Water Quality Blitz!

Join the River Wey Trust and Water Rangers UK at ZERO Guildford for our bi-annual Water Quality Blitz! It'll be a practical session on community water monitoring... plus a River Wey catchment update on everything that’s been happening locally with our partners! We’ll share how your data supports local decisions and national work with CaSTCo.

We'll host a how-to session on how to test. If you're keen to go out testing after, you'll get a Water Rangers chemistry mini-kit to keep to test later the same day (or the next day) for a coordinated River Wey Blitz, aligned with the Rivers' Trust Big River Watch and FreshWater Watch Great UK Water Blitz initiatives! These kits are provided to you, thanks to the generosity of the River Wey Trust. We'll be helping to shape a national picture of water health!

You’ll learn to test

• Temperature & pH

• Alkalinity & hardness

• Phosphates & nitrates

We’ll cover good sampling practice, safety, and how to submit results to the Water Rangers platform.

What to bring

We'll provide everything you need to sample, but we'll be assembling some items together. If you have them, bring well-cleaned 'sample cups' (like a yogurt cup) and long sticks to fashion your own 'reacher' stick to collect a sample safely. We'll have string and techniques to help you make your own.

Schedule

• 10:00–10:15 – Welcome and what’s new in the River Wey catchment

• 10:15–10:45 – Community monitoring overview + national context

• 10:45–11:30 – Hands-on training: run tests, record notes, submit data

• 11:30–12:00 – Kit pickup, choose a site/route, Q&A

• Afternoon (or next day)– Self-guided blitz sampling anywhere in the Wey catchment (solo or small groups)

Who it’s for

Curious residents, community groups, anglers, paddlers, teachers, families (ages 6+ with an adult). No experience needed, bring your enthusiasm and sense of outdoor adventure!

Partners & supporters

Organised by Water Rangers in collaboration with River Wey Trust and ZERO Guildford, and supported by local catchment hosts South East Rivers Trust and Surrey Wildlife Trust. River Wey Trust and Water Rangers are kindly providing take-home mini-kits!

Accessibility & inclusivity

The indoor session is seated. There are elevators to get to the second floor. Nearby riverside paths offer hard-surface access for sampling (testing after is optional!).

Safety

Sample from the bank, stay off private land, supervise young people, and follow kit instructions. If you feel unsafe, do not test. A full risk assessment will be shared with you when you take your kit.

Tickets

Free (limited capacity). Each attendee receives one mini-kit (while supplies last). If you can’t attend, please cancel so someone else can join :)

Data & impact

Your results will appear on data.waterrangers.com and inform action in the Wey, while contributing to national understanding through CaSTCo, Great River Watch, and FreshWater Watch.

“You’re one drop in a wave of action.” 💧