Alton Water Treatment Works, 20th June 2024

This recording was made at noon whilst stood on a wooded footpath (labelled as footpath 1 on the definitive parish map) behind the Alton Water water treatment works. This is the first real industrial sound I have managed to capture in Holbrook. An ivy-covered fence prevented me from discerning exactly what was going on, but it is possibly the sound of a large tanker being filled (or emptied). The noise obliterated nearly all other sounds in the vicinity for the 20 minutes I stood there (this recording is an edit). At around the two minute mark there's a sudden change as whatever industrial process is being carried out is altered. If you listen with headphones the occasional bird can be heard: possibly a jackdaw and pheasant. I have walked this path numerous times in the past at weekends and never heard anything like it; perhaps it was a rare event or the process only occurs in the week? As the site processes over 10 million gallons of water each day, I wonder what other sounds can be heard at different times of day, week and throughout the year? This episode was made possible through funding from Arts Council England through their Developing Your Creative Practice grant.