Results on the water quality of the River Ure are awaited after volunteers carried out testing at 45 sites.
The water was sampled on August 21, from the top of Wensleydale to beyond Boroughbridge, by 41 volunteers working with the Yorkshire Dales River Trust (YDRT) and campaign group Stop Ure Pollution (SUP).
This sampling was done to get a picture of the quality of the river and to identify sources of diffuse and point pollution.
The chairman of SUP, Richard Loutoka, said: “It was great to see that SUP volunteers made up almost 88 per cent of the citizen scientists sampling the Ure.
“This confirmed how concerned our residents are about the state of the river and are prepared to do something about it.
“I’m sure the results will be illuminating and point our way forward.”
Charlotte Simons, YDRT’s catchment partnership senior project manager, said: “This scale of testing has only been made possible due to the support of the volunteers.
“Their support at two local meetings in Leyburn the first on April 30 about the health of the River Ure, sponsored by the Association of Rural Communities, and the second on June 25 when Stop Ure Pollution was launched, has led directly to this sampling being possible, the results of which will be used to identify key issues and areas where work is needed to improve the quality of the river.”
A total of 36 SUP volunteers were trained on taking water samples at a session at Lords Bridge on the Bolton Estate on August 14 with Simons and Mary Boyd from the YDRT.
They formed the core of samplers, making up ten teams of volunteers, sampling from the top of the Ure at Lunds all the way downstream to at Aldborough, which is south of Boroughbridge, close to the confluence of the Ure and the Swale.
The samples were sent to ALS independent accredited laboratories at Wakefield and Coventry with the cost of the testing being met by Yorkshire Water.
There will be another sampling day when the river water is high.
Mrs Boyd said: “The purpose of the testing is to get snapshot of the health of the River Ure by measuring a series of elements.
“Sampling at multiple sites along the Ure and its tributaries will enable us to understand the chemical and biological profile of the river, and to help us gauge the relative importance of different pollution sources – under the same weather and river conditions.
“The samples taken will be tested for nitrates, phosphates, faecal bacterial levels, suspended solids, pH and total organic carbon.
“Measurements will be taken at each sample point for water temperature, conductivity and turbidity.
“This snapshot will show the relative health of the river along with identifying areas of diffuse and point source pollution.”
A short report on the results of the sampling on August 21 will be presented by YDRT at the public meeting being held by SUP at Leyburn Methodist Church Hall at 6.30pm on Tuesday, October 1.
A full report will be prepared by YDRT after the second day of testing.
At the meeting on October 1, people will be invited to join SUP and donations will be welcome.
SUP aims to be able to conduct fully independent testing as a follow-up to the two sampling days carried out with YDRT.
There will be exhibitions about the water sampling, Stop Ure Pollution and Yorkshire Dales River Trust at the Quaker Meeting Houses at Bainbridge and Leyburn from October 3 to 5.
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