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Water Quality Monitoring

What is Water Quality Monitoring?

Effective water quality monitoring is essential for protecting our rivers, meeting statutory obligations, and ensuring public and environmental health. Our service supports local authorities, water companies, and environmental bodies in monitoring river systems, stormwater outfalls, and treatment works to assess quality and compliance. 

Whether you require routine catchment surveillance, targeted investigations, or long-term data collection to support Water Framework Directive goals, our flexible and reliable solutions provide complete visibility of water quality in river environments. 

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Understanding your monitoring obligations

Local authorities and water companies have legal obligations to monitor river water quality under frameworks such as the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, the Water Framework Directive, and Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations. 

Monitoring may be needed for consented discharges, storm overflows (CSOs), surface water runoff, abstraction points, or downstream receiving waters. We help you identify your obligations, select appropriate monitoring locations, and design programmes that meet the requirements of the Environment Agency, SEPA, Natural Resources Wales, or internal audit protocols. 

Catchment assessment and monitoring strategy

Each river catchment is unique. We assess key inputs and risks – such as urban runoff, sewage overflows, and agricultural sources – to design a bespoke water quality monitoring strategy. 

We help determine the parameters most relevant to your goals, which may include: 

  • pH 
  • Temperature 
  • Dissolved oxygen 
  • Turbidity 
  • Ammonia 
  • Phosphate and nitrate 
  • Faecal indicators (e.g. E. coli) 
  • Biological and Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD/COD) 
  • Suspended solids 

Our strategies are designed for both compliance and ecological insight. 

Equipment supply and installation

We supply and install a full range of water quality monitoring equipment for river and catchment applications – from portable sondes to fixed continuous monitoring stations. 

All installations are carried out by qualified engineers to ensure accuracy, durability, and compliance with MCERTS and other relevant standards. Solutions are suitable for both permanent networks and short-term deployments. 

Sampling and laboratory analysis

Where high-confidence laboratory data is required, we provide professional sampling programmes using grab or automatic samplers. Samples are analysed by UKAS-accredited laboratories, ensuring valid and defensible results. 

We offer complete chain-of-custody handling and full compliance with regulatory guidance for river water quality assessments. 

Real-time sensors and telemetry

We offer continuous water quality monitoring solutions with real-time telemetry, enabling live data access, alerts, and early warning of pollution or abnormal events. 

Our systems provide 24/7 insight into river conditions – supporting compliance, catchment management, and rapid incident response. 

Data reporting and compliance support

We transform raw monitoring data into clear, actionable reports aligned to your regulatory or internal requirements. Our in-house data team can support with interpreting results, identifying trends, and preparing evidence for submission to regulators or stakeholder reporting. 

This helps you demonstrate performance, track progress against environmental objectives, and make informed operational decisions. 

Event monitoring and pollution response

Certain water quality challenges – such as storm overflow discharges, rainfall-driven runoff, or short-term pollution events – require rapid and reactive monitoring. We provide event-based sampling services that automatically trigger collection based on predefined conditions such as: 

  • Rainfall thresholds 
  • Flow rate changes 
  • Pollution alarms 
  • Consent exceedances 

Our systems can be configured to deploy automatic samplers or trigger remote alerts for manual intervention, capturing water quality during critical events that might otherwise be missed by routine sampling. 

Event-based sampling provides valuable insights for compliance investigations, stormwater management, and urban drainage planning. 

Maintenance and recalibration

Reliable data depends on well-maintained equipment. We provide full-service packages including on-site maintenance, sensor calibration, and system health checks to minimise downtime and ensure data integrity. 

Our services are aligned to MCERTS and manufacturer specifications. 

Long-term catchment monitoring

For river catchment programmes, water quality investigations, and baseline studies, we offer fully managed long-term monitoring services. These include equipment deployment, sample collection, data management, and reporting. 

Our long-term support helps authorities, partnerships, and water companies track environmental change, inform investment decisions, and report progress. 

Training and support

We provide handover training for any installed equipment and ongoing technical support. This includes routine checks, sensor maintenance, and data access. 

Our goal is to ensure you and your team feel confident managing your water quality monitoring systems. 

Frequently asked questions

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about water quality monitoring.

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