Rothbury and upstream
Rothbury Women’s Institute and Rothbury CAN (Climate and Nature) have been testing the water quality at Rothbury and Thropton respectively. Recently, new groups have begun testing at Hepple, Sharperton, Alwinton and Barrow burn.
A summary of the 2024 CRAG Rothury and Thropton data, along with complementary data from the Environment Agency, is in the presentation below.
Rothbury WI regularly test from two sites near the town. The Gas works cottage site is down river of the main Combined Sewage Outlet (CSO) and the Stepping Stones near to the Council yard. It has a gently sloping bank with easy access to the river where it is reasonably shallow but still with a good flow rate.
The Rothbury Bridge site is more readily accessible on the ‘beach’ area next to the main Rothbury bridge.
We use the stepping stones in the village as a useful observation tool to gauge the level of the river. If the water is over the ‘steppies’ as it is in this photo then it’s ‘high’!
Rothbury WI have recently gained permission to start testing at two sites downstream of the Rothbury sewage treatment works at Wagtail Farm. Access to these sites are from the recent Rothbury Estate purchase by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
Rothbury CAN have been testing at three sites on the Wreigh burn neat Thropton – downstream of the Thropton bridge, upstream of the Thropton bridge and near the Snitter road.
The group at Barrow burn is testing at two sites – one on the Coquet and the other on the Barrow burn. At Alwinton, a group is testing at three sites – the Coquet bridge at Angryhaugh, the Coquet downstream of the Usway burn, and on the Alwin burn at Clennel Hall.
The group at Sharperton have begun testing at the Black bridge at Holystone and at the Sharperton bridge.
The Heple group have also just started testing at the Hepple bridge and just downstream of the Hepple sewage treatment workds outlet.
CRAG 