A new citizen science survey to help assess the health and quality of the UK’s freshwater sources launches this month.

Autumn Water Watch, run by environmental non-profit Planet Patrol, will run from 14-16 October 2022. A first-of-its kind nationwide baseline study, it calls on people up and down the UK to spend 15 minutes observing their local waters, to help determine what needs to be done to urgently improve the UK’s water quality.

The data collected will gather valuable insights into the overall health of waterways, providing near real-time results.

According to the Environment Agency data, testing of rivers in England has fallen dramatically in the past decade from nearly 100,000 samples a year in 2012 to 41,519 in 2021 – the lowest level of sampling in 20 years, apart from a Covid-related drop-off in 2020. Citizen science surveys are a vital tool to fill information gaps, according to Planet Patrol.

Those wanting to get involved are encouraged to download the Planet Patrol app and head down to their nearest freshwater environment - it can be a river, canal, stream or lake - between 14, 15 and 16 October.

The Autumn Water survey in the app should take up to 15 minutes to complete, recording indicators like signs of pollution, wildlife sightings and recent rainfall. An online form is also available.

Founded by campaigner and endurance paddleboarder Lizzie Carr MBE in 2016, Planet Patrol aims to to redefine what can be achieved through collective action. It is working to eliminate single use materials and litter and organises community-led cleanups all over the world.

Lizzie Carr says, “Access to clean water is essential for human health, but also to tackle climate breakdown. Understanding the state of the UK’s waterways using people-powered data is crucial to our mission to improve water quality.

"We hope as many people as possible will join us. It’s a fun and positive way to help the environment, and a great excuse to get outside and spend time in nature with friends and family.

Why get involved:

• Only 14% of English rivers have ‘good’ ecological status
• No English river has ‘good’ chemical status
• In the UK, 16 lakes have been given designated bathing status compared to Germany, which has 32 bathing water stretches in rivers, Poland with 76 and France, which boasts 420.
• In a review of 1,800 climate mitigation strategies, 80% were based around water

Lizzie adds: “While the health of UK's waterways are in crisis, we know that with collective action we can create positive change. We are all connected by the same water and taking part in Autumn Water Watch gives people the chance to act.

"Without the efforts of volunteers, environmental issues like poor water quality would persist, unobserved and unaccounted for, whilst invisibly destroying our environment and ecosystems until it’s too late.”

To get involved, visit the Planet Patrol website.