Water
Our aims are to understand the quality of the water in Waterloo Lake and its feeder system, to identify any potential sources of pollution entering the water system and to understand what the implications are for biodiversity.
Water Quality
The Rivers Trust, campaign groups, the Government and the water companies all agree that water quality needs improving. We started a Roundhay water quality monitoring group in 2023 with members from REAP and Friends of Roundhay Park, successfully applying for funding to buy the testing kits and receive training. We continue to jointly fund the group and are now involved in a range of projects. Find out more below. There are a variety of ways you can get involved so do get in contact if you are interested, even if you can only join in on an ad hoc basis.
Water Projects
Water Rangers - chemical testing
We carry out chemical testing including Ammonia, Nitrates, Phosphates and conductivity at 15 sites every month including Great Heads Beck, Fox Wood Beck, Ram Beck, the Upper Lake, Waterloo Lake and Wyke Beck in Wyke Beck Woods. We use testing kits provided by the Water Rangers social enterprise. You can see our data on the water rangers website (see Useful links below)
Riverfly - measuring the ecology of the Becks
Supported by the Aire Rivers Trust, our Riverfly monitors work at Fox Wood Beck, Ram Beck and Great Heads Beck carrying out monthly surveys. We identify and count 8 species of Riverfly which indicate the ecology of the Becks. Surveys are carried out all along the River Aire. Read the latest report in the link below.
AQUA - testing for e-coli and pharmaceuticals
This project with the University of York involves quarterly testing and collecting samples for the laboratory at 10 of our testing sites across Roundhay. It will give us new data on e-coli and pharmaceuticals. After developing new kit for citizen scientists, testing will begin across Yorkshire in August 2026.
Citizen science
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