FreshWaterWatch River Roe and River Bann

FreshWaterWatch is a global citizen science project led by Earthwatch Europe, an environmental charity with science at its heart.

Sea2it coordinates monthly water quality sampling surveys on the River Roe and River Bann as part of FreshWaterWatch. Our volunteers contribute data on water quality (nitrates, phosphates, turbidity, colour etc) to a global citizen science based database of water quality, enabling identification and monitoring of local water quality issues.

The results of the monthly monitoring can help identify water quality problems for further investigation by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. They also enable our volunteers and FreshWaterWatch to build up a time-series of data to investigate monthly, seasonal and yearly variations in water quality.

Water quality has a huge impact on the aquatic species and habitats for which the River Roe and River Bann are internationally recognised as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). It also has significant impacts on the communities which rely on excellent water quality for services (drinking water etc), recreation and wider eco-system services.

Currently Sea2it monitor water quality monthly at 8 locations on the Roe and Bann. Our hope is to expand surveying to include additional points on the Roe and Bann, and additionally include survey points along the River Bush.

Volunteers who may be interested in participating in future monitoring efforts can register their interest by emailing info@sea2it.org 

The results of our monitoring efforts can be viewed below