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Waterways are an essential part of our local environment, and they need to be monitored and cared for. We have begun by monitoring at ten sites in Eynsham and one in South Leigh. Please contact us if you would like to join in, particularly if you have a stream or pond in your village that you would like to monitor as part of the project. We are testing once a month in the first week of the month. Dr Lucy Dickinson is leading our water surveys with Prof Kevan Martin and Dr Maarten van Hardenbroek is leading surveys of the bugs in our brooks through the spring and summer season.

It is quite clear that our freshwater quality is being compromised by multiple sources of pollutants.  Our goal is to gather and share as much information as we can about the quality of water in the rivers, streams and ponds that flow in and around Eynsham. These different water courses can support a great diversity of plants and animals and we need to ensure they do. Thus we have begun by measuring precisely the quality of the water and observing the plants and animals that live there.

We have been fortunate to get funding to acquire professional lab equipment to measure water quality, but the observations about the associated animals and fauna do not require specialist equipment, just enthusiasm, committment, endurance, and some training, We encourage as many people to get involved as possible so that over time we can build up a knowledge and committed group of local surveyors. For more details on on the what, where and why of the project click here. If you want to read Lucy DIckinson's summary of the results so far, click here.

Water quaklity surveys do require some training, so look out for our next training sessions.

Share your opinions and questions in the Water Survey Forum.

Sign the NRN Survey Consent Form so that we can share your sightings with national research organisations. 

You might find the following equipment helpful:

• a notebook
• a guide (Human or Artificial)
• a camera