October 2, 2025

SmartRivers: Building a Legacy for the Ouseburn

The Ouse Burn Way is proud to support SmartRivers, a nationwide citizen science project helping to protect rivers and the wildlife that depends on them.

Tyne Rivers Trust established a SmartRiver hub on the Ouse Burn with funding from the Environment Agency, and now the Ouse Burn Way is supporting plans to maintain the hub until 2027.

SmartRivers, developed by Wildfish, uses aquatic invertebrates as indicators of river health. Because species respond differently to pressures such as pollution, chemicals, sediment and changes in flow, they provide a clear picture of what’s happening beneath the surface.

“SmartRivers is about more than monitoring; it’s about creating a legacy. The data gathered today will guide decisions for years to come, ensuring the Ouse Burn is a healthier river for future generations,”

– said Anne Reece, Chair of the Ouse Burn Way Project Board.

 

Trained volunteers help to collect invertebrates and identify them to species level. This analysis helps identify the impact of organic pollution, nutrient enrichment, sediment, chemicals and flow stress, and enables changes to these rivers over time to be assessed.

Citizen scientist volunteers collect samples twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, using an industry-standard kick-sampling method. These are identified under the microscope, producing scientifically robust data that guides conservation.

The hub will:

1. Give local people the chance to learn about their river and contribute to national citizen science.
2. Provide long-term data to measure the success of restoration projects in the catchment.
3. Fill a monitoring gap, contributing to water quality and biodiversity analysis across the UK.

“We have been very grateful for the funding we have received from The Reece Foundation. Funding and partnership working are imperative to ensure we can create a historical benchmark and provide data that regulators and local groups can use to protect our rivers. And of course, we have to also thank our volunteer citizen scientists who expand our capacity for research and monitoring. Together we will help create a healthy and more ecologically diverse Ouse Burn,”

– said Maddy Fowler, urban catchments project manager at Tyne Rivers Trust.

SmartRivers is designed for the long term, aiming to leave a lasting legacy of knowledge, community engagement and improved river health.

Want to get involved? Head to the Tyne Rivers Trust website to register your interest in volunteering and helping us work towards an Ouseburn free of pollution and full of wildlife.

The Ouse Burn Way is a seven-mile urban wildlife corridor from the mouth of the Ouseburn to Weetslade Country Park. Its vision goes beyond wildlife, improving water quality, enhancing wellbeing, and creating spaces for communities to connect with nature. The Reece Foundation’s £1 million Ouse Burn Way fund supports local projects that make this vision a reality.