New Wave - Beyond the Drain tour - East Sussex School Trip

Water is a key compound for life on Earth. All living organisms need water. Some can survive in a dormant state without it for long periods of time, but all organisms will quickly or eventually die without it. The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. It involves a series of processes including evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, and infiltration. We will look at how human use of water interacts with the natural water cycle.

During the visit we will follow the stages of wastewater treatment: filtration/screening and grit removal to remove large particles, sedimentation allowing tiny particles to settle out from still water, which produces sewage sludge and effluent (the liquid which remains on top) the sewage sludge is digested anaerobically by specific bacteria and the effluent passes through an aerobic process. We share that samples are taken at each stage of the process to analyse for levels of pH, conductivity and alkalinity, as well as physical properties such as its colour, this ascertains that each stage is functioning correctly to ensure that the final products (effluent and sludge/ fertiliser) are safe for humans and the environment.

Pollution spills from storm overflows are quite rightly high on the public and political agenda. Our Slow the Flow workshop (as part of the tour visit) will explore how the sewer system works and why we have storm overflows. We will also explore the challenges to stopping their use and the action being taken to reduce their usage.

KS2 and KS3 will explore this subject through a fair test science investigation of the permeability of different materials, and KS4 and KS5 will explore this subject through interactive group work and the use of our sustainable drainage model demonstrating how they sustainable drainage can help reduce surface water flooding, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.

We will explore how a growing population and human caused climate change is putting pressure on our natural water resources and impacting the environment around us, both in the demand levels for water supply and the impact of rain and ground water in overloading our sewer systems.

We will explore how the changing climate and a growing population are putting pressure on our natural water resources and how human predicted human demand will outstrip supply in the future, so come and find out what we are doing to ensure we are water resilient for the future and protect our beautiful natural world and all living things in it.

During the visit to our operational site, we will highlight where curriculum learning links to the real life context of water treatment (Gatsby Benchmarks 4 and 6) Students will meet Southern Water employees from both engagement and operational teams (Gatsby Benchmark 5) and we will share information about our career pathways including apprenticeships (Gatsby Benchmark 2) Students will have opportunity to ask questions throughout the visit.

Southern Water has a strong focus on sustainability-caring for our planet so people, animals and plants can all thrive now and in the future. A visit to our site and our workshop will look at the work we are doing to ensure we have resilience in our networks and water resources for the future and the actions we can all take, as individuals, to support this and ensure sustainability for all.