This webpage is part of the legacy website for the Source to Tap Project, supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). This project has now come to an end and this site should be used for reference only.
Source to Tap established a structured citizen science programme that encouraged people to get involved in proactively protecting and improving water quality in source drinking water catchments. The project also engaged the public in the development of a community-led vision for the future of their local rivers and action planning for catchment-scale water quality protection.
Community-led vision and catchment action planning
The project facilitated community catchment planning workshops helping the public to understand the inherent importance and value of their local water environment and to create a shared vision for the future of their local rivers.
Using the ‘RIPPLE’ catchment community engagement method, developed by Ballinderry Rivers Trust in partnership with the Rural Community Network, participants were guided through the process of exploring their memories of their local waterways, creating a vision for the future and an action plan identifying what need to be done to achieve the vision, who needed to be involved, and what their individual and collective role was in delivering the actions.
You can find out how to deliver the ‘RIPPLE’ catchment community engagement method and download useful resources at the links below:
Citizen Science
The project delivered community training in biological water quality monitoring and established a team of skilled citizen scientists, able to collect and identify river fly life that are indicators of water quality. Using the Anglers Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) methodology, development by The Riverfly Partnership, Source to Tap trained 43 volunteers to become citizen scientists, providing them with new skills and new equipment.
As skilled guardians, these volunteers will play a vital role in protecting these rivers after the project ends created a lasting legacy in the project area. Source to Tap has produced a series of guidance documents on how the Anglers Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) works, how to establish a monitoring network and health, safety, and biosecurity considerations:
To find out more about The Riverfly Partnership and the Anglers Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), visit its website at www.riverflies.org. As well as The Riverfly Partnership’s Anglers Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), there are several other established citizen science programmes that you may wish to consider when thinking of supporting a community monitoring initiative. To find out more about these programmes download our guide to citizen science below.
