The Outfall Podcast

When Undersea Cables Break

An undersea cable breaks in the middle of the Atlantic, and the answer to “what happens now?” takes us back to 1866. The Great Eastern is searching for a lost cable with

Where the Internet Comes Ashore Part 2

A cable from Argentina comes ashore through a manhole at Myrtle Beach State Park, and it does not stop there. In Part 2 of Where the Internet Comes Ashore, DC BLOX, the c

Where the Internet Comes Ashore, Part 1

We found a line on a map that runs nine thousand miles up from Argentina and comes ashore at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We didn't believe it, so we called Samanth Subr

The Hidden Committee That Names America

Somebody decided Pikes Peak would have no apostrophe. Somebody decides what every mountain, creek, and reservoir in America is officially called, and has since 1890. Almo

My Creek Is Bigger Than Your River

A creek beside Clemson outmuscles a river forty five minutes up the road, draining twice the land and carrying close to twice the water. No agency will call that wrong, b

The Wastewater Movie You Can't Stream

Two filmmakers spent years inside the East End Wastewater Treatment Facility in Portland, Maine, and came out with a comedy. It has screened at festivals and museums acro

The Year of the Turtle: When the Wild Calls

In 1993, Joel Jones got a wildlife biology degree and a dream of working in the woods. He ended up on the night shift at a sewer plant instead. He stayed thirty-two years

Blank Space: The Land the Map Missed

A man flipping through old tax map books finds a piece of land with no parcel number, no taxes paid, and no explanation. The county can't tell him why, so he spends two y

What's Beneath: 100 Episodes of The Outfall

For seven years we thought we knew what this show was about. Listening back through 100 episodes proved us wrong. Episode 100 is the story of what we found underneath. Vi

Season 8 Trailer: Unclassified

Season 8 of The Outfall starts with a set of coordinates, a fence line, and a wife who wisely stayed in the car. What comes next is bigger, quieter, and a lot stranger th

Down the Drain: A Wastewater Crime

A maintenance worker's suspicious 911 call. A toxic chemical banned since the 1970s. And a $2.5 million cleanup that started with one man's $6,000 shortcut. Former Sparta

Chattooga: The Soul of a River

For nearly a century, the Chattooga River has shaped the lives of the people who ran it, fought for it, and tried to keep it wild. In this episode, Jack Wise, Owner of Wi

How to Steal a Golden Toilet in 300 Seconds

In September 2019, thieves broke into Blenheim Palace and stole Maurizio Cattelan's "America"—a fully functional solid gold toilet worth $6 million—in under 5 minutes. Bu

SOLVED: The Swamp Lights Were Real

For 400 years, people reported eerie blue lights dancing over marshes, which science often dismissed as folklore. Now, a stunning new paper from Stanford scientists prove

Chattooga: The Fight to Keep It Wild – Episode 3

In the series finale, we go on set for the chaotic, death-defying filming of Deliverance and find out what really happened during Burt Reynolds's infamous waterfall stunt

Chattooga: The Fight to Keep It Wild – Episode 2

In the 1960s, the Chattooga River was set to disappear. A series of massive dams were planned to turn 50 miles of wild rapids into a staircase of lakes.  Meanwhile, a pol

Chattooga: The Fight to Keep It Wild - Episode 1

Welcome to the premiere of our new series, Chattooga: The Fight to Keep It Wild. In this first episode, we journey back to a time when the Chattooga's fate seemed sealed.

When the Water Stopped: Helene’s 53-Day Siege on Asheville

When Hurricane Helene hit Asheville in September 2024, Water Resources Director David Melton watched his reservoir fill eight feet overnight and knew they were in trouble

The Invisible Revolution (Nanobubbles)

What if the future of water came down to bubbles you’ll never see? Nanobubbles—thousands of times smaller than a grain of salt—are invisible, powerful, and already changi

The Banned Maritime Practice That Saved Lives

For over a century, dumping oil overboard was how sailors survived deadly storms. This five-minute episode reveals the science behind this now-banned life-saving techniqu