Calls to make citizen testing of waterways part of official data

Citizen science testing of river water quality will expand this year in an attempt to make the data part of official monitoring of waterways, says the head of an independent environmental research group.

- Sandra Laville

The use of volunteers across the country to test river water quality for pollutants, including phosphates, nitrates and other chemicals, has captured the imagination of thousands of people.

In 2024 more than 7,000 people took part in river testing "blitzes" run over two weekends by the NGO Earthwatch Europe. The research, gathered using standardised testing equipment provided by the NGO and Imperial College London, gathered data from almost 4,000 freshwater sites across the UK.

The information provided an insight into the cocktail of pollutants from water companies and agricultural runoff, which are contributing to the crisis in river ecosystems.

Sasha Woods, the director of science and policy at Earthwatch, said it was critical to turn the noise around river pollution into action.

She said: "We are at a tipping point in terms of freshwater quality, where we all know how bad the situation is and now there is a real sense that this is the year things are going to be moving in the right direction.