Wednesday, 20th March, 7.45pm online

Guest speaker: Lawrence Beale Collins

How volunteers are testing and tracking water quality and how pollution affects our river habitats and species

Book now: qwag@qwag.org.uk

Public concern about polluted water is high.

The sewage scandal hit the headlines in 2021, but long before this a volunteer army of ‘citizen scientists’ formed to track water quality, and help build up a picture of effect of different pollutants – see list below – on river life.

QWAG member, Lawrence Beale Collins, knows our local rivers like the back of his hand, having also served as Thames21’s Ravensbourne Catchment Coordinator for our local area.

Lawrence will talk about two projects – Outfall Safari and Riverfly – and how you can get involved.

There are lots of ‘outfalls’ into our main local rivers – the Ravensbourne, the Quaggy and the Pool – from underground streams and former rivers long covered over, and from built development.

The ‘Outfall Safari’ helps record where all of the potential sources of pollution are from this largely hidden network of underground pipes large and small.

The Riverfly monitoring project records the health of some of the smallest lifeforms in our rivers and freshwaters.

Aquatic insects are central to the health of rivers. They are biological indicators for monitoring water quality because they are often first to suffer the effects of pollution.

Riverflies are an essential link in the food chain and if they are not in good numbers in our rivers and freshwaters, the signs are not good for other species such as fish and kingfishers.

Ultimately, the information from both projects helps to track and trace pollution problem to its source so that it can be resolved, and even future problems prevented.

About water pollution:

There is more to water quality than sewage which can mask that our rivers, freshwater and seas and also affected by a cocktail of other pollutants such as:

  • engine oil and brake dusts and fluids that gets washed off roads into rivers and groundwaters
  • effluent from badly connected pipes in housing including from dodgy DIY
  • the dumping of construction waste
  • residues from medicines such as pain relief (ibuprofen) and other pharmaceuticals
  • residues from recreational drug use
  • run off from the use of fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on farms, parks, and streets, which seep into soils and into ground waters
  • persistent ‘forever chemicals’ which have been used in cleaning products, clothing, furniture, and fire retardants
  • litter and microplastics.

Book now by emailing qwag@qwag.org.uk

Make a splash without getting wet!