How Angling Trust volunteers built an effective river monitoring network

In the UK, more and more river monitoring equipment is being used by volunteer groups of various stripes. 

Today, we’re talking to one of the most well organised and well known, the Angling Trust, about their massive volunteer-run river monitoring system, the Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN).

Recently, the Trust published their second annual report on the WQMN, many findings from which have been reported in the national press.

Here are a few headlines. 

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Volunteers made nearly 4,000 measurements in the last year of nitrate, phosphate, ammonia, electrical conductivity, temperature and turbidity. 

Since starting the WQMN, more than 10,000 samples have been collected.

Tried and tested methods were used, with no ‘fair weather’ bias towards summer months. The low number of visual records of algal blooms or pollution indicate volunteers are not biased towards these.

34% of phosphate readings exceeded the upper standard for good ecological status, similar to the first year (35%). Some catchments showed higher percentages of concerning readings.

Other concentrations exceeded standards far less frequently. For instance, only 2.6% of nitrate readings and 3.8% of ammonia readings.

This is due to unreasonably high Nitrates Directive Standards (11.3ppm). Significantly lower nitrate concentrations have been shown to contribute to eutrophication, so volunteers also compare results with an upper limit of 5ppm.

Against this level, 45% of all nitrate samples showed significantly elevated nitrate levels (44% in Y1 report; calculated by Angling Trust, not independent researchers).

Four catchments were highlighted for their intensive sampling efforts. It was possible to calculate site averages on these catchments based on 8 or more samples within the year.

There are concerns about the Medway and the Avon Warwickshire catchments. 100% of Medway and 86.4% of Avon Warwickshire site averages for phosphate exceeded the WFD standard for good classification. One nitrate site average on the Avon Warwickshire exceeded the Nitrates Directive Standard.

In the Swale, Ure, Nidd and the Upper Ouse, Test and Itchen catchments, only one site average exceeded standards (a phosphate site average in the Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse).

The report discusses some areas of the network that need improvement:

• Firstly, further investigation is needed on certain sites with high phosphate averages should be prioritised for further investigation to identify pollution sources and understand triggers for high concentrations.
• Secondly, data integration is a priority. Integrating WQMN data with existing datasets (e.g., rainfall, river levels, land use) and statutory monitoring data can help identify drivers of poor water quality and track the efficacy of management interventions.
• Lastly, it recommends new reporting processes that would ensure volunteer-collated data is used quickly to identity and escalate pollution concerns by statutory bodies, water companies and others involved in improving river health. 

Last week, we sat down with Alex Farquhar, who manages the Angling Trust’s Water Quality Monitoring Network, to talk about what the network does, how it does it and how it was built.

Let’s start with an easy one: what is the Water Quality Monitoring Network and how did it come about?

The WQMN is a coalition of anglers and other environmental groups who regularly monitor water quality in their local rivers. 

Since its launch in 2021, the WQMN has grown to 800 volunteers who operate across 76 river catchments. 

Our 10,000 water samples have built up a detailed picture of the grim state of our freshwater habitats.

Across England and Wales, anglers have used their WQMN data to press politicians, from parish councillors to Cabinet members, into action. 

The data is informing campaigns and shaping conversations with water companies, industrial representatives, farming groups, and the media. In short, the data is driving change.

As an independent charity, who staffs and maintains the Network?

The driving force of the network is the 800 volunteers across England and Wales. 

I oversee the river WQMN, working to assist groups with data collection and campaigning. 

Dr Emily Smith and Sam Jones are currently overseeing the expansion of the network into estuaries, a new endeavour reaching new communities and requiring different technologies to the freshwater monitoring.

The network is an integral part of the Angling Trust’s Anglers Against Pollution campaign. It emerged in response to the stark reality of our rivers choking under strain of pollution from agricultural runoff to plastics, chemical pesticides to raw sewage. 

It seeks to give anglers a voice in the fight for a better future for our environment by holding the Government to account for its promises, its actions and its responsibilities.

What instruments, software and other technologies are used and what parameters are monitored?

Volunteers are equipped with a range of handheld testing devices to monitor a range or water quality parameters. 

The first is the HM Digital EC-3 Handheld Conductivity Tester, which also monitors water temperature. 

The higher the concentration of dissolved charged chemicals in the water, the greater the electrical current that can be conducted. 

High concentrations could be an indicator of pollution through nutrients such as potassium, chloride, sulphate and nitrate.

Temperature is a vital parameter within the river ecosystem as it controls many of the aquatic species’ life cycles. 

Water temperature controls the rate of many chemical, physical and biological processes in a river. 

Water temperature determines whether a river habitat is suitable for different aquatic species to survive. 

Warm water can hold less dissolved oxygen than cold water. Another important reason to measure temperature is to track the impact of our warming climate on our waterbodies.

Phosphate concentration remains the Environment Agency’s (EA) main metric for assessing chemical health. 

The WQMN uses Hanna Instruments HI-713 Phosphate Low Range Checker. After collecting the water sample, a reagent is added and mixed. 

The reaction between phosphate and the reagent causes a blue tint in the sample. 

This colour is then read by the Checker to provide an on-screen digital readout of phosphate levels in parts per million 3 minutes later.

Another Hanna device used by volunteers is the Medium-range pocket colorimeter for ammonia. 

Ammonia is present in all natural waters, even if at only very low concentrations, and is derived either from the breakdown of organic nitrogen or by the reduction of nitrate. 

Although ammonia is produced in the natural nitrogen cycle, other sources such as sewage treatment and industrial effluents, and run-off from agricultural land are major contributors to the ammonia present in the aquatic environment.

Both ammonia and phosphate are measured in the Water Framework Directive, which was established by the European Union (EU) in 2000 to protect and improve the quality of water across Europe. 

Even though the UK has left the EU, the WFD was retained in UK law post-Brexit, and it continues to shape how water resources are managed. 

The directive aims to ensure that all water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, groundwater, and coastal waters, reach "good status" in terms of ecological health and water quality. 

We are a long way from this target, with just 16% of surface waters in England meeting good ecological status.

Local groups and the Angling Trust’s Anglers Against Pollution campaign form strong campaigns based on comparisons between our vast dataset and the upper limits of good ecological status (GES) under the WFD. 

Our 2nd annual report, published in May and focusing on data collected between July 2023-July2024 painted the picture of the continued ill health of our rivers. 34% of Phosphate samples and 45% of Nitrate samples breached GES, respectively. 

By demonstrating the scale of pollution using reliable citizen science methods, compared against the regulatory pollution thresholds we are equipped to form evidence-based campaigns to hold polluters and regulators to account.

Are there plans to develop the network in the near future - if so, in what way?

The WQMN is the largest regular citizen science water quality testing programme in the UK – and it is set to grow into new environments. 

In February 2025, we began an innovative pilot project on the Ribble Estuary with the support of dedicated volunteers to assess the feasibility of citizen science monitoring water quality. 

The pilot project was a great success, showcasing the ability to safely and accurately monitor local estuaries.

Following the success on the Ribble, we have now been given the go-ahead to roll out the project nationally. 

The new Estuaries Water Quality Monitoring Network (EWQMN) will be the first of its kind citizen science project to monitor the water quality of our understudied estuaries. 

It will allow anglers to gather data which the Angling Trust will use to hold the government to account and campaign for clean, healthy estuaries. 

With 81% of England’s estuaries not meeting the WFD standards for GES, this innovative citizen science project steps into a gap of urgent need, which will build on the success of the WQMN into new habitats.

The WQMN is also set to expand into still waters later this year – meaning that we can monitor rivers, lakes, and estuaries. 

In just 4 years, the network has grown beyond any expectations at the outset, and we’re excited to see what the passionate angling community can achieve in a wider range of habitats as we continue to evolve and grow.

Do you think citizen science is becoming more important in the governance of rivers - if so, why?

100%. A decade ago, our rivers, lakes and seas, were dying due to rampant pollution but public knowledge was limited and it hardly ever gained media attention. 

Fast forward to today, and river governance has become a major electoral issue, and a constant feature of the news cycle. 

This transformation in understanding and the public outcry has been driven by citizen science and campaigning groups, who have brought pollution, mismanagement, and corporate greed to light.

But we haven’t just caused a stir; we’ve secured a place at the table in decision-making processes. 

Local groups who are part of the WQMN sit on catchment-based approach meetings, have an open dialogue with water companies, the Environment Agency, and other regulators. 

They are using these relationships to drive progress. The network of Environment Agency citizen science leads has grown in recent years, in some cases due to pressure from WQMN groups, providing a crucial interface between citizen scientists and the EA.

One could write a book on the stories of WQMN groups driving change in their river catchment, but two stories stand out.

First, The Test and Itchen Association (T&IA) was formed in 1907 to promote fly fishing on both rivers. 

116 years later, they joined the WQMN having seen drastic declines in river health. In March 2024, they joined a coalition of riverkeepers to protest sewage dumping at the Fullerton Wastewater Treatment Works. 

The site had been operating to permit, not capacity, and was being overrun by water tankered in from leaky pipes.

Following the protest, the capacity was increased by 60%, drastically reducing sewage spills. Water companies working to permit, not capacity is an absurd issue nationwide. 

Campaigners on the River Test have shown that sanity can prevail when local groups identify, understand, and protest against the polluters responsible.

Meanwhile, the Nidd Action Group (NAG) sprung out of local fly-fishermen’s concern about deteriorating water quality. 

Widespread concern was ignited by WQMN volunteers’ work, which revealed the extent of pollution in the Nidd.

Working with Harrogate MP Tom Gordon, they successfully campaigned to achieve bathing water status for the Lido at Knaresborough. 

NAG, along with many groups across England and Wales, have used citizen science to establish themselves as stakeholders in decision making processes.

Working with politicians, regulators, universities and a community of campaigners, they demonstrate the power of data driven, collaborative campaigns.

There are more stories from the Anglers Trust’s citizen scientists in the 2nd Annual Report of the Water Quality Monitoring Network, which you can read here. 

To learn more about the Network and how you can get involved, click here.