May 28, 2026 · 32 min · 10 segments
Adrian Porter joins host Helen to tell the story of hie remarkable journey from being groundwater flooded with devastating effects... to becoming a local flood warden... and eventually re-training to…
Adrian PorterGuestHelenHostWhat surprised you most, then, when you sort of stepped inside the system, inside the, the professional side of the water industry? Was there any sort of big surprises, any big scares?
That's in terms of the flood response part but also the way the different individuals now working in the system can make a difference.
That might seem a bit of a, an anachronism to some people because actually aren't they the ones who are, who are wrecking rivers in the first place? But most of the people who work in the water companies and everybody who works in the Environment Agency and all the people I meet out in the landscapeThey all want the best for the rivers.
There have been corporate decisions which have created quite a difficult situation for everybody today.
We know that there have been cuts, you know, basically for the last twenty years in quite a lot of the conservation industries.
But actually, there are amazing people there, people in my team, people in the environment agency, councils, the local authorities, you know, the water companies that I work with, and they all actually want to do the best.
River restoration, in particular, is really difficult, but actually it is some of the most rewarding things I've ever done in my life.
There are lots of people who are doing really good things with our water systems.
Bringing it back to groundwater, most of those are involving retaining water in the landscape for longer, protecting properties and communities from flood risk, but enhancing the environment.
What surprised you most, then, when you sort of stepped inside the system, inside the, the professional side of the water industry? Was there any sort of big surprises, any big scares?
That's in terms of the flood response part but also the way the different individuals now working in the system can make a difference.
That might seem a bit of a, an anachronism to some people because actually aren't they the ones who are, who are wrecking rivers in the first place? But most of the people who work in the water companies and everybody who works in the Environment Agency and all the people I meet out in the landscapeThey all want the best for the rivers.
There have been corporate decisions which have created quite a difficult situation for everybody today.
We know that there have been cuts, you know, basically for the last twenty years in quite a lot of the conservation industries.
But actually, there are amazing people there, people in my team, people in the environment agency, councils, the local authorities, you know, the water companies that I work with, and they all actually want to do the best.
River restoration, in particular, is really difficult, but actually it is some of the most rewarding things I've ever done in my life.
There are lots of people who are doing really good things with our water systems.
Bringing it back to groundwater, most of those are involving retaining water in the landscape for longer, protecting properties and communities from flood risk, but enhancing the environment.
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