River Avon poor water quality sparks group tackling pollution

The newly formed Avonvale River Action Group has been set up to raise awareness of the town's polluted streams and regularly keep samples from it.

Louise Bugg, a volunteer from the group, decided to start sampling the River Avon after hearing children were getting sick after swimming in it.

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As a regular wild water swimmer, she decided to investigate the issue further and found the River Avon has high levels of pollution.

Louise Bugg, a volunteer from the group. (Image: Louise Bugg)

"I was told about a few children swimming and got ill and then noticed some fish started disappearing.

"I think if it doesn't get looked after, not only will people enjoying it be put off, but from an angeling point of view, if you don't look after the quality, then the fish rates will go down.

"It would be a shame if people stopped enjoying it because of the water quality or the fish are gone."

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Lou Bugg (Fladbury Resident, volunteer sampler) and Nick Langstone (Birmingham Angling Association Bayliff, volunteer sampler). (Image: Louise Bugg)

Recent samples from the group found the river has an excessive amount of phosphate, incredibly low amounts with 0.785ppm recorded at Fladbury Paddle Club, compared to 0.306ppm as the bar for low.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and animals, but too much of this can cause water-quality problems, including low dissolved oxygen concentrations, which can kill or harm fish and other aquatic life.

It also found that the nitrate in the River Avon at Fladbury Paddle Club was 7.5ppm - with anything above 5ppm being too much. 

Angling Trust sampling kit on the river. (Image: Louise Bugg)

The Avonvale River Action Group will be paddling from Evesham to Pershore on Sunday, September 24, to celebrate World Rivers Day and to raise awareness of poor water quality in the River Avon.

The group will be taking water samples along the way to find out more about the current status of water quality. 

"Thank you to everyone who has volunteered so far with the Avonvale River Action Group," said Ms Bugg.

She also paid thanks to Evesham Town Council, Fladbury Parish Council, Charlton Parish Council and Cropthorne Parish Council, who have paid for the group's sampling kits.