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Inspired, and worried, by the docu-drama \u2018Dirty Business\u2019 about the water companies\u2019 sewage scandal, Hold Fast<\/strong><\/a>, the floating bookshop in Leeds Dock have started to test the water they are floating in.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve spent over half of my life on boats and have noticed changes \u2013 not all for the better\u201d explains Chris<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I think there is less \u2018stuff\u2019 in the inland waterways these days \u2013 trolleys, old mattresses and furniture etc are thankfully much less common, smaller pieces of litter are about the same now but sewage? That was unheard of in the early days but now it\u2019s not unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Contacting the Canal and River Trust gets the response \u2018it\u2019s nothing to do with them\u2019 and nothing happens when they contact the Environment Agency. But they were impressed by the ordinary people and how much they were able to discover and push for change in the programme.<\/p>\n So, like many other people around the country, they signed up to test the water \u2013 with no vested or financial interests in the results they hope and believe \u2018citizen science\u2019 will produce honest results and they are going to share them.<\/p>\n Chris and Victoria signed up to Planet Patrol planetpatrol.co and soon received their test kits. The first results appear to show quite good water quality, if a bit acidic. Being in the dock means that they get little throughput of water from the River Aire, so they are keen for others living near the river to join them in taking measurements.<\/p>\n Hold Fast\u2019s results will be uploaded to the Planet Patrol app where you can see what\u2019s happening around our waterways and the collected data will create a clearer picture of what needs to be done.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest the results don\u2019t mean much to us \u2013 we don\u2019t have a science background \u2013 but it\u2019s a nice way to play our part \u2013 and the data will help others\u201d says Victoria.<\/p>\n \u201cChris and his big net fish out an average of three bags of rubbish a week and we\u2019ve done our best to create habitat for wildlife on our boat. We currently have two nests \u2013 Barry the moorhen on the tyres on the waterline and Audrey the duck in our flower barrel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love the nature we get but we want so much more of it! The city is an inhospitable environment for animals \u2013 the waterways need to be a green corridor threading through it and that starts with clean rivers and canals.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Water testing kits from Planet Patrol cost \u00a325 and include everything you need. Follow simple instructions to test for phosphate, nitrate and nitrite, pH and temperature. Take measurements at the same spot every fortnight, record your results and upload them through the app. Full details at planetpatrol.co\/water-patrol<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n While you\u2019re here, can we ask a favour?<\/strong><\/p>\n South Leeds Life is published by a not-for-profit social enterprise. We keep our costs as low as possible but we\u2019ve been hit by increases in the print costs for our monthly newspaper which have doubled in the last two years.<\/p>\n Could you help support local community news by making a one off donation, or even better taking out a supporters subscription?<\/p>\n\n
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