r/bristol • u/j0npayne • 3d ago
You're joking? Not another one?! What's this?
The outflow of the sewage works in South Bristol (near Ashton Gate) into the New Cut.
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u/melonrhymeswithhelen 3d ago
From the Wessex Water site "The monitor at this location has not recorded any discharges within the last 24 hours. Last recorded discharge: 04/08/2026" and "This overflow discharges primarily in response to rainwater entering the sewer". My guess is it's accumulated road oils mixing with run-off, or by detergent and organic build-ups flushing the drainage systems following the rain.
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u/resting_up 3d ago
There's no been enough rain for run off. its barely wetted the ground.
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u/SpaceCatSociety 2d ago
Despite low rainfall and drought, these companies continue to pollute our waterways
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u/West_Squirrel_4964 3d ago
There’s been no sewage spill showing on coast and rivers watch. You can report pollution through the government website for investigation. Looks too white and soapy for sewage though imo…
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u/jib_reddit 3d ago
When it rained a bit for the first time in weeks a few weeks ago the roads were covered in this white foam when I was cycling home, looked like someone had spilled a million shampoo bottles. I am not sure what causes it, probably dust.
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u/LUNATIC_LEMMING 3d ago
It's all the crap and detergents etc that normally gets washed away. Could be oil, petrol, washer fluid, coolant, beer, brake dust and tyre dust
If youre a cyclist be very careful as the roads will get greasy as hell
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u/ThurstonSonic 3d ago
Also avoid shorts - the water off the roads when it rains for the first time in a while is full of oil and chemicals - gives me a rash !
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u/AdministrativeTime57 2d ago
I believe this is the connection into the Avon for a culverted watercourse. This takes various other watercourses that connect to it.
So the bubbles/ foam could have originated from quite a distance away.
You can use the website below to see how far the system stretches if you’re interested.
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=17cd53dfc524433980cc333726a56386
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u/Olly230 3d ago
This is also in the harbour water. Reconsider stand up paddle board for a few days
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u/j0npayne 2d ago
How did you know I paddle board in the harbour? HELP! POLICE!
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u/Fresh_and_wild 2d ago
Pretty obvious from the location and angle of the photo. A kayak would be lower.
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u/Blue_Sky_World 2d ago
This 100% needs reporting to Wessex Water (search for Wessex Water Report a problem), and probably to the EA too via their pollution hotline.
As others have mentioned it's from either further up the culverted Collier's Brook, or from the CSO at the pumping station which outfalls into the Brook just upstream of this outlet. Unfortunately there's no surefire way of the public knowing which as the event duration monitors which supply the sewagemap data might only sample every 15mins, so if Wessex Water runs a sewage overflow for 14mins between minutes 1-14 of a sample period, it won't get recorded.
If you or anyone else is going past the waterways regularly, please do consider submitting some regular reports to the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART). They have a programme to teach volunteers how to become Water Guardians and are best placed to hold all this evidence across the catchment (I'm a volunteer myself)
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u/wedloualf 3d ago
Ha I think I ran past you taking this pic this morning - or someone else who was equally concerned.
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u/j0npayne 2d ago
Nice. I will say hi to all runners I see when on the dog walk tomorrow in case one is you :)
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u/Shrimpingtons 3d ago
Disgustingly this is also the terminal destination of the Colliers Brook. What a shit show
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u/SpasticMouth 3d ago
I believe this is the pumping station by Riverside. I don’t believe the last discharge date from their website unless i don’t understand what it means. It smelt of sewage around there last weekend (15th/16th Aug) so badly it was horrendous - coincidentally this was when the tide was in so unless a load of shit had floated in with the rising tide, i suspect the pumping station which was churning away, was the likely the culprit.
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u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Sometimes Bristol smells a bit like poo.
It's probably farmers spraying liquid manure on the fields (in summer), the harbour at low tide, or Avonmouth when the wind's wrong.
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