rivers rivers in the UK achieve good chemical health
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rivers in the UK achieve good overall health
We need to act now
Since 2012 two-thirds of funding has been cut by the government to monitor water quality and there has been an 83% reduction in formal water monitoring leaving the state of our waterways in a critical state.
Our freshwater environments are being destroyed by an avalanche of pollutants and we urgently need the government to take transformative action to repair the damage before it is too late.
Not a single river in the UK is currently in an overall state of ‘good’ chemical health and only 14% achieve good ecological health – down from the already embarrassingly low 16% of a few years ago.
Are you based in Leeds or London?
Our Water Patrol programme is now open in these two locations!
Help us see what’s happening in your local waterways, using simple test kits and our free app, to track pollution and drive change.
From chemical and toxic metal pollution to pathogens, sewage, PFAS, and microplastics, our waterways are rapidly deteriorating, impacting both human health and the ecosystems that rely on them to survive.
Our rivers, lakes, and canals are valuable community assets. These important blue spaces are transformative for our mental wellbeing and physical health.
These spaces look after us, now it’s time for us to look after them.
In 2019 dangerous pollutants in England’s rivers reached the
highest levels
since modern testing began
Cancer-linked ‘forever chemicals’, PFAS, have been found at about
17,000
sites across the UK and Europe
Become a water tester
Let’s take matters into our own hand! We’ve developed a citizen science programme to address the lack of data available on water quality across the UK. Everyone can help, no scientific background needed.
If you’re based in Leeds or London, you can order a kit right now and start testing your local waterway by joining our Water Patrol programme.
If you’re not based there but are keen to test water near you, please fill out this form to register your interest and we’ll be in touch.
Interested in our 2022 water testing pilot study ‘What Lies Beneath’? Click here.