Faecal Bacteria Concentrations In The River Wharfe 2019-2021

Faecal bacteria data for the River Wharfe and its tributaries in Yorkshire, collected from 2019 to 2021. The dataset includes measurements of E. coli and Intestinal enterococci concentrations from citizen science projects designed to assess sewage contamination and bathing water standards.

Use Cases

• Analyze E. coli concentration trends upstream and downstream of the Ilkley Sewage Treatment Works to assess effluent impact.
• Map Intestinal enterococci levels at recreational sites along the river to evaluate public health risks for bathing.
• Compare faecal bacteria data from agricultural tributaries with main river sites to identify contamination from farm livestock sources.
• Use the temporal data from 2019-2021 to model seasonal variations in bacterial concentrations.

Strengths

• Data spans a 3-year time range from 2019 to 2021, enabling temporal trend analysis.
• Includes measurements for two key faecal indicator organisms: E. coli and Intestinal enterococci.
• Samples cover the full length of the River Wharfe and selected tributaries, providing spatial coverage.
• Data was instrumental in the successful designation of the UK's first running water bathing site.

Limitations

• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.
• Data collection was via citizen science projects on specific occasions, which may introduce sampling bias compared to continuous monitoring.
• The dataset focuses on a single river catchment in Yorkshire, limiting geographical generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Collected and analysed as part of the Ashlands and iWharfe citizen science projects.

Time Range

2019 to 2021

Freshness

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Geography

River Wharfe and its tributaries in Yorkshire, United Kingdom.