If you are interested in river water quality in Saltford then please consider taking part in BART’s RiverBlitz. Saltford residents can collect a kit from the BART event in Keynsham on 8th July and learn about how to use it (details in comments) or register online by 1st July. For more information about water quality in Saltford please visit SPC’s page here.
Message from BART below:
Rivers are the lifeblood of ecosystems and provide valuable natural spaces for a variety of
recreational activities from dog walking, wild swimming to angling. However, many of our beloved
rivers are in poor ecological condition, threatened by various factors from pollution to human
modification. To better understand the state of our rivers, the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) annual Bristol Avon RiverBlitz is returning on the 7th – 14th of July! After seven successful years, BART are hopeful that enthusiastic citizen scientists will sign up in record numbers to help gather important data on the health of rivers and streams across the Avon catchment. By collecting and collating this snapshot
data on water quality, BART are able to better understand the impacts affecting the health of our
rivers, helping to identify priority sites in need of further investigation.
Volunteers will collect water samples from their local river and test nitrate and phosphate levels with
easy-to-use water testing kits. This will give an indication of water quality at that particular time and
place. Once samples are collected, the data will be uploaded to BART’s online tool. Data from across
the catchment is then collated and the results can be viewed on the open access ‘Bristol Avon
RiverBlitz Explorer’ platform, which you can explore to view the past seven year’s data!
BART are also excited to be hosting a RiverBlitz events For the River Chew. The event will provide volunteers the opportunity to collect their kit in person, with members of the BART team demonstrating how to undertake sampling and answering questions about the methodology or any other river related questions that you might have. The event will take place on the 8th of July from 10am to 2pm at Keynsham Memorial Park, BS31 1HL.
Nitrate and phosphate are important nutrients in rivers, however in excessive quantities they cause
problems for wildlife. Excess nutrients cause algae to thrive, sometimes developing into mats
blocking sunshine reaching the riverbed. When algae decomposes, it depletes oxygen in the water.
Lower oxygen levels and nutrient imbalance means some plants and animals cannot survive whilst
other, less desirable, species may dominate. Monitoring the levels of phosphate and nitrate in our
rivers is therefore essential to the management and conservation of our waterways.
Rozy Gray, Bristol Avon RiverBlitz Project Manager at BART, said: “Our annual Bristol Avon RiverBlitz
project is a fantastic way for people to get out and spend time by their local river, getting to better
understand the ecosystem while also taking an active role to contribute to the ongoing conservation
of these spaces.
Our rivers are facing enormous challenges of which excessive nutrient inputs are a major aspect,
negatively impacting the diversity of species inhabiting our river environments. Monitoring nutrient
levels, whilst simultaneously raising awareness of their impact, is what RiverBlitz is all about and we
hope that people are both interested and excited to get involved to do their bit to support BART’s
work in protecting them into the future.”
If you are interested in getting involved, you can sign up for free to become a RiverBlitz citizen
scientist by following this link: https://bristolavonriverstrust.org/riverblitz/register. Make sure to sign
up before 1st July in order to receive your free easy-to-use monitoring kit in the post, which includes
everything you need to complete a successful BART RiverBlitz survey. Alternatively, you can attend
one of BART’s in person RiverBlitz events where you can talk to our friendly team and collect a water
test kit.
Bristol Avon RiverBlitz events – for more details visit https://bristolavonriverstrust.org/events/
River Chew: Keynsham Memorial Park, Saturday 8th July 10am-2pm
Land Yeo: Watercress farm, Wraxall, Saturday 8th July 10am – 2pm
Wellow Brook: Midsomer Norton Town Park, Sunday 9th July 10am – 2pm
River Biss: Trowbridge Park Pond, Trowbridge, Sunday 9th July 10am – 2pm
Thank you to our funders: Avon Wildlife Trust, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Bristol Water, Bristol Avon
Catchment Partnership, The Big Give, Osbourne Clark Charitable Fund, Robert Clutterbuck Charitable
Trust, Triodos Foundation and Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.