YOU MIGHT not realise it, but the smell of progress is wafting over Petersfield and the Rother Valley.

At the end of a track beyond Harrier Way and Penns Place is the town’s wastewater treatment works.

But news is filtering through of the importance of this otherwise nondescript site, for it’s home to a facility that could revolutionise the way our waste is treated.

The Petersfield WTW is causing a stir because of the work taking place at its Environmental Technology Field Station.

The unique facility, run in partnership between Southern Water and the University of Portsmouth, is dedicated to developing more sustainable ways of managing the impact our waste and its associated activity has on the planet.

The station allows students and researchers to study, research and improve drainage systems, the detection of contaminants in soil and water, and the short and long-term management of waste.

Here’s the bottom line: the sewerage coming out of Petersfield is playing a major role in developing solutions to real-world environmental problems.

Residents can learn more about the work of the ETFS this Monday, February 19, during a Petersfield Society talk.

The site’s director, Professor John Williams, will reveal more about the work carried out at the important facility and the positive real-world impact that its users are achieving.

The talk will begin at 7.30pm at the United Reform Church Hall on College Street, free entry to all.

Tickets are available from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/environmental-technology-research-at-petersfield-tickets-823892192727?aff=oddtdtcreator