
The video will give step by step instructions on how to install Survey123 in order to collect the data for the outfall safari.
Scan the QR code below using your phone to download the app.
Contact
To learn more about our outfall safari, campaigns, and initiatives contact our community engagment officer: oisin@northwalesriverstrust.org.