Water Monitoring

Windermere Wrapped: Our Year in Review

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Water, Water Monitoring

Our teams have been busy monitoring 66 sites across Windermere and its tributaries throughout 2025. Our live monitoring equipment is deployed in seven locations and each deployment gives us countless data points about oxygen levels, temperature and other important factors that tell us how healthy the lake is. 

Turning science into action: How we’re delivering water data for England’s future  

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: hydrometry, Rivers, Science, telemetry, Water Monitoring
An ARC-Boat, a remote control boat used by the Environment Agency's hydrometry team in a river. An EA operator in the foreground with a laptop displaying results.

Today marks a significant moment for all of us who care about England’s rivers and streams. Today, we’re releasing our first set of analysis-ready water data under Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme and I’m immensely proud of the work of hundreds of committed Environment Agency Staff that has got us to this point.

Bio-beads: what are they, what are they used for and what risk do they pose to the environment? 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Cleaner Seas, Environment Agency, Regulated industry, Water, Water Monitoring
A handful of bio-beads.

On the week of 3 November a vast number of small black plastic pellets started to wash up on the beach at Camber Sands in East Sussex. It immediately, and naturally, drew considerable concern from the public and local community. …

Bathing Season 2025 storm overflow EDM data analysed

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: EDM, Environment Agency, Uncategorized, Water, Water Monitoring

Following the 2025 DEFRA bathing water classifications, we are sharing an update on storm overflow performance associated with bathing waters across England for the 2025 season (15 May to 30 September). This year has seen an overall improvement: both the …

Managing the impacts of drought in the Midlands

Two Environment Agency officers, a man and a woman, both wearing waterproof bib-and-brace dungarees, walk up a shallow, narrow stream in the forest with nets and buckets looking for any fish in need of rescue and removal to safer, deeper waters.

What is the situation in England? Drought was declared in the West and East Midlands on 15 July, joining the North-West and Yorkshire which went into drought in June. Dry weather continues to impact water resources across England requiring water …

Reflecting on progress in regulation: Paving the way to EA2030 

A group of Environment Agency staff wearing blue hard hats and high visibility clothing in conversation

With the launch of EA2030, the Environment Agency has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the years ahead. This vision responds directly to the climate and nature emergencies and outlines how we will work with partners to deliver …

What citizen scientists are telling us about bathing waters through AI signposts

A smart phone being pointed at a QR code

Hello Lamp Post-driven QR signage being put up at Combe Martin in Devon Valuable new information about how and when people use popular bathing waters has become available, ten months after AI-powered signage was launched at pilot sites around England.  …

The Unsung Heroes of Water Monitoring: A Chief Scientist's Perspective

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Science, Uncategorized, Water Monitoring
An internal view of the Environment Agency's Starcross labs, with bottles of samples and two scientists working in lab coats in the background.

When I first stepped into the Chief Scientist role at the Environment Agency, one of my earliest visits was to observe how our teams monitor England's rivers. What I witnessed was nothing short of remarkable—a complex network of skilled professionals …

Making a difference: What is it like be an EA Environment Officer?

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Cleaner Seas, Cleaner Seas, Regulated industry, Rivers, Water, Water Monitoring
EA Environment Officer standing on a beach with equipment for testing for black algae.

Christopher Clayton joined the Environment Agency in January 2025 as an Environment Officer with one of the newly formed Water Industry Regulation teams in Lincolnshire. He shares an insight into his role and the reasons why he is so passionate …

4000 inspections and counting: How we’re driving water industry performance

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Environment Agency, Regulated industry, Rivers, Water, Water Monitoring

In 2023 we announced significant changes to the way we regulate so that we can better address the underperforming water industry. At the heart of our plan was a significant increase in both our workforce and the number of inspections …