Waterman Talkabout – “The Hidden World of Drains”

Our charity founder would say “Where there’s muck there’s money” so what could possibly be the ‘value’ in ditching insoluble waste into drains specifically designed for all manner of nutrient-rich soluble waste?

If the value is merely time-saving, a ‘convenience’ to use a convenient Convenience to flush a plastic wet wipe away and out of sight, then it has a cost we all have to pay in the end. The cost for example of removing that 400 tonne monster Whitechapel (UK) Fatberg in 2017 which was 250m long (the length of 4 buses end-to-end) and the 130 tonnes​ of the Liverpool (UK) Fatberg in 2019 which was also about 250m. And in a sewer, just imagine what was combined with all that fat! No. Maybe DON’T imagine that too vividly.

But what you can do if you are a teacher is to bring this to the attention of future thinking pupils.

If this subject isn’t on your go-to list for an interesting monday morning lesson, WOW does a totally pong-free talkabout on the theme of urban water pollution, drains as ecosystems, and everyday actions.

For a school class to question “What really lurks under our streets, and how do our domestic habits lead to fatbergs and drains full of really unsavoury chemical muck?” is all we ask.

Awareness is key

So the story goes … lifting a manhole cover in the days of good Queen Victoria, it was a weekly tradition for members of “The London Subterranean Angling Association” to catch a couple of brown trout for the Queen’s table. Today, London’s subterranean waters are more likely to harbour a brace of flushaway biros, 365 ‘cotton’ buds and two empty packets of crisps.

Does this WOW Talkabout uncover how households mimic industrial polluters in turning sewers into deadly soups? Do pupils investigate what’s growing (and dying) underground and why “out of sight, out of mind” creates massive problems for waterlife and extra costs for everyone? Dare you find out?

If your class is interested in ‘what’s costing the Earth’ nowadays, WOW activities are perfect for sparking awareness. We will:

• Debate how much we are “all part of the problem we’re building for our future”

• Map school drain habits and brainstorm fixes.

• Imagine fishing brown trout out of clean drains and fathom the future needs of people and wildlife alike.

Curriculum links:

• Science (Y4/5): Materials and separation; states of matter (fats solidifying); living things in habitats.

• Geography (Y3/4): Water cycles; human geography (settlements, pollution sources).

• PSHE/Citizenship: Personal responsibility; community impact on environment.

• English: Explanation texts; persuasive posters (“Don’t Block the Drain!”).

Some steps you might be able to take by getting in touch with your local water company include: Audit class lunches for fatberg-makers, create drain-care campaigns, or test local waters.

Only by acting together, will we surface solutions for the far cleaner world we need to establish and hold dear.

For resources or to book a talkabout, contact WOW

For details of the full eight water-based talkabouts from WOW, please visit this PAGE