Volunteers test water quality at nature reserve

Volunteers undertake water quality surveys at Smestow Brook several times a year

Volunteers at a nature reserve in Wolverhampton have carried out a water quality check by surveying the number of aquatic invertebrates in the water.

Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve volunteers carry out several of these checks a year in the Smestow Brook.

The latest check was carried out by Kate Tobin of the Friends of Smestow Valley volunteer group, Waterside Care, and the reserve's conservation officer.

Their surveys look at a variety of aquatic invertebrates such as freshwater shrimp, water hog louse, blackfly larvae and leeches, which volunteers said were "all important biological indicators of the brook's ecological health".

The volunteers carried out the invertebrate survey by conducting a manual kick sampling survey across a five-metre stretch of the brook, collecting three representative samples - using Environment Agency protocols.

Each sample was analysed and used to indicate the quality of the water.

"These surveys are vital for tracking the long-term health of our freshwater ecosystems and ensuring the continued biodiversity of Smestow Brook," a spokesperson for the volunteer group said.

Smestow Valley and rail network is a 4.5km (2.7miles) long site, which forms part of the Black Country UNESCO global geopark.

Other creatures spotted at the reserve over the years include a beaver, as well as badgers, foxes, and muntjac deer.