Vital data has been gathered by citizen scientists during two important public campaigns.
THE results from the Big River Watch and the Great UK WaterBlitz are being crunched by experts for analysis following the initiatives’ conclusion in September.
As reported, the public are asked to record observations of river health twice a year for the Big River Watch through a simple app-based survey, where participants answer questions about wildlife, signs of pollution and wellbeing.
It is organised by The Rivers Trust, which said: “Our rivers are far from healthy. They are polluted with sewage, plastic, chemicals and nutrients, and just 15% of river stretches in England are in good overall health.
“More people are becoming concerned about the health of our waterways and since the inaugural event in September 2023, we see thousands more joining our bi-annual Big River Watch each year. This autumn, The Rivers Trust has welcomed the next wave of dedicated citizen scientists to gather essential data. The results are available through an interactive dashboard in near-real time, not only providing useful data for The Rivers Trust, but to individuals and communities seeking to find out more about their rivers, advocate for them, and take action to improve their health at a time where environmental monitoring is limited.”
Visit the Big River Watch dashboard here: https://theriverstrust.org/big-river-watch-data-dashboard
New for 2025 is the Great UK WaterBlitz, for people to test a stretch of water local to them to monitor nitrate and phosphate levels to build a national picture of the health of our freshwater bodies. Organised by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, specialists are now busy analysing the results of this test, which involved taking samples directly from the water source and testing it in specially designed kits.
A spokesperson said: “Nitrates and phosphates occur naturally in the environment and are essential for plant growth. Healthy freshwater ecosystems usually have small amounts of these nutrients which help sustain aquatic plant life. However, human activity on land can cause unnaturally high levels of nutrients to enter them.”
The latest Great UK WaterBlitz findings from April this year indicate that 66% of all data points across the UK showed poor water quality with unacceptable levels of nutrient pollution. This figure rose to 86% in the Thames and Anglian river basin districts. To date, more than 15,000 people have taken part in the project.
