Swimmers 'feel safer' thanks to river quality app

Tom Coekin, showing off the app, is a water quality specialist at the Environment Agency

Wild swimmers have said they "feel safer" thanks to the launch of an app that allows them to check water quality in real-time.

High-tech sensors have been installed in the River Severn in Shrewsbury, with the data available to the public for free on the Shropshire Wild Bathing app.

It comes after a successful pilot of the technology on the River Teme in Ludlow, with the app showing users information like levels of ammonium and how cloudy the water is.

Dee Hancock, who is a keen wild swimmer, said: "It's still our decision, but the app is guiding us as to whether the water quality is a risk to our health or not".

The sensors monitoring the designated bathing site near Frankwell pass on the data to the app - meaning Ms Hancock can make an informed decision on whether the water is clean enough before she gets in.

"We all use it, and if it's showing up [as poor quality] we don't go in, and if it's OK, we go in - and that's the decision made," she said.

She said the app was helping people try out wild swimming, adding that she "can feel quite confident in encouraging some of my friends to come down and say 'look, it is clean.'"

The app shows the level of ammonium in the water, as well as turbidity which measures cloudiness

Tom Coekin is a water quality specialist for the Environment Agency, and said the technology means the water quality readings on the app are very up-to-date.

Mr Coekin said the system used cartridges that pump the river water into them to check the concentration of bacteria.

"It takes a reading every day and then about once a week someone will come along and recharge them," he said, adding that "all that information uses telemetry to come through to the application itself and online so that members of public can read it."

These cartridges are used to check the concentration of bacteria in the river water

The app has a simple layout, showing users the levels of ammonium and turbidity.

The ammonium graph measures the amount of "pee and poo", in the water, Mr Coekin said, with a red line showing "the level of ammonium you are allowed to have coming out of your tap".

The turbidity graph shows how cloudy the water is. Mr Coekin said that "if you have pollution coming through the river, you might see a particularly cloudy cloud coming through that water, which you want to avoid and not swim in."

The app also shows users the temperature of the water.

Martin Quine said being able to wild swim in the middle of a town was unusual

The app - which is called Shropshire Wild Bathing and is free to download - was developed by the River Severn Partnership, a group that includes Shropshire Council and the Environment Agency.

Martin Quine, from the Agency, said it was a big step forward for people who regularly use the Severn.

"What they love about this area is the connection to the community," he said.

"What you get in in Shrewsbury is a different type of bathing water opportunity that perhaps you don't get elsewhere," Mr Quine added.

Matt Smith hopes the technology could be introduced to more bathing sites in the county

A similar system is set up on the River Teme in Ludlow - using the same app.

Matt Smith, who is the programme manager for the partnership's Advanced Wireless Innovation Region, said its success could see a wider roll-out.

"Within the River Severn catchment we've only got three designated wild swimming spots, and all three are in Shropshire," he said.

Mr Smith added that the scheme was "innovative" because "it's not happening anywhere else," and said there was a plan to install the same system in Ironbridge in 2026.