Botley Parish is home to the Upper Hamble River and is used extensively for leisure activities such as kayaking, paddle-boarding and swimming. The river suffers from poor water quality due to regular discharges and users are concerned about health impacts.

We are working with a team at the University of Southampton, Water and Environmental Engineering Group to develop the application of Microbial Fuel Cells as low-cost sensors to provide a better understanding of the water quality in rivers in near-real-time.

The aim is to provide a public-facing internet application to allow river users to assess the water before entering for leisure use.