The Big River Watch is back!
The Big River Watch is back!
Get involved in helping our rivers between the 24th and 30th April 2026! The Big River Watch is a citizen science event which is held twice a year – and the River Trust have teamed up with Earthwatch’s Great UK WaterBlitz. This means that the data can be paired up, giving an even greater insight and depth into the surveys everyone does!
The observations people made give a compelling story about the state of our rivers – and our connection to them.
Never mind "messing about on the river" (remember the song?), you can enjoy the river and do some serious citizen science to help our rivers!
How to take part....
Download the free Big River Watch app (see Apple or Android) before you go to the river.
Spend 15 minutes watching the river, and answer the questions in the survey about what you see, e.g. wildlife and plants, and signs of pollution. You can do this at a favourite spot on the river or go somewhere new. And if you’re not sure what you see, the in-app pollution and wildlife guides will help you!
Then press submit and upload your Big River Watch survey! And the river specialists will analyse the results of everyone’s findings.
Share your photos on social media with #BigRiverWatch
You could also take part in the Great UK WaterBlitz and do your Big River Watch in the same place. This helps pair the two data sets, which means there’s an even greater insight into our river health.
The app and survey are open year round so that you can keep recording information about your river!
Take a look at the map of where people are taking part - there are some gaps in the map that the River Trust would dearly love to fill in - do you live there or close by? Can you help?
Looking after our rivers improves the wellbeing of everyone. Alarmingly, just 15% of river stretches in England are in good overall health. Our rivers, say the Trust, are polluted with sewage, plastic, chemicals and nutrients. You can imagine what that is doing to the health of people and wildlife. The State of Our Rivers report tells you more.
Since its launch in 2023, over 22,000 people have taken part, submitting over 12,500 surveys of rivers in the UK and Ireland. You can see some of the data and see how your local river is doing in the Big River Watch Data Dashboard.
Two further actions you can take:
Email your local political representative demanding better for our freshwater blue spaces. The River Trust has a tool to help you find the contact details of yours, and you can copy the draft email template which is generated with your rep's details. The Trust tells you more here.
The River Trust is taking part in Earth Raise 2026 - you could donate. All donations from mid-day 22nd April through to mid-day on 29th April 2026 are doubled so this is a great opportunity to make your donation go further at no further cost to you! (Earth Raise used to be called the Green Match Fund but it was rebranded in 2026).
The stunning photo at the top is by Jonny Gios - amazing photo, Jonny! Thank you!
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