SEEDS INTERNSHIP: What controls the length of sewage spills into rivers?

Release of untreated wastewater into rivers is one of the highest profile environmental issues in the UK at present. When flow through sewer networks exceeds capacity, 'combined sewer overflows' (or CSOs) discharge into water-bodies (i.e., rivers, lakes, the sea) to prevent overflow upstream in houses & businesses. However, this release has negative environmental consequences and there is significant pressure to reduce their magnitude and duration. In this project, you will collate publicly available data on sewage spill frequency and duration from water and sewerage companies over the last 5 years. You will then subject this data to novel statistical analyses developed by the supervisory team to summarise/categorise the thousands of CSOs across the country. You will then relate these categories to potential environmental variables such as hydrogeological category or land-use. Ultimately, your project will help understand the underlying drivers of one of the highest-profile environmental pressures in the country.