Take action
How can I make a difference?
There are many ways you can make a positive difference for your local rivers.
In your home
First of all, make sure you're doing your bit to keep our sewer systems working correctly, preventing river pollution and flooding:
- Only flush the "3 Ps" (poo, pee, paper)
- Bin cooking fat, don't pour it down the sink
- Dispose of household products and chemicals correctly. A quick search on Oxfordshire County Council's waste wizard will help if you're unsure.
- Check your home for misconnected pipes — here's how.
- Is your garden or driveway water-friendly? Don't pave over green spaces, install a water butt, dig a pond or plant a rain garden! More ideas here: how to make a rain garden.
Become a citizen scientist
There are lots of different citizen science schemes you could choose from, from testing for nutrients and bacteria in rivers, to counting riverflies, to investigating polluting pipes and outfalls.
The data from these citizen science schemes gets shared directly with the Environment Agency, Ofwat or Thames Water, and provides evidence to manage things better, prioritise improvements or even change environmental policy.
Check out the map below to find local citizen science schemes you could join in with.
As a community group
Where is your nearest river or stream? Is there a park or another public space where you can access it? Does it look in good shape, or are there signs that it is unhealthy, such as litter, steep banks, barriers or a lack of river flora and fauna?
You can join your local Rivers Trust or "friends of" group to get boots on the ground and improve your local watercourses, through litter picks, planting, removing invasive species or creating new habitat.
Check out the map to find nearby river action groups. If there isn't one near you, Thames21 can provide training and advice in how to set one up.
Be an advocate for rivers
Speak up for rivers. You can do this by raising river issues with your local representatives (councillors and MPs), or by signing petitions and joining nationwide campaigns.
The Rivers Trust is the umbrella organisation for rivers in the UK. They have many useful resources on their website, including this tool to help find your local representative and write to them. Surfers Against Sewage and River Action are also currently running active and growing campaigns for cleaner rivers.
Share what you do for rivers with your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.
As a business or organisation
Does your business or organisation have commitments on nature and climate? Do these include water as well?
There is a growing movement for water stewardship, which calls on businesses to know, measure and reduce their impact on water — both at their own sites and across their suppliers.
To find out more about water stewardship training and certification, look at the Alliance for Water Stewardship's resources.
As a landowner
Lucky you, you are one of the stewards of our precious rivers, and you have an amazing opportunity to do something great for them and for nature!
There are many different funding opportunities available for small, medium and large projects. The best first step is to get in touch with your local catchment partnership host to find out more.
Find out which catchment partnership you are in to get started.