Angling Trust ‘Water Quality Monitoring Network’ Also Applies to Wales!

As part of the Angling Trust ‘Anglers Against Pollution‘ campaign, the Angling Trust has launched the Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN) to engage angling clubs in better understanding pollution issues on their waters.

In Wales, only 44% of rivers are achieving good ecological status under the Water Framework Directive 2018 interim classification, with many failing for phosphates and nitrates. In England only 14% of rivers are achieving Good Ecological Status and none meet Good Chemical Status for substances such as phosphates and nitrates.

The WQMN will support the delivery of effective solutions that will help restore our rivers to a healthy state, and use the findings to help the Angling Trust and Fish Legal hold the government, polluters and regulators to account.

The WQMN was initially rolled out in the Severn catchment, but is now being extended to other areas of the UK, Including Wales.

Welsh angling clubs and associations are very welcome to take part. Several have signed up already and the Angling Trust are keen to involve and encourage more WQMN participation in Wales.

How it works

Testing kits will be supplied* to the angling club, where club members and volunteers will test the club rivers once per month. This can easily be done whilst fishing, on a working party day, or during regular bailiff activity. Test results are recorded on ‘Epicollect’ an easy to use online data collection program, which can be accessed via a smartphone app on the river bank.

*Note: Monitoring test kits are supplied at Cost Price, typically in the region of £113 per kit. There are enough consumables in the kits to sample one site, once per month for two years. If volunteers want to sample more sites or to sample more often that is fine.  Additional sets of consumable are £34 for 25 tests.

Welsh Angling clubs who wish to join the WQMN should contact kristian.kent@anglingtrust.net

Kris Kent, Campaigns & Advocacy Manager of the Angling Trust, said:

“Anglers are passionate about the places they fish and have long been working on the preservation and restoration of freshwater habitats. Whether it’s club work parties, volunteering on Rivers Trust projects, undertaking riverfly monitoring, litter picks or bailiffing, anglers are a potent force for good and often unsung heroes.

“The Water Quality Monitoring Network aims to harness the power of angling clubs and anglers to understand the quality of water across England and Wales to establish a solid foundation of data which can be used to better understand the factors affecting water quality.

“This data will also aid in the development of effective solutions to improve water quality, and will provide the Angling Trust with evidence to support its campaigning.”

The WQMN will be formed from angling clubs, anglers and other volunteers who will carry out monitoring on rivers across England and Wales to gather a range of data on a regular basis.

The data will include:
-Phosphates
-Nitrates
-Electrical conductivity
-Temperature
-Water levels
-Flow rates
-Presence of algal blooms
-Presence of pollution

In the video below Will Millard Talks about the WQMN.