The Big River Watch is an invitation for communities in the UK and Ireland to love their local river and to be part of a movement demanding better for our rivers.
The project is coordinated by The Rivers Trust and supported by partners with funding from CIWEM and The Rivers Trust Foundation for Water Research (FWR) legacy fund and Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo) project from the Ofwat Innovation fund.
The Big River Watch weekend will take place over the weekend of the 22 -24 September, coinciding with World Rivers Day on 24 September.
It consists of a free app containing a simple survey, and anybody who can access a river can take part – all you need to do is spend a little time watching your local watercourse and answering the questions.
All the survey data will provide a large-scale picture of river health and help us fight for better for our rivers.
How to take part
In just three easy steps, anybody can help us get a clearer picture of river health across the UK and Ireland. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Sign up
Sign up and download the survey app to your phone before your visit.
Step 2: Take part
Pick a riverside location to join others around the country in collecting data about the health of your local river. You can complete the survey at your favourite local spot or choose to get to know somewhere new.
Visit between the 22 and 24 September 2023, and spend just 15 minutes observing and answering the questions on the survey. You'll tell us about the things that you see - from wildlife and plants to the flow speed of the water and whether you can spot any pollution. If you don't know what you're looking at, use our handy in-app ID guides for pollution and wildlife.
Step 3: Upload your results
Upload your survey. We'll gather up all your results and our data specialists will get busy analysing the information so that The Rivers Trust and other environmental organisations can be better armed in the fight for healthier, wilder rivers.
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