© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Coming Sewer Gold Rush

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. We cannot say that in Switzerland, the streets are paved with gold. But the sewers? Environmental chemists studied Swiss sewage and found trace amounts of gold, silver and rare earth metals. Gold is used in high-tech and medical manufacturing, and some of it washes away. Scientists estimate the gold is worth $1.5 million. But if you're planning a gold rush to the sewer, chemists say it's probably not worth the cost of recovery. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

No matter what happens in Washington D.C., Kansas City needs KCUR. And KCUR needs you.

Our ability to report local news — accurate, independent and paywall-free — depends on you. Donate now to support fact-based news.