Suffolk citizen scientists taking poor River Deben water quality into their own hands

A group of citizen scientists tired of worrying about what's in the river have taken matters into their own hands - and are learning how to conduct detailed scientific tests themselves.

The volunteers have attended a workshop, supported by the Environment Agency, to help build a credible source of information on water quality.

Although they've been taking water samples for the past two years, now they'll be able to measure a much wider range of factors.

Eamonn O'Nolan, Chair of the Deben Climate Centre, said they find something different in the river every day.

"We started off with E. coli because it's very easy and cheap to test for, but now we're spending more money and we're digging deeper to find out what else is in the river that might not be helpful to our health" he said.

So far, the team of volunteers has focused on assessing the status of microbial levels associated with discharges from sewage treatment works and livestock farms, as well as testing for chemical pollutants.

The new training will allow them to test pH, temperature, conductivity and turbidity - a measure of water clarity.

The Deben citizen science programme was launched after recreational use of the river boomed during the pandemic lockdowns.

They have been spurred on by the campaigning by former pop star Feargal Sharkey and the voting down of an amendment to the Environment Bill that would have stopped water companies dumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

Scientists like Dr Nick Tucker from the University of Suffolk say having access to this stream of new data is proving invaluable.

"There are a lot of things that go on in our rivers that are unseen and unreported," he said.

"By getting involved people can help identify what those risks of pollution and contamination are so that we can solve those problems for the benefit of all the river users."

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