Download the guide for Citizen Scientists here: Investigating pollution from road runoff across your catchment v4
I have often complained that the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales fail to recognise the scale of pollution from highway runoff in our rivers, estuaries and aquifers. And I cannot take enough samples myself, nor gather enough evidence to change this effectively across the whole of the UK. So I hope that groups of Citizen Scientists and river activists can help to raise the profile of this problem and to identify opportunities to install solutions.
Stormwater Shepherds UK has published a short guide for these groups to help them to identify pollution from highway runoff, to work out which outfalls are having the most impact, and to consider possible solutions. I am also asking these volunteers to report pollution from highway runoff to the regulators so that the extent of the problem is properly reflected in River Basin Plans and in the ‘Plan for Water’ in the future.
If you are involved in Citizen Science monitoring, or you are part of a group that is fighting for pollution control for your local river, please have a look at the guide and let me know if you find it useful. It has been written with the help of local volunteers, and you are the people who can tell us if there are bits that need amending or adding.
And remember that your safety is of the utmost importance, so don’t go anywhere until you have read the section on Health & Safety. Get permission off the landowner before you start looking for highway outfalls, and never go onto National Highways property.
If you’d like a chat about gathering evidence of pollution from highways, I’d be happy to chat with you so drop me an e-mail. And if you use the guide to identify the outfalls in your catchment, please let me know; by working together we can amplify our voices.
Jo.bradley@stormwatershepherds.org
