What questions do you want your monitoring to answer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Here are some example monitoring questions – see also the additional list below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- How healthy is the river? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Is the water quality meeting Water Framework Directive (WFD) standards?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How are sewage discharges\/poorly maintained septic tanks\/runoff from agricultural land affecting water quality?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What citizen science methods are appropriate for answering our monitoring questions about sources of phosphate\/soil health etc?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How will a proposed development affect water quality?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Where is the phosphate in the headwaters of the river coming from?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Is the river safe to swim in?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How well is the river hydro-morphology supporting a healthy ecology within the river and on the adjacent banks? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What has been the impact of installing Natural Flood Management measures?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Examples of monitoring questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Here are some examples of monitoring questions from the CaSTCo demonstrator catchments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Anglian (Wensum)<\/strong> – What and where are the sources of poor water quality highlighted in existing WQ data for the River Tud? What interventions are required to improve river health?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Anglian (Lark)<\/strong> – What is the current physicochemical condition of the Lark\u2019s tributaries? Is there evidence to suggest more attention given to the tributaries could improve the condition of the Lark?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Arun & Rother<\/strong> – What is the health of the soils in the catchment?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Beane<\/strong> \u2013 Where are the major sources of sediment\/farm run off entering the river? Do other data sources already collected highlight this?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Thames<\/strong> – Can we use monitoring and mapping tools to distinguish between misconnections or cross-connections as the main driver of persistently polluting outfalls? Can we identify areas of good water quality, pollution hotspots and gaps in existing data?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- North West<\/strong> \u2013 Can we improve spatial coverage of river health data in order to help target improvements? Can we increase our confidence in lower cost, volunteer-friendly survey methods?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tamar<\/strong> \u2013 How do we ensure Cit Sci volunteers see effective outcomes from their data collection? How do we encourage deeper engagement in water-related issues – leading to reduction in consumption and behaviours that contribute to pollution incidents?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Teme<\/strong> \u2013 What is the extent of bacterial pollution within the Teme, with respect to bathing water and environmental standards?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Usk<\/strong> \u2013 Can we develop the evidence base to support catchment markets in terms of Natural Flood Management and looking forward; Carbon Markets? Can we demonstrate reduced flood risk to towns such as Brecon, Abergavenny and Crickhowell?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How are you planning to use the data you collect?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After deciding on your monitoring questions, it helps to look ahead and think about how you will use your data. This will be vital in determining what type of equipment, procedures, and quality management measures you will use. It is also important to keep in mind your available resources, both time and money, and how you might need to prioritise your monitoring questions in any particular year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Determine your impact: Making a difference<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What changes would you like to see as a result of your monitoring? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How will you know if you succeeded? At the end of the day, your monitoring efforts should have a purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dive into data: Learn more about using your data<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/span>\n\nExamples: <\/strong>Collaborative Monitoring Plans<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
These example plans come directly from CaSTCo\u2019s Demonstrator Catchments. They are living documents, actively guiding work on the ground, and they continue to be updated as collaboratives learn and adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What we learned from these examples has been built into the template you can download and use below<\/strong>. We are grateful to the catchments who have shared their approaches (August 2025) so that others can view and learn from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teme Collaborative Monitoring Plan (xslx) \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arun Collaborative Monitoring Plan (xslx) \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lark Collaborative Monitoring Plan (xslx) \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
- Anglian (Lark)<\/strong> – What is the current physicochemical condition of the Lark\u2019s tributaries? Is there evidence to suggest more attention given to the tributaries could improve the condition of the Lark?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Anglian (Wensum)<\/strong> – What and where are the sources of poor water quality highlighted in existing WQ data for the River Tud? What interventions are required to improve river health?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/castco.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/section-bkground-2-e1732649056461.png\")