Urban Citizen’s 6.3.2 has received funding from the Irish Research Council, to carry out a two-year project working with local communities to monitor Dublin’s rivers and streams.
This new project headed by Dr. Susan Hegarty will encourage local communities to monitor water quality (by measuring a number of plant nutrients) and biodiversity (macroinvertebrates – insects that live in the water) at a greater scale than previously reported in these water bodies, and will encourage stewardship of these by the communities who engage with them directly. Increased monitoring can aid the identification of contamination sources, and can prevent pollution events. It can also help to change attitudes in local communities towards developing green corridors that flow through the urban environment, and promote environmental sustainability.
The project is focused on the Tolka, Dodder and Santry catchments, and the catchments of the Kill-o-the-Grange and Loughlinstown streams.
DCU have agreed a partnership for this project with Earthwatch Europe, Dublin City Council, and the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRO). The project is currently recruiting members of the community from the focus areas, and we will be running training days over the coming weeks.
To find out more about the project, the team and how to get involved, look at our website: https://www.urbancitizens632.ie/