We've been awarded £13,500 to monitor water quality

2026-09-17

Each year the estuary receives substantial pollutant loads from storm overflow discharges, agricultural run-off and road drainage, yet most of these inputs go unrecorded. Statutory monitoring is limited to a small number of designated bathing waters and runs only during the bathing season (May to September). As a result, the creeks, shellfish beds and intertidal mudflats that local communities and wildlife depend on remain largely unmonitored. Without this evidence, residents, water users and regulators cannot reliably characterise pollution inputs or hold those responsible to account.

This grant addresses that gap. With £13,500 from the Port of London Authority, we will run a 12-month pilot study of water quality at key sites along the Southend coastline. Sampling will follow a regular schedule throughout the year, with additional event-driven sampling in the hours after storm overflow discharges to capture pollution peaks. Trained local volunteers will collect the samples, and all data will be published openly on this site so the community can assess the condition of its own coastline. If you would like to volunteer, please get in touch.