Help us study the Conwy River by becoming a Citizen Scientist
The Conwy River is important for both nature and people. A team of researchers in Â鶹Íø's School of Environmental and Natural Sciences want to learn more about how clean the river water is and if there are bugs (viruses and bacteria) that can make us ill in there.
When there's a big rainstorm (which might happen more often because of climate change), dirty water from sewers sometimes goes into the river, this is known as sewage discharge. Sewage discharge is made up of rain water, and anything we flush down the toilet. Our poo and wee can contain bugs (viruses and bacteria) that can make us ill. We would like to understand what kind of bugs (viruses and bacteria) are in the river and how it affects the river, and us.
What We're Doing
We are making a computer program that can tell us when the river water is clean or dirty, but we need to check if our program is right. To do this, we need to test water samples from the river.
How You Can Help
Become a citizen scientist! We need help collecting water samples, that we will test for nasty bugs that can make us ill. You don't need any special skills - we'll teach you everything you need to know.
You can also help by telling us what you think about the river by sharing your thoughts in our online survey.
Why This Matters
The information we collect will help make better rules about keeping rivers clean in the UK and Europe.
Want to Join Us?
Email us at: Waterwales@bangor.ac.uk
Follow Â鶹Íø on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn for updates.
We'll post news about the project and fun events you can join.
Everyone is welcome to help - the more people who join in, the better we can protect our river!
Funding
This work has been part-funded by Dŵr Cymru Citizen science fund, the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101057764 and by the UKRI/HM Government.