Healthy East Ayrshire Rivers

Matt Cross is the People and Projects Manager for the C.E.I, the Coalfields Environment Initiative. Matt was the lead on three projects with the CCLP, Healthy Rivers, Coalfields for Pollinators and Peatland Restoration.

The healthy rivers project came about after concerns were raised by members of the public over water quality at several specific locations. The idea was to engage the local community through awareness days followed by training to monitor water quality by studying invertebrate life in the rivers.

There were two main concerns raised, the first being minerals from the mines leaking into the soil and water table. The second was the use of treated sewage sludge cake to improve the bare gravel areas of the mines and spoil heaps to promote regrowth of vegetation.

This was a citizen science based river health monitoring project. We set about training members of the public to recognise invertebrate species as an indicator of river health. There are problems with iron rather than extracted minerals leaching into rivers. The soil is naturally very iron rich in Ayrshire. When it is disturbed the iron leaches out into water bodies. We have bodies of water that are seriously damaged from iron.

The project held training events with Muirkirk Anglers, the Dalmellington Recovery group, and volunteers at Stotenclough Burn / Glenbuck Loch. Further awareness events were held at Dumfries House and with 30 pupils at New Cumnock primary school.

Generally participants found the events interesting and engaging although it proved difficult to secure long term commitments to the testing and reporting process. Participants found the practical activity of exploring the rivers for creatures living there quite fun.

Generally participants found the events interesting and engaging although it proved difficult to secure long term commitments to the testing and reporting process. Participants found the practical activity of exploring the rivers for creatures living there quite fun.

The project was modified to make it more user friendly but it seems people had either been put off or reassured by earlier findings.

The hope for the future is that people who enjoy the river environment will have more awareness and opportunity to participate in their own way. Instructional signs have been designed with a dedicated e-mail address to encourage people to send images of life they find in the rivers.

Staff at Dumfries house were very enthusiastic and took on training materials. The school pupils at New Cumnock also have great potential to continue the legacy of those initial lessons.