River Testing by Anglers in England and Wales Reveals Phosphate ‘Crisis’

Testing of English and Welsh rivers by volunteers from angling groups has revealed that 34 percent of freshwater sites tested breach the upper limit of phosphate levels.

The anglers are using the data they collected to push for change in the treatment of rivers, but, according to environmental consultancy the Angling Trust, in collaboration with nonprofit Fish Legal, they have a monumental task ahead of them, reported The Guardian.

“Our freshwater habitats are in crisis – a fact now widely recognised by the public, politicians and regulators,” said Jamie Cook, chief executive of the Angling Trust. “Many anglers already knew this, having witnessed the decline in water quality at our favourite fishing spots.”

Roughly 4,000 samples collected from July of 2023 to July of last year were analyzed in the report. The anglers measured the levels of phosphate, ammonia, nitrate, temperature, electrical conductivity and turbidity of 76 catchments. They also used photographs and visual observations in compiling their data.

“This report sheds further light on the dire state of our rivers and shows how anglers are using data to deepen our understanding of water pollution – and to influence the future of river management when recognised as legitimate stakeholders in decision-making processes,” Cook added.

Just 16 percent of rivers in England have what is considered to be “good ecological status” (GES) — phosphate levels of 0.306 parts per million (ppm) or lower.

There is no upper limit for nitrate, but independent guidance given to volunteers with the Angling Trust specified that concentrations of the chemical compound of five ppm or higher were excessive for freshwater habitat — a level that 45 percent of the samples exceeded.

“The waters we fish are in crisis. Pollution is the main cause with every water body in England assessed against the Water Framework standard failing. And things are becoming worse, not better. Our Government has repeatedly said that the UK wishes to be a world leader in conserving both the environment and biodiversity but has frequently failed to back this up with action,” the Angling Trust said on its website.

The report revealed that the pollution was not spread evenly throughout the catchments. In one — Medway catchment, located primarily in southeast England — all of the site phosphate averages failed to achieve the water framework directive’s legal definition of GES.

And in Warwickshire’s Avon catchment, 86 percent of site averages did not meet the standard.

“This report paints a picture of the continued ill health of our rivers and the systemic failure to make the rapid shifts in governance needed to bring them back to life. Listening to citizen science initiatives like this one is essential to this process,” said Alex Farquhar, the Angling Trust’s campaigns and advocacy officer, as The Guardian reported.

Anglers with the Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society collected 279 samples from 15 monitored sites that were then analyzed by Dr. Liz Bagshaw and Dr. Eleanor Kean, independent researchers with University of Bristol. All of the samples breached the GES limit for phosphate.

The anglers pressured the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency to establish a joint monitoring group, which revealed that over 90 percent of pollution issues were caused by outflows and direct outputs from wastewater treatment plants and combined sewer overflows, the responsibility of Southern Water.

“Our waterways are suffocating from all forms of pollution – from agricultural runoff to plastics, chemical pesticides to raw sewage – time is no longer a luxury we can afford in the fight for a cleaner tomorrow for our environment, our fish and our sport,” the Angling Trust said.

Over 50 anglers participated in the monitoring in Warwickshire. Their samples showed that 86.4 percent of regularly tested sites in 2023 and 2024 had average phosphate readings that breached GES status — much higher than the average for the country.

“While our efforts to force the water companies and Environment Agency to improve may be perceived by some to be too little too late… my hope is that by applying the pressure now, my grandchildren will benefit from a clean and safe natural river environment where wildlife and fish will once again flourish,” said Andy Hammerton, a Girling Angling Society Water Quality Monitoring Network volunteer, as reported by The Guardian.