Overview
As part of its Bathing Rivers Program, UK-based drinking water company Severn Trent reached out to Environmental Monitoring Solutions for help monitoring water quality on over 50km of the River Leam in Warwickshire and River Teme in Shropshire.
Challenge
The UK’s 2021 Environment Act reflects a growing urgency felt by government agencies, conservationists and the public regarding water quality in the region's rivers. Stakeholders are anxious for water companies to dedicate their resources toward monitoring and improving river ecosystems.
Severn Trent’s Green Recovery–Bathing Rivers Program is just one among many initiatives undertaken as part of its Get River Positive campaign.
Get River Positive includes five pledges Severn Trent promises to uphold as it addresses water quality concerns and takes the lead in improving environmental health in the region:
“They have set themselves an ambitious set of targets,” says Shropshire Wildlife Trust of Severn Trent’s pledges, but “with concern around river water quality at an all-time high, we need key organizations like Severn Trent to gear up and turn the tide.”
Severn Trent’s Green Recovery–Bathing Rivers Program is just one among many initiatives undertaken as part of its Get River Positive campaign.
Get River Positive includes five pledges Severn Trent promises to uphold as it addresses water quality concerns and takes the lead in improving environmental health in the region:
- Ensure storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers.
- Create more opportunities for everyone to enjoy our regions’ rivers.
- Support others to improve and care for rivers.
- Enhance our rivers and create new habitats so wildlife can thrive.
- Be open and transparent about our performance and our plans.
“They have set themselves an ambitious set of targets,” says Shropshire Wildlife Trust of Severn Trent’s pledges, but “with concern around river water quality at an all-time high, we need key organizations like Severn Trent to gear up and turn the tide.”
Solution
Severn Trent commissioned consultant company Environmental Monitoring Solutions (EMS) to install monitoring stations at 78 sites along selected stretches of the River Leam, River Avon and River Teme. EMS used Aqua TROLL® 500 Multiparameter Sondes and VuLink® Telemetry at each site to collect and transmit continuous, near-real-time data on water level, pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and ammonia directly into EMS’s data acquisition system, eDAS®, for remote access and convenient data management.
Having access to continuous water quality data enables Severn Trent to take immediate and informed action to investigate, address and work with others to understand and mitigate the impacts from storm overflows and pollution events from other sources.
Wilfred Denga, Bathing Rivers Lead at Severn Trent, reports that the new system has already helped speed response times to water quality issues.
Shortly after the installation, “we received a query from a key stakeholder about a number of dead fish in the river following some severe flash flooding,” Denga says. Associates from Severn Trent looked at the data coming into eDAS from the locations where the dead fish were sighted. The frequency and quantity of data made it easy to identify the cause. “Thunderstorms had caused surface contaminant runoff to enter the watercourse as diffuse pollution,” Denga says. “The DO drop on these dates was considerable.”
Continuous monitoring allowed Severn Trent to quickly identify the cause of the die-off and communicate this to concerned community members. “It was a quick and easy check on eDAS and we were able to respond to our stakeholder straightaway,” Denga reports.
Having access to continuous water quality data enables Severn Trent to take immediate and informed action to investigate, address and work with others to understand and mitigate the impacts from storm overflows and pollution events from other sources.
Wilfred Denga, Bathing Rivers Lead at Severn Trent, reports that the new system has already helped speed response times to water quality issues.
Shortly after the installation, “we received a query from a key stakeholder about a number of dead fish in the river following some severe flash flooding,” Denga says. Associates from Severn Trent looked at the data coming into eDAS from the locations where the dead fish were sighted. The frequency and quantity of data made it easy to identify the cause. “Thunderstorms had caused surface contaminant runoff to enter the watercourse as diffuse pollution,” Denga says. “The DO drop on these dates was considerable.”
Continuous monitoring allowed Severn Trent to quickly identify the cause of the die-off and communicate this to concerned community members. “It was a quick and easy check on eDAS and we were able to respond to our stakeholder straightaway,” Denga reports.
Results
Thanks to partnership with companies like EMS, local farmers and over 180 community stakeholders, Severn Trent has established the UK’s largest water monitoring network.
In their 2023 Green Recovery Report, Severn Trent shared their plans for current and future data collected from their monitoring sites. “We are building an online tool for customers to be able to view a forecast of river quality on the stretches of the Leam and Teme where we’re making improvements,” reads the report. Such a model would allow the public to benefit from access to continuous monitoring data by showing river water quality in real time.
“I want to say how impressed I am with what Severn Trent has achieved and plans to achieve,” says Diane Lyle of the Ludlow Town Council, “The breadth of the overall vision gives me hope that there really might be some visible changes by 2030.”
In their 2023 Green Recovery Report, Severn Trent shared their plans for current and future data collected from their monitoring sites. “We are building an online tool for customers to be able to view a forecast of river quality on the stretches of the Leam and Teme where we’re making improvements,” reads the report. Such a model would allow the public to benefit from access to continuous monitoring data by showing river water quality in real time.
“I want to say how impressed I am with what Severn Trent has achieved and plans to achieve,” says Diane Lyle of the Ludlow Town Council, “The breadth of the overall vision gives me hope that there really might be some visible changes by 2030.”
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