Cardiff Met and Surfers Against Sewage join forces to tackle water pollution

Cardiff Metropolitan University and Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have started a new three-year partnership to help improve water quality across Wales and the UK through research, citizen science and student involvement.

The agreement brings together Cardiff Met’s research expertise and the SAS team’s experience in water quality monitoring, campaigning and community action. Together, they will work on projects that improve understanding of the public health impacts of exposure to sewage and pollution in rivers, lakes and coastal bathing waters.

The partnership will focus on sharing and analysing environmental and public health data, developing joint research projects, and supporting citizen science programmes that encourage people to help monitor their local waterways. The two organisations will also collaborate on water quality alerts, data interpretation and policy development to help raise bathing water standards.

The research could support the designation, monitoring and improvement of bathing waters across Wales and the UK. Findings from the partnership may help local authorities, regulators and policymakers make informed decisions about water quality. The team will also explore how new technologies, better data collection and public participation can improve understanding of pollution incidents and the possible public health risks.

Students will play an important role in the partnership. Cardiff Met students will have opportunities to take part in placements, internships and research projects, allowing them to gain hands-on experience in environmental monitoring, policy development and tackling real-world environmental and public health challenges.

Dr Stuart Scott, the partnership lead at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said:

“This partnership shows Cardiff Met’s commitment to tackling environmental and public health challenges through research, collaboration and innovation. By working with Surfers Against Sewage, we can use our academic expertise to address real-world issues that affect water quality, public health and environmental sustainability across Wales and the UK.

“It will give our researchers and students the chance to contribute to projects that make a real difference. From environmental monitoring and data analysis to citizen science and policy research, we’re excited to work together to build knowledge, support evidence-based decisions and ultimately improve bathing water quality across Wales and the UK.”

Kirsty Davies, Community Water Quality Manager at Surfers Against Sewage, said:

“Everyone deserves to be able to swim, surf, paddle and enjoy the country’s wild waters without the risk of getting sick. This partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University is a really exciting collaboration and part of our ongoing work in campaigning for cleaner waters and for policies that protect the people using them. By combining our ethos of using data, citizen science and grassroots activism with the University’s research expertise, we can strengthen the evidence needed to force decisionmakers to act.

“We need to see Bathing Water Regulations that actually reflect how people use the water. Through this partnership, we want to expand citizen science and innovative research into the impacts of pollution on public and environmental health so that the evidence and need to protect water-users is impossible to ignore. Together we can help shape policy, support local communities and protect our wild waters for future generations.”