Test my river

Raising awareness

Make noise in the media by using your data to reveal the true state of our rivers, expose those responsible, and highlight the real-world impacts of pollution. Shocking findings can grab attention, spark public outrage, and build pressure for action. By engaging journalists and media with hard data and personal stories, it brings water pollution into the national conversation, building public and political pressure. Check out our media interest section for tips on turning data into headlines.

You can also present your data in a visually compelling way using graphs, infographics, and maps to improve accessibility and impact. Incorporate before-and-after comparisons to effectively highlight pollution trends, making the issue more engaging and impactful. Websites like Tableau and Canva can be used for presenting data and creating infographics.

Pressure Regulators & Authorities

Data can pressure regulators and authorities by exposing breaches in regulation, gaps in official monitoring, failing infrastructure, and the need for stronger enforcement. Report your findings to official bodies like the Environment Agency, Defra, or local councils. Hold them accountable to legal water quality thresholds and investigating pollution incidents. Citizen science can further expose gaps in official monitoring, demanding a more robust and inclusive testing and regulatory regime.

Campaigning and Policy

Underpin campaigning efforts such as petitions, protests, and media stunts, with your findings to hold polluters and regulators accountable for their environmental damage in the public image.

Simultaneously, present your data to MPs, policymakers, and local authorities to pressure for change. Use evidence to support engagement with parliamentary figures and debates, consultations, and inquiries, ensuring rivers remain a top priority in policy discussions. By combining policy advocacy with grassroots action, your data can help shape the future of our rivers.

Gathering data is also an important part of obtaining Bathing Water Status. Check out Surfers Against Sewage’s Bathing Water Designation Community Toolkit for all you need to know.

To begin, we suggest starting out with testing your local river’s phosphate and nitrate levels. High levels of phosphate and nitrate in your river can indicate the presence of agricultural and sewage pollution, as it is often found in waste and fertilisers. This can be detrimental to a river’s health, stunting the growth of important species.

Using phosphate and nitrate kits, such as Hanna’s phosphate checker, provides an easy assessment of the river ecosystem’s health. See our PDF on phosphate and nitrate testing to learn more about getting started.

If you feel confident testing for nitrates and phosphate, consider testing for the presence of pathogens in the river. Pathogens are disease producing germs that can pose significant threats to human health, so testing for them is crucial to determine the safety of a river for recreational use.

E. coli and intestinal enterococci are the pathogen indicating bacteria most commonly tested for, and usually reveal the presence of sewage pollution. However, testing for pathogens is more complex as it often involves sending samples to a lab. See our PDF on pathogen testing for information on how to get started.

Observational data is the visible and sensory information about a river’s condition, such as water clarity, colour, odours, flow, presence of algae, wildlife activity, and any signs of pollution like foam. It can also include weather conditions and time of day.

Whilst it doesn’t require any specialist equipment, it’s really important to collect observational data to supplement test results as it can provide essential information and context to help better identify and understand what’s happening in the river.

For example, The Riverfly Monitoring Partnership is a fantastic nation-wide initiative that supports volunteers in assessing the health of our rivers by observing the organisms, particularly invertebrates, that inhabit them. Volunteers are trained to perform testing methods such as kick sampling, to examine the quality and quantity of key indicator species in their local river to build long term datasets on its health.

Also see this example observational data survey from the Westcountry Rivers Trust.

Also be sure to keep an eye out for the annual Rivers Trust Big River Watch, a simple nation wide survey of our rivers health.

Building a robust dataset with regular test results over time is invaluable. This ongoing record serves as credible evidence to challenge regulators, water companies, and officials, especially in legal cases. Beyond a single shocking test result for media, a comprehensive database strengthens your case, proving patterns of pollution and holding those responsible accountable.

National databases like Freshwater Watch collate citizen science data on a large scale and present a wider picture of the health of our rivers.

Alternatively, you can create your own detailed database at Epicollect, and upload results via their mobile app or website. For example, have a look at the Epicollect databases made by The Angling Trust Water Quality Monitoring Network and the Friends of the Upper Wye.

Creating a risk assessment for your group is essential, particularly when working near water. Safety is paramount for all activities. See the Risk Assessment templates & guidance by the Canal & Rivers Trust.

Gaining access and rights to sample a river or waterway can be tricky. Check this guidance from Blue Trails, and always abide by the Countryside Code. You can find a template letter to landowners from Earthwatch here.