"The wastewater doesn't lie."

You've walked past it a hundred times without knowing it's there. Beneath the stages, the food stalls, and the dusty paths of Woodford Folk Festival runs more than 50 kilometres of sewers — and a treatment system so sophisticated it's now a cover story in American engineering magazines and a blueprint for festivals around the world.

Harley Breen sits down with Ben Kele, the quietly hilarious wastewater engineer who has been running Woodfordia's decentralised water system for the past 16 years. What begins as a conversation about poo quickly becomes something much bigger: a story about world-leading science, practical environmentalism, and what it looks like when a festival takes its responsibilities to the land seriously.

Ben explains how Woodford processes up to a million litres of wastewater a day during the festival — every drop treated on site, with not a single litre trucked in or out. He talks about the unique challenge of a system that swings from 15,000 litres on a quiet construction day to a million litres on the 27th of December, what the water chemistry reveals about who's on site and what they've been drinking, and how a small research project that started right here at Woodford became the foundation for Australia's national pharmaceutical wastewater tracking program — now used by public health agencies and federal law enforcement nationwide. He also tells the story of his brother Andrew, a flannel dressing gown, a dozen flushed bras, and a very unfortunate encounter with Chris Martin.

This episode is for:

• Anyone who's ever wondered what actually happens when 130,000 people flush
• People who believe the most interesting infrastructure is the kind you never see
• Anyone who finds genuine joy in a person who is brilliant at something the rest of us would rather not think about

Dive in to hear about:

• How Woodfordia became the unlikely birthplace of Australia's national drug-detection-via-wastewater program — and the AFP funding that got it started
• What the water chemistry difference is between a Woodford Folk Festival crowd and other music festival crowds — and what it says about what people choose to drink
• Why composting toilets work brilliantly in Tasmania and terribly in a Queensland summer, and the fly hatching cycle that explains everything
• The story of Andrew the bog monster, a flannel dressing gown, a dozen flushed bras, and a very famous rock star who witnessed the whole thing from a stretch limousine

To come to the Woodford Folk Festival this year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/

FOR MORE: 

Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au 

Ben Kele and Arris Water:

Woodford Folk Festival Water System — Arris Water Case Study: https://www.arris.com.au/water/water-projects/queensland-folk-federation-qld/

Woodford Folk Festival feature — The Onsite Journal, Summer 2024: https://www.nowra.org/Customer-Content/www/news/PDFs/Onsite_Journal_Summer_2024_Online.pdf

CREDITS: Host: Harley Breen | Guest: Ben Kele | Executive Producer: Benny Wallington | Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-Jamieson | Sound Editing: Keiron Atkinson | Video Editing: Nick Haddow | Music by: The East Pointers | Recorded on Jinibara Country

#RadioWoodfordia #BenKeele #HarleyBreen #WoodfordFolkFestival #Woodfordia #WastewaterManagement #Sustainability #Environment #MusicFestivals #FestivalLife #Podcast #WaterScience

Key topics:

Decentralized water systems for festivals

Innovative wastewater treatment techniques

Research and monitoring of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewater

Join the Woodfordian Citizens:

Perks -

- Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating.

- Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special.

- Bonus podcast content

- Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets

- Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival

Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen

More information at www.woodfordia.org

For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com

For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/

Credits:

Host: Harley Breen

Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier, Benny Wallington

Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson

Music by: The East Pointers

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