Old Buckenham interest in sewage

Social and Wine Circle
The Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle met in March to hear all about the history of sewage treatment. It was a well-attended meeting with the speaker John Spencer explaining how the problem of how to deal with increasing amounts of excrement has become more critical over the years. The Romans had large communal toilets where people would come to sit and chat with the waste material often just flowing into local streams. By the time of the industrial revolution even big fast-flowing rivers could not cope with the amount of sewage and industrial waste being dumped into them, leading to awful smells and the spread of diseases like cholera. London's sewers, built in the 1850s to channel sewage away from the big city, are still in use today but are threatened by blockages caused by modern day materials such as large amounts of cooking fat. The development and workings of sewage treatment plants, both large and small, was also described by the speaker who had certainly made the audience think of what happens after they flush things away.
The next meeting, in the Church Rooms, will be held on Thursday 13 April when Dr Sarah Dorling will be talking on the subject of radiation in our modern world. The meeting starts at 7.30pm and all are welcome to attend.