Using citizen science to understand river water quality while filling data gaps to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 objectives

This study investigates water quality along the river Liffey in Dublin city with the help of citizen scientists, including the community of river users such as paddle boarders and those accessing the river from the bank. The primary objective was to evaluate water quality near sources of pollution observed by citizens, while filling data gaps for the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, Indicator 6.3.2. The participants used field chemistry kits to measure nitrate (NO₃-N) and phosphate (PO₄-P) at 19 locations on a monthly basis over the course of nine months, recording the results on a smartphone app. 10% of nitrate samples were indicative of low quality water values while 35.6% of phosphate samples were indicative of low quality water. Rainfall over the study period was analysed to investigate the impact of run-off from rainwater on the river. Results indicated that excessive rainfall was not a factor in lower water quality in this area. Citizen scientists' observational notes and photographs entered onto the database, with accompanying test results were key to highlighting pollution sources at specific locations which correlated with high levels of nitrate and phosphate resulting in low quality water. Land use was a factor in these areas of recent housing development indicating possible domestic misconnections. Citizen scientist data has the potential to fulfil UN SDG 6, in contributing to Indicator 6.3.2 while detecting contamination. [Display omitted] •Citizen scientist project to highlight pollution sources on a Dublin urban river•High nitrates (NO3−N) and phosphates (PO4-P) indicate low quality water relating to inputs•Rainfall did not have a widespread effect on nutrient level occurrence•Aims to fill data gap for United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6•Citizen scientist qualitative observations important in environmental reporting