Citizen testing reveals 75% of Britain’s rivers have poor ecological health

A major citizen test of rivers across Britain this summer has found that 75% are in poor ecological condition as a result of pollution from water companies and agricultural run-off.

Rivers in the South East and East Anglia regions of England, including the Thames Basin, were found to be among those in the worst condition, with 89% of rivers failing tests for good ecological health in those areas, according to results. of monitoring by volunteers for Earthwatch Europe.

“The view around London and the Thames Basin is particularly dire,” said Dr Sasha Woods, director of science and policy at Earthwatch Europe.

Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire had the worst water quality, with 91% and 89% of rivers respectively showing unacceptable levels of nutrient pollution. Northumberland and Gwent had the least nutrient pollution, with findings suggesting both counties had 100% acceptable water quality.

Since the Brexit vote in 2016, the Environment Agency (EA) has reduced river testing under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) from every year to every three years, leading to gaps in monitoring, critics say.

Woods said the results made it imperative that the next government commit to a national freshwater strategy that includes all forms of pollution and is supported by a well-resourced organization that uses rich citizen science data.

The results mirror findings by the Environment Protection Office (EPO), which found most of England’s water bodies are in an unsatisfactory state and said the government was not on track to meet environmental targets set under the WFD. He highlighted gaps in monitoring as a major obstacle to progress in meeting the targets.

Under the WFD, which is part of British law, all rivers are supposed to have “good” ecological status by 2027. The government, before parliament dissolved for the election, had reduced this target to 75% of bodies water bodies reaching good ecological status by 2027, but experts believe this is unlikely to be achieved without radical action. Before the election, the Conservatives were moving to change the testing regime to move away from the rigors of the WFD.

In 2019, the last time full water assessments were done, only 14% of rivers were in good ecological condition and none met standards for good chemical health.

Citizen monitoring took place from 7 to 10 June this year, when thousands of volunteers measured the quality of their local water as part of the Great UK WaterBlitz, collecting more than 1,300 sets of data. Participants measured the levels of two nutrient pollutants: nitrates and phosphates, which are commonly present in treated and untreated wastewater, as well as in fertilizers that wash over farmland.

High levels of nutrients cause overgrowth of plants and algae, high levels of bacteria and reduced oxygen levels in the water, killing plants and animals. The worse the nutrient pollution becomes, the less a river is able to support aquatic life such as fish, as well as insects and mammals such as

The report highlighted significant regional variations in water quality. The regions were divided into river basin districts, and the researchers excluded regions that had too few data points to draw firm conclusions.

Woods said: “These results are really worrying – there are no parts of the UK untouched by nutrient pollution… our rivers have historically been stressed by agriculture and we are seeing this being made worse by inadequate or limited water treatment. black.

“There is an urgent need for improvements in wastewater treatment processes and reduction of agricultural pollution to reduce threats to vulnerable freshwater systems. The government has committed to protecting 30% of the land for nature by 2030 – this will be meaningless if the rivers and streams that run through the land, the arteries of life, are diseased.

With the OEP concerned about gaps in river monitoring, Woods said the report published on Monday would not have been possible without the support of people across the UK. “As a nation, we clearly care deeply about the health of our rivers,” she said. “This event has enabled people to better understand the health of their local rivers and catalyzed grassroots action.

“We want to see more citizen science testing and better use of this data by bodies such as the Environment Agency to help build a more positive future for our rivers.”

The findings have been passed on to the EA.