Zero Chippenham, with support from Chippenham Town Council’s Climate & Ecological Emergency Fund, is to launch a year-long, river water quality monitoring project on the River Avon, upstream of the Town Centre.
The project will involve weekly water sampling at selected locations to measure key indicators of river health and pollution, including nutrients, ammonia and bacteria that can affect both wildlife and human health. The results will be published on the Zero Chippenham website and shared with the Town Council and local community groups.
The monitoring will be carried out by trained volunteers, supported by Surfers Against Sewage, and aligned with its national citizen science water quality testing programme, which empowers local communities across the UK to monitor rivers and coastal waters.
This approach uses laboratory testing methods consistent with those used by the Environment Agency and helps build robust local evidence to support action on pollution.
https://datahq.sas.org.uk/citizen-science-data-hq/citizen-science-results/
Zero Chippenham hopes to work with other stakeholders and intends to seek further funding to extend and expand the project in future.
Nick Murry, Chair of Zero Chippenham said:
“This project will contribute towards our goal of protecting our climate and environment. It is aimed at not only improving the quality of the water in our river but engaging local people in the process.”
Karen Simpson, a Zero Chippenham volunteer and water professional said:
“We hope to work with the Sailing & Canoe Club and to share our data with other environmental organisations, in achieving a better understanding of local river health for both ecology and recreation.”
Rob Elkins, who will be managing the project, said:
“This project will give Chippenham reliable, local data about what’s in our river. By making the results public, we hope to raise awareness, support cleaner water and help enhance the biodiversity of the River Avon for everyone who enjoys and depends on it.”
The project is scheduled to begin in April 2026 and run for up to one year.