Flushed

3 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago -

Flushed is a podcast from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Outer Banks Field Site about how population growth and environmental change are affecting how coastal communities and their residents deal with wastewater and its effect on local waters. The culmination of a semester-long research project, this series explores how septic systems threaten coastal lifestyles, how people understand and react to those risks, and how coastal communities can be more resilient in the face of rising threats.

Earth Sciences Science Society & Culture Documentary water septic coast community outer banks ethnography climate change obxfs
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Episodes

Episode 1: Fecal Matters

December 11, 2019 23:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MB

Nags Head is a beautiful place, sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Roanoke Sound. It is a collection of coastal livelihoods and people deeply attached to it. Like other small coastal towns, it is largely dependent on septic systems to treat wastewater. But what does a changing climate mean for wastewater, water quality, and the future of barrier island communities like this one?

Episode 2: Fluent in Effluent

December 11, 2019 22:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MB

Life on a barrier island isn’t without risk. Nags Head is no exception. Risks – both seen and unseen – are rising from the interaction between groundwater under the island and septic systems. Flooding and storms visibly endanger property, but they are also driving the under-the-surface reality of a high water table and deteriorating water quality due to septic contamination. Low awareness of these invisible hazards is its own risk to island life.

Episode 3: The Bottom Line

December 11, 2019 21:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MB

It’s time to take action on septic system risks to health and environmental quality. The government of Nags Head is addressing the risks caused by septic systems. And there are ways that individuals can act responsibly and proactively to reduce risks. How can coastal communities increase resiliency, implement wastewater solutions, and prepare for the future?