The Citizen Science Big River Watch scheme is now underway - the Rivers Trust is asking the general public to help monitor the state of UK rivers.
The Rivers Trust Big River Watch for the UK and Ireland takes place twice a year in September and May when the Trust calls on everyone to spend 15 minutes observing their local river. People who take part are asked to answer a few questions about what they can see (from wildlife and water colour to signs of pollution) using the free Big River Watch survey app.
The Rivers Trust says all of the data helps to get a clearer picture of river health across the UK and Ireland, identify issues and support its fight for cleaner waters. So far over 9,000 people have taken part in a Big River Watch, with the next one taking place between 6th-12th September.
The Rivers Trust State of Our Rivers Report 2024 showed that not a single river stretch in England meets good overall health standards according to the most recent government monitoring data, and 85% of river stretches fall below good ecological standards.
The Trust published the report in February 2024 when the NGO warned that “our rivers are in a desperate state of affairs” and “things haven’t improved" since its last report in 2021.
Tessa Wardley, the director of communication and advocacy at the Rivers Trust, said:
“We know that no rivers in England are in good overall health, but we also know that environmental monitoring is currently very sparse. Having a large set of data from one weekend will help our experts to understand what’s going on in our rivers, and what needs to be done to make them cleaner, healthier, and part of a thriving wider environment.
“As well as learning where pollution and wildlife are spotted, we also want to know how spending time near rivers affects people’s wellbeing, so I’d encourage anyone and everyone to spend some time by their river and make their voice heard.”
Click here for more information and details of where to download the app.
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