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Poster Short Abstract

Citizen scientists were involved in co-creation from identifying the research question to testing methods and collecting data. Citizen scientists monitored water quality at sewer overflows on 25 locations in the Netherlands. The results are used to empower the citizens as water quality lobbyists.

Poster Abstract

Urban waters face a lot of pressures including eutrophication, micro-pollutants and altered habitat structure, yet Dutch urban waters remain mostly unmonitored under the Water Framework Directive. At the same time, many societal actors, i.e. municipalities, water authorities, and nearby residents interact with these systems. Our co-created study investigates the impact of sewer overflows on urban aquatic ecosystems through a participatory citizen science approach. Together with 45 citizen scientists, we developed the research question, refined methods, and monitored 25 sewer overflows across Dutch cities. The research question is: Can we find indicators of undesirable water quality conditions due to sewer overflows in urban waters using a high-level participatory citizen science approach? The citizen scientists investigated on a bi-weekly to monthly basis a broad range of water quality parameters such as Secchi and sediment depth, plant coverage, decomposition, suspended solids and macro-invertebrates. They also collected water samples to determine nutrient content in the water. During seasonal visits we measured pH, conductivity, turbidity, oxygen levels, greenhouse gas fluxes and collected samples for nutrient and micro-pollutant content. Preliminary results show that at sewer overflow locations the Secchi depth from the citizen scientists is lower compared to reference locations, confirmed by higher turbidity. The results of our study will be used by our project partner, a Dutch green NGO, to propose policy changes and/or measures and solutions. By increasing the environmental literacy of the citizen scientists, we empower the citizen scientists as water quality lobbyists to engage with their municipalities about the results.