Call the Environment Agency 24-hour Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60, if you see any of the following: 

• pollution to water or land  
• dead fish or fish gasping for air 
• people taking water illegally from rivers, streams, canals or underground sources such as wells 
• main rivers blocked by a vehicle or fallen tree causing risk of flooding
• poaching or illegal fishing

The EA cannot respond to every incident reported; they can only respond to incidents that are assessed as significant or serious risk of environmental harm categorised by the common incident classification system (CICs). 

Read the blog: How the Environment Agency responds to pollution incidents(External link) 

Check for other signs of pollution for example: dead Fish, effluent, sewage fungus, wildlife in distress, discolouration of water. 

Take photographs of all signs of pollution. You can attach and email them to: 

ics@environment-agency.gov.uk(External link) when reporting an incident. 

It is important that you follow biosecurity good practice – Check-Clean-Dry, so that you prevent the spread of invasive species while undertaking sampling. 

CHECK – Check clothing, footwear (including treads) and equipment for mud, plant material (e.g. seeds) or small aquatic animals before leaving the site and remove anything found while still there. 

CLEAN – Clean everything thoroughly in hot water as soon as possible, making sure to include damp or hard to reach areas (if you are able to, do this while still at the site). 

DRY – Leave everything to dry for as long as possible before using at a new site. Bear in mind certain species can survive for up to 2 weeks in damp conditions. 

Equipment, depending on site specifics and risk assessments, may include but not limited to: 

• Sampling Vessel  
• Kits for testing for nitrates, phosphate
• Protective gloves  
• Hand sanitiser and/ or waterproof gloves 
• Paper towels and lint free cloth 
• Waste bag  
• Method for recording data  
• Mobile telephone for emergency contact  
• Empty bottle to collect waste solution from phosphate sampling (this can’t be disposed of on site, either to the ground or in the river, it must be disposed of down the kitchen sink) 
• It’s recommended that you also take a First Aid Kit 

Sampling from the bankside

• Collect a sample from a location where, you can access the water safely and easily,
• The water is free flowing, not stagnant, or slow-moving, 
• The water is deep enough for your sampling container. 

Choose a location in the blow well where;

• you can safely and easily access broad sample catchment of the blow well possibly towards an outflow area with your sampling container.
• Collect your sample from the upstream of yourself.
• Discard any rinse water on the downstream side of yourself

1. Beginning sampling at the downstream sample point where possible and work your way upstream. 
2. Rinse your other monitoring equipment (syringes, test tubes etc.) in river water before conducting tests 
3. Take your sample from a safe point on the bankside or from the blow well (if safe to do so and agreed with the volunteer coordinator).  
4. Sampling from within the outflow channel, only use this approach if it is safe to do so. Collect the sample upstream of where you are standing in the river channel to avoid silt getting into the sample. 
5. Rinse can/container in blow well water three times, discarding washings downstream or on bank where it can’t contaminate sample 
6. Take a sample from blow well without scraping the bottom or any structures i.e bridges to avoid contamination (letting the container sit on a shallow bottom and allowing to gently fill from the top is ok). 
7. Refer to the instruction manuals below in regards to pH and EC meters and Phosphate and Nitrate checkers, they contain step by step guides on how to take a sample, in particular the calibration of the meters, drying and cleaning the cuvettes before taking a reading and how to care for the meters, these can all impact the accuracy of the results. (familiarise yourself with these before going to site and watch the instruction videos (links provided).  
8. Put any wastewater from the test down the kitchen sink once at home. 
9. Record your results 

The water quality sampling results are best used to give an indication of changes in water quality and to show trends. The results are not as accurate as laboratory testing but are a cost effective, and useful indicator of where we might want to concentrate further investigations, or to give evidence to support suspected issues which can lead to remedial action being taken.