Environmental charity Thames21 has launched a new online dashboard that – for the first time – brings together key datasets on river health gathered by citizen scientists across London and the Thames Basin.
Thames21’s ‘Citizen Science Dashboard’ currently holds more than 6,000 water quality samples and 2,000 riverfly surveys, making it one of the most complete citizen science tools in the UK. By centralising this information, stakeholders can easily access vital data and have a clear understanding of river health.
The launch of the dashboard platforms the work of a growing citizen science movement, empowering communities to monitor and protect their local rivers.
The dashboard collates water quality and ecology surveys from eight catchments across London and the Thames Basin. This data is sourced from monitoring initiatives such as Water Rangers and ‘The Riverfly Partnership’ workspace on Cartographer, where citizen scientists trained by Thames21 contribute their results. This work builds on the closer collaboration developed through the Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo.org), a national partnership strengthening community-led monitoring through shared methods, tools and training across the UK.
A key feature of the tool is its intuitive interface, which allows users to analyse data in various spatial and time-series views. The dashboard also presents health scorecards, an accessible snapshot of the overall condition of a specific waterbody or catchment that also spotlights the most pressing pollution issues.
The team behind it hopes to translate community engagement into real change. The data and information will make it easier for the public to learn more about river health in their local area and provide a sense of ownership to citizen scientists.
Most critically, the Citizen Science Dashboard aims to highlight problematic areas and stimulate discussions with water regulators and water companies to accelerate change, hold them to account and improve river health.
Chris Coode, CEO at Thames21, said:
“We are thrilled about this new tool. The data collected by our citizen scientists are vital to drive change in local catchments, and we want to thank our volunteers whose dedication makes this possible. With this dashboard we’re increasing the eyes and ears on our rivers so more pollution sources are identified and ultimately stopped.
“Water pollution is an ongoing threat to London’s rivers and the Thames Basin. Ultimately, the water quality and overall health of our rivers must improve. Achieving real change requires a united effort from government bodies, regulators, environmental organisations, investors, and industry leaders. This dashboard is a practical step to help us work together, clean up our water and secure a healthier future for the River Thames.”
The dashboard was created through Thames21’s EMPOWER Rivers Programme, funded by the Lund Trust, with additional funding from SYMBIOREM.
This work builds on the closer collaboration developed through the Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo.org), a national partnership strengthening community-led monitoring through shared methods, tools and training across the UK.
Click here to access the dashboard
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.