The Clean River Kent Campaign (CRKC) was established in Autumn 2021 as a voluntary coalition of communities living along the River Kent, Cumbria. Its aim is to keep the River Kent clean for water-based recreation and to protect wildlife and ecology.
The River Kent is a 3x designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and yet pollution is at an unprecedented high level, especially between Stavely and Sedgwick. In the absence of any regime of water quality monitoring, the CRKC is fighting for a cleaner river; coordinating volunteers to gather data to help them challenge those responsible for the pollution and working with other groups to make progress towards improving the environment for both the human and wildlife that use the river.
The Clean River Kent Campaign (CRKC) has released a study presenting the results of their water quality monitoring at six locations between February and September 2022 from Staveley to Sedgwick. The water samples were collected to a rigorous protocol by trained citizen scientists and analysed in an accredited laboratory for E. coli and Enterococcus spp. The results show that at all six locations the quality of the river water was assessed as Poor (the worst category) due to high levels of faecal bacterial pathogens and that every one of the six locations failed to meet the minimum standard for Inland Bathing Water as defined by DEFRA.
CRKC has applied for bathing water status for a stretch of the river Kent to ensure that there is regular water quality monitoring by the Environment Agency.
Sedgwick Parish Council are proud to support the campaign and at our Annual Parish Meeting in 2023, welcomed CRKC representatives Sheila Adams and Carole Woods, who gave a presentation about their work. To access their presentation click on the picture below.
To follow the campaign click the link to their facebook page below
Are you interested in volunteering?
If you are interested in volunteering to help the campaign it is simple to sign up. Please click the image below or click here
