Sam Facey of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) writes:
Please help us find sources of pollution in the lower Lea by joining an Outfall Safari.
Pollution can find its way into urban rivers via surface water outfalls (drains) as a result of misconnected plumbing. ZSL, in partnership with Thames Water, runs Outfall Safaris across London to assess the scale and extent of pollution entering the rivers from misconnected surface water outfalls. These consist of bankside surveys conducted by trained volunteers to walk sections of rivers (in their own time) to record any signs of pollution. This year we are running an outfall safari on the lower Lea, from Walthamstow Wetlands down to the Thames. We are looking for volunteers to help conduct Outfall Safari surveys on the lower Lea. The surveys will take place during March and April 2023.
As a volunteer, you can choose which stretch of the river and at what time to conduct the survey, within the survey period. The survey will be conducted from the riverside path, in areas that are accessible and where the river is easily visible. Training will be provided by ZSL.
The training session will take place at Walthamstow Wetlands, London Wildlife Trust, 2 Forest Road, London N17 9NH, on Thursday 23 March at 10:30-12:30.
If you’d like to take part in the Outfall Safari, please register for the training through the Eventbrite website. Once registered, more information will be sent to you about how to join the training.
For more information please email Sam Facey.
All photos copyright ZSL. Click to enlarge
