Citizen Science - working together!
Your environment needs you!
Citizen science is ‘the collection of data and information by communities for scientific purposes’. You can help provide invaluable data and evidence about our water environment. If you're not already involved, you could make a big difference by joining us.
Supporting Citizen Science spotlight
Find out the latest highlight from Supporting Citizen Science. This section will update monthly.
December 2025
Celebrating decades of dedication to the Rainfall Observers Network on International Volunteering Day
Every day at 0900 UTC, a countrywide network of 1000 volunteers read and record data from storage rain gauges — a task that has helped build a vital archive of precipitation trends spanning hundreds of years. These gauges, inspected on a rotating three-year cycle by the Met Office’s team of seven Regional Network Officers, form the backbone of the UK’s long-term rainfall records.
In a heartwarming celebration of public service, long-standing volunteers who have dedicated years to recording daily rainfall were honoured at a special gathering in the North East. “These volunteers are the unsung heroes of climate science. Their dedication enables us to maintain one of the most comprehensive rainfall datasets in the world.” said Sam Everitt, Senior Technical Advisor (Hydrometry) at the Environment Agency.
The initiative also highlights the close collaboration between the Environment Agency, the Met Office, and other partners including Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales, in maintaining the integrity of the UK’s hydrological records.
You can find out more about the Rainfall Observers Network here.
Get involved
You will find ways to participate all over our water hub, and citizen science can be a fantastic way for us to work together by:
- Supporting communities to connect to their local environment.
- Bringing together local stakeholders and decision makers.
- Enabling collaborative action and support.
There are so many opportunities to take part in citizen science and help your environment. Find out more below!
Priority Pond Assessment (PASS)
Water Watch - Hello Lamp Post
We are piloting this novel approach for collecting and sharing data and information. If you live near any of our signage, or are visiting, you can get involved while you're there. We also have an online version of the conversation so that everyone can get involved.
You can find out more about the project and how you can help us collect valuable data on our bathing waters by visiting our Water Water - Hello Lamp Post page.
This ongoing project adds to our recently published report into water recreational use across England that gives robust and insightful data on how people use our waterways for the first time.
Come and join us!
We've love for you to subscribe to our page and become part of our community for future events, news updates, webinars and participation opportunities.
Here's how to join us:
- Create an account here on Engagement HQ.
- Once you have an account, come back to this page and hit the green subscribe button.
By subscribing to our page, you'll give giving us permission to contact you with page updates.
Families
Find out more about our summer residency at the London Science Museum this year.
Head to our Families Water Hub page
-
What citizen scientists are telling us about bathing waters through AI signposts
Valuable new information about how and when people use popular bathing waters has become available, ten months after AI-powered signage was launched at pilot sites around England. Read the latest blog.
-
Citizen Science and the Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is working with partners to develop tools, guidance and frameworks to support a standardised and connected approach to citizen science monitoring of the water environment.
View our latest gov.uk blog to find out more: Citizen Science and the Environment Agency – Creating a better place
Videos
-
The supporting citizen science end of phase A event brought together citizen scientists and Environment Agency staff to celebrate learning, collaboration and achievements from the project. This included talks about the Technical Advisory Framework, Riverfly, CaSTCo and citizen science on the Lark/Wensum and River Brent.
-
