Local volunteers have been busy keeping an eye on the health of their favourite river in the Eden Valley. This is part of a national monitoring scheme which aims to protect the water quality of our rivers and actively conserve river environments.
Every month those involved study the insects, in their chosen section of river, by collecting a small sample and identifying and counting eight key species. Freshwater insects vary in their ability to cope with pollution so it is possible to get an indication of water quality from the species present and their abundance.
In the last six years more than 50 local volunteers have attended training courses run by Eden Rivers Trust in partnership with the Environment Agency (EA) and the Riverfly Partnership. These have received financial support from the Cumbria Community Foundation and Environment Agency.
In England the EA monitors river invertebrates on a rolling programme of every three to five years. However this can leave gaps in which pollution incidents can be missed. This is where The Riverfly Partnership (a network of nearly 100 partner organisations) has stepped in by coming up with a simplified method that enables anglers and other interested people to become involved in the monitoring programme. By using the same sampling technique as the EA and concentrating on a few of the most sensitive families of invertebrates the monitoring can be directly linked with that of the EA.
The findings are sent to the EA and help to identify any problems with water quality. They act as an early warning system for pollution and build up a picture of the condition of the river over time. Often nothing of concern is detected which is the best outcome for the environment.
To get involved you can contact the Trust office at Newton Rigg College, Penrith on tel. no. 01768 866788 or via email office@edenrt.org .
Some of the invertebrates included in the monitoring
