Meet-up for volunteers testing river water quality

Volunteers have been testing river water quality as part of a national scheme.

They met at Brimfield on the Shropshire-Herefordshire border to take samples, check phosphorous and nitrate levels and compare notes.

The project has been funded by Ofwat, the water watchdog, as part of a wider pilot scheme, with more than a dozen volunteers involved in monitoring the River Teme.

Water company Severn Trent, which has been supporting them with technical expertise and testing facilities, said it was a "brilliant opportunity to meet people who are passionate about rivers".

Volunteer Susie Roy, who works in environmental consultancy, said those taking part came from a range of backgrounds.

Some were interested in their local environment, while others were wild water swimmers, she said.

Ms Roy said she believed people were becoming more engaged in the topic of water quality and added: "The way to change stuff is for public pressure to drive things."

Alice Fallon from the Severn Rivers Trust charity said "by trialling different methods we are working out ways we can use volunteers and scientists".

She said she hoped the information could be used to find ways of making improvements to water quality.

Kat Kavanagh the executive director of Water Rangers, an organisation originally set up in her native Canada, has been working to improve community access to water testing technology.

She said she was keen to try out new methods of testing and added: "I think people often care deeply about the rivers, but they often don't know what to do or how to help."

Ms Kavanagh said the volunteers had been very enthusiastic and were "sponges to learn all this stuff".

Severn Trent said it would use the information gathered to support future investment plans and to see where there might be problems.

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