Haslemere will soon be able to test for E. coli in the River Wey thanks to the recent launch of The Water Rangers Community Water Lab.

The lab will monitor rivers in the Wey catchment to ensure they are safe for otters and humans and will provide kits for local areas to conduct their own testing.

Councillor Claire Matthes attended the launch in Guildford on behalf of the Haslemere Water Rangers.

She said: “We haven’t actually had the ability to test for E.coli which is much more of an indication of sewage in the water. 

“There's so much in the news about sewage, alcohol in our rivers and about the utility companies.

“It has all got a bit political as well but this is a really positive way of putting all that aside and just focusing on what the test data shows us.”

However, E. coli tests are not cheap and a lot of work goes into the process of testing the water so the group will need to fundraise the required amount.

Once the money is raised it won’t take long to receive a kit as the South Wey rises near Haslemere so the lab has Haslemere at the top of its waiting list.

Claire added that it was a positive to hear insights from key figures in the field and to see how much people care about what is in the waterways. 

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/Haslemere-Water-Ranger

To volunteer contact Claire at [email protected]