Who we work with

The Centre for Aquatic Environments is an innovative and interdisciplinary research centre that comprises internationally excellent academics with expertise covering a range of disciplines relating to both freshwater and marine environments including: hydrology and hydrogeology, microbiology and ecology, water quality and pollution, recreation and society, technology and engineering.

The experienced team of academics and research staff lead research projects and consultancy work both in the UK and internationally. We work both in the form of sole researchers and in the form of joint collaborators with external university and institutional partners.

Our research is supported by numerous organisations, including:

Research Councils (eg. NERC Natural Environment Research Council)
The European Commission (eg. INTERREG)
Government organisations (eg. Environment Agency, Natural England)
Non-government organisations (eg. UNICEF, RSPB, Water Aid, World Health Organisation)
Industry (eg. Aquaread Ltd, Deltares, Southern Water)

Working with the Environment Agency to control invasive aquatic plants

The Centre for Aquatic Environments is working with the Environment Agency, in collaboration with Natural England and CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International), to monitor and control invasive aquatic plants. Invasive non-native aquatic plants are a major global threat to wetland ecosystem services, including agriculture, flood control and biodiversity. They can infest water bodies such as ditches, ponds, and canals to form dense vegetative mats that out-compete native flora and reduce oxygen levels. Despite increasing efforts and many millions of pounds spent trying to control invasive species in the UK, many non-native aquatic species are proving resilient to effective management. This research incorporates two of the most problematic species, Australian Swamp Stonecrop (Crassula helmsii) and Floating Pennywort (Hydrocotle ranunculoides), in order to develop effective management and monitoring methods.

The research is providing evidence for the effectiveness of different control methods used by the Environment Agency for these two invasive species. The application of a sUAS (drone) to facilitate assessment of control methods represents a novel contribution to invasive species management. Outcomes from the project include an eradication plan of invasive C. helmsii and H. ranunculoides from important wetlands using the preferred option(s) of treatment and a control brief for contractors to be used nationally.

Working with Southern Water to predict areas at risk from metaldehyde peaks

Researchers from the Centre for Aquatic Environments have been working with Southern Water to integrate existing Southern Water and publicly available datasets with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), in order to establish a transferable protocol for mapping and predicting metaldehyde within catchments. Metaldehyde (a synthetic aldehyde pesticide used globally in agriculture) has been identified as an emerging contaminant of concern. Metaldehyde is of particular significance because it is a highly stable chemical compound in water, can be very mobile in the environment, and is ineffectively removed by current drinking water treatment processes. The SWAT model was chosen because it is an open source, river basin-scale model that has been used to assess water resource and non-point (diffuse) source pollution issues worldwide, gaining considerable recognition internationally. SWAT therefore offers a potentially low-cost tool for catchment management.

Metaldehyde in-stream hazard maps were produced using simulated data from the model. These maps were then used to identify locations in the catchment at risk from the highest peaks in metaldehyde concentrations. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of the SWAT model to identity locations for targeted catchment management and also for predicting the impact of selected management strategies.

Working with South East Water to track sources of faecal contamination

In collaboration with South East Water, the Centre for Aquatic Environments have been employing microbial source tracking techniques (developed at the University of Brighton) to determine sources of faecal contamination, responsible for nutrient inputs into reservoirs. Nutrient inputs into water bodies, such as reservoirs, can result in an increase in algal blooms and costs associated with water treatment. Cyanobacteria (often known as blue-green algae) can be harmful to human health due to the production of harmful toxins.

Microbial source tracking information is valuable as it is enabling the water company to fully understand nutrient source pathways, which will permit them to develop a strategy for the management of reservoirs. This work is all part of a new catchment management initiative launched by South East Water, which is helping the company to understand the causes of drinking water quality deterioration. Research such as this will enable them to determine which measures are required in order to address water quality problems and safeguard drinking water sources in the future.

Working with Thames Water to enhance wastewater recycling

Scientists from the University of Brighton's Centre for Aquatic Environments are working with Thames Water to help manage potential health risks associated with recycled wastewater at the UK's largest community wastewater recycling scheme at London's Olympic Park.

The Old Ford Water Recycling Plant (WRP), located next to the main site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, treats 600,000 litres of wastewater every day, which is then used to flush toilets and irrigate parkland at the Olympic site. The project, led by the late Professor Huw Taylor and Dr James Ebdon, will explore the ability of the plant to remove groups of viruses known as bacteriophages, with support from researchers Dr Sarah Purnell and Austen Buck.

Jointly funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority and Thames Water at a cost of £7 million, the Old Ford Water Recycling Plant was not only part of a sustainable water strategy for the Olympic Games (reducing potable water use by 58 per cent), but is regarded as a platform on which detailed research into this increasingly important field can be conducted. The findings of the research are likely to be of international interest and will contribute to a growing body of knowledge that will help to reduce our over-reliance on potable water sources.

Collaborating with business to develop a better performing water quality probe

Working in collaboration with Aquaread Ltd, the centre's research provided data to contribute towards the development of a novel self-cleaning multi-parameter water quality probe (AP-7000) that is capable of long-term biofoul-resistant monitoring (including suspended sediments and water discolouration) with minimal maintenance requirements - saving the user (e.g. those organisations such as the Environment Agency, who are responsible for the implementation of water resource legislation) water quality monitoring costs, which currently consume up to 80 per cent of the EU’s total environmental budget.

This new self-cleaning multi-parameter probe can halve the frequency of maintenance visits whilst ensuring high-quality and high-resolution data collection. The research behind this technology was funded through an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council CASE Studentship co-funded by Aquaread.