The largest citizen science water testing project in the UK, organized by the Angling Trust, has found that 83% of English rivers exhibit high pollution levels, primarily attributed to sewage and agricultural waste. Anglers, driven by concerns about sewage blooms in the waters they tend for fish, participated in the study.
A total of 641 anglers from 240 angling clubs regularly monitor pollution in 190 rivers across 60 catchments. Over 3,800 samples have been taken, uncovering systemic pollution caused by agricultural runoff and sewage spills by water companies.
The findings indicate that 83% of monitored rivers failed phosphate standards for good ecological status in at least one test, with 44% of site averages for phosphate also failing the standard. Excessive phosphates can lead to increased algae growth, reducing oxygen levels in river water and endangering aquatic life.
Mapped catchments with the highest phosphate site averages include the Medway; Swale, Ure, Nidd, and Upper Ouse; Severn Middle Worcestershire; Loddon and tributaries; Wey and tributaries; Warwickshire Avon; Ribble; Hampshire Avon; Upper and Bedford Ouse.
Jamie Cook, CEO of the Angling Trust, stressed the need for increased enforcement and updates to existing laws to address river pollution. The Angling Trust plans to release annual reports based on the monitoring results, highlighting the pervasive issue of river pollution in England. Volunteers argue that it should not solely be their responsibility to track river conditions, citing cuts to the government’s Environment Agency and insufficient information from the water and agricultural sectors
