The Outfall Safari

An outfall safari is a systematic walk along a river to identify and characterise potential sources of pollution entering the river using a defined set of questions. These questions are answered on a smartphone using the Epicollect5 app.

An outfall is any pipe, runoff, or visible source of liquid that may flow into a river, stream, or lake. Outfalls may contain runoff from roads or land, sewage, or misconnections, all of which can introduce contaminants into a river or lake.

Outfall safaris can help prioritise locations where more rigorous assessment of aquatic pollution or health is most needed. These may be areas of multiple or outfalls with large discharge volumes or poor aesthetics. Reporting the most significant outfalls to your local water company or the Environment Agency can help them understand which outfalls need urgent intervention.

The AQuA outfall safari is based on and directly comparable to the Zoological Society of London's safari. However, we use a slightly wider definition of what an outfalls is which better aligns with the urban, suburban, rural, and agricultural landscapes right across Yorkshire. This more open definition may therefore help us better characterises potential pollution in non-urban environments.