CITIZENS SHOULD MONITOR RIVERS

This is a follow-up to my news item of  12^th December.

Most of us are aware of the disgraceful state of our rivers which are filthy and choked with sewage and chemicals such as phosphates from run-off. It is therefore heartening to hear about the 2025 expansion planned for the joint citizen science project between the NGO Earthwatch Europe and Imperial College London to test river water quality. During 2024 about 4,000 freshwater sites were tested by the volunteers for nitrates, phosphates, antibiotics and other pollutants. This provided data on pollution introduced by water companies and from agriculture. These data are vital for understanding the adverse impacts on the riverine ecosystem crisis we are experiencing.

I photographed this salmon as it passed the viewing window of the new Fish Pass at Diglis on the River Severn recently. You can see lesions on its flank. As I reported previously, anglers along the now highly polluted River Severn are frequently reporting diseased fish (see me previous news item).

Although the Environment Agency says it will increase monitoring personnel in 2025, Earthwatch hopes that they will also involve the help of the citizen science volunteers which would dramatically increase data collection and thus focus minds on the remedial action so urgently required.  

Betts Ecology takes a keen interest in the ecological status of our rivers and waterways generally, not just those running through the sites we manage. The shocking state of our rivers requires urgent action, and we hope as many volunteers as possible will join the Earthwatch initiative.

You can register and find out more here: https://shorturl.at/slKNf.