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Take Part in the Big River Watch 2026

Communities across the Ireland and the UK are being invited to take part in Big River Watch 2026, a citizen science initiative organised by The Rivers Trust, taking place from 18 to 24 September 2026.

Big River Watch encourages people to connect with their local rivers and contribute to a national picture of river health. By taking part, volunteers can help gather valuable information on river condition, wildlife, and pollution, supporting efforts to improve and protect rivers.

Participation is open to anyone who can access a river in the UK or Ireland. Taking part is simple and only requires a smartphone and a short visit to a local river.

How to Take Part

Step 1: Download the App

Participants should sign up and download the free Big River Watch survey app before visiting their chosen river. The app is available in both English and Welsh.

Step 2: Complete a Survey

At a riverside location, participants spend approximately 15 minutes observing their surroundings and answering a series of questions about river health, including wildlife presence and signs of pollution. Surveys can be completed at a favourite local river or at a new location.

Step 3: Upload Your Findings

Once completed, the survey can be uploaded through the app, making it quick and easy to contribute valuable environmental data.

Why Get Involved?

The information collected during Big River Watch will provide a large-scale picture of river health and help us fight for better for our rivers.

Participants can also choose to connect with their local Rivers Trust organisation, providing opportunities to learn about local events, citizen science projects, and volunteering activities.

Communications Resources Available

The Rivers Trust has produced a communications kit to help organisations promote the event through websites, news pages, newsletters, and social media channels. Resources are available in both English and Irish and include:

Big River Watch September 2026 Communications Kit
Information posters for print and digital use
Customisable poster versions with space for organisational logos or messaging
Email signature graphics
Social media graphics in English and Irish
Photographs of the app in use

Organisations and participants are encouraged to share their activities during the week and tag The Rivers Trust on social media.

Download: Big River Watch Sept 2026 – Comms Kit

Learn more

Explore the data: The Rivers Trust has made data from the 2025 Big River Watch available on their interactive Dashboard. Thousands of public river surveys from across Ireland and the UK are now available to explore through an interactive data dashboard, offering valuable insights into local river health. Big River Watch Data Explorer | The Rivers Trust

Screenshots of data from The Big River Watch data dashboard

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the River Basin Management Service.

River Basin Management Service

The River Basin Management Service coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.