Clean River Kent Campaign

We’re delighted to launch a new clean campaign with funding the Clean River Kent Campaign (CRKC) – a community group based in Staveley Cumbria – with Phase 2 of their water testing program.

The CRKC has been at the forefront of several vital campaigns to protect and improve the health of the river Kent. The aim is to make the river Kent clean for all types of water-based recreation and to protect the ecology and wildlife in the river by working with local communities.

This new project aims to assess microbial contamination and health risks in the river Kent by integrating Microbial Source Tracking (MST) and shotgun metagenomic approaches. Building on previous water sample analyses, they will analyse biofilm and passive samplers (i.e. “torpedos”) collected during the summer of 2024

Collecting a body of evidence about the water quality in the River Kent that can be used to continue to hold the agencies responsible for care of the river, and the water company to account. Adding to scientific knowledge about water pollution, with a view to educating / sharing with other groups / agencies.

This work will build on the ground breaking research in Phase 1 to look at the sources of pollution (ie animal/human balance) and provide insights into the efficacy of biofilms as “passive samplers” for microbial pollution, improve our understanding of microbial risks in aquatic environments, and inform future water quality monitoring frameworks.

This project will contribute to scientific knowledge, provide evidence to support campaigning work to stop pollution of waterways, including our local river Kent, provide a case study for other river groups, encourage others in local communities to take action, and engage local people in a positive project

CRKC has 3 years of experience in high quality citizen science, working with University of Cumbria, Freshwater Watch, Surfers Against Sewage, University of Lancaster and currently University of Sheffield. They have built a good reputation locally amongst politicians, agencies and local people for delivering results. They have a skilled team of volunteers along the length of the river Kent to partner with us and University of Sheffield.

A Message from CRKC

This short film from CRKC introduces the project and its aim to achieve Bathing Water status.