Stories from the first Great UK WaterBlitz
12th August 2024
The Great UK WaterBlitz is the UK’s biggest citizen science freshwater testing campaign. The first WaterBlitz took place over the weekend of 7-10 June 2024. More than 2,600 people went out to measure the water quality of their local rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. Here are some of their stories.
What is the Great UK WaterBlitz?
The Great UK WaterBlitz is a biannual campaign engaging people of all ages and backgrounds in freshwater testing. We are calling on everyone to go out and test the quality of their local freshwater including rivers, streams and lakes. This helps to build a national picture of water quality across the UK. Our first WaterBlitz in June 2024 revealed that 75% of fresh water across the UK showed poor ecological health with significant regional variation.
The next Great UK WaterBlitz will take place over the weekend of 20-23 September 2024.
The campaign is part of Earthwatch Europe’s FreshWater Watch programme. For over a decade, our FreshWater Watch team has been training communities across the globe in freshwater testing, using a simple water monitoring toolkit to detect nutrient pollution. The data gathered by our citizen scientists year-round becomes part of our global data map, which is open access so anyone can use it to fight for change.
Our FreshWater Watch water testing kit (nitrate chart)
The people behind the data
From artists and environmental scientists to wild swimmers and scout groups – we were thrilled to see people of all ages and backgrounds take part in the first WaterBlitz in June 2024. Parents ventured out with their children, while other participants were accompanied by their four-legged friends.
528 people responded to our feedback questionnaire, which revealed that 46% participants had no involvement in the environmental sector before the WaterBlitz. 83% of people took part because they wanted to something for the environment or because of a personal interest in their local water body (57%).
A special thanks goes to the participants who have shared the following stories with us.
Jane Stewart (River Colne, Essex)
I decided to get involved in the Great UK WaterBlitz because I am undertaking an art project that focuses on the health, history and general stories of my local river, the Colne in Essex. I have gone from seeing the river running clear and full as a young person, to now, in my old home town the river being clogged with plants and algae due to the run-off of nitrates. Over the weekend of the WaterBlitz, I was joined for a walk by staff and service users of Level Best, a café and gallery in Colchester that employs people with learning disabilities. Taking part in the WaterBlitz was a lovely experience for the people that I was with, both staff and service users were really involved in why we did it, and some felt like ‘scientists’ performing an experiment and waiting for the colours to change.
Verity from the Gorsemoor Scouts (River Stour, Dorset)
Gorsemoor Scouts are passionate about giving back to the community where we can. We felt that taking part in the Great UK WaterBlitz was another way in which we could do this, particularly as we spend a fair amount of time on the water as a group. We’ve used rivers for kayaking expeditions and other bodies of water for various sailing exercises. I felt proud to be part of something which will have a positive effect on the water quality in the UK. It has also been a great learning experience. I found out that although high levels of nitrates and phosphates are bad for water health, small levels are essential for a healthy ecosystem.
Read more on the Gorsemoor Scouts website.
Paul Salman from GoodGym Barnet (London)
Over the weekend of June 7-10, three enthusiastic GoodGym members participated in the Great UK WaterBlitz. I ventured to a small brook near the North Circular Road in London. It was great just sitting still and listening to the water. Who would’ve thought such a place would provide that tranquility! We really appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the scientific understanding of our river systems. Let’s continue to work together to protect and preserve our precious water resources!
Read the full blog on the GoodGym website.
Reg Godwin (River Deer, Devon)
I’m an environmental scientist, supporting water testing labs and environmental labs across the UK and Ireland. Last October, I joined a local school as a governor and saw an opportunity there to get children involved in science. This is why I signed up to Earthwatch Europe’s FreshWater Watch programme. My two children, Rowan and Hazel, and I joined the Great UK WaterBlitz this June. Our results showed a nitrate issue at Derriton in the River Deer. Seasonal increases are typical with agricultural input. But further investigation is needed upstream. To people out there who want to take action: go for it! If you’re concerned about the environment, then get involved in a citizen science project. The data you record will be really valuable!
Discover more about Reg’s community project introducing school children to freshwater citizen science.
Join our FreshWater Watch network
Would you like to become a freshwater citizen scientist and make a difference in your community? You can join an existing FreshWater Watch community group or set up your own.