Our Results
What did we find?
Conductivity
Conductivity and pH increased along the river course as would be expected with increasing uptake of salts from the local geology. Levels were low in samples from moorland and agricultural areas but notably higher in urban samples due to household and industrial release. Run off from roads will contribute to conductivity analysis as salts are washed into the river further elevating urban levels.
The figure below shows the increase in conductivity along the river Swale with a steep increase between Wainwath and Grinton and progressive increases to Brompton. Subsidiary samples in Catterick beck show higher levels for example of 565 µS on the 26th January 2025 reflecting the proximity of the beck to road wash off. Conductivity levels in effluent release are even higher for example 802 µS from an overflow on the Batts CSO on the 9th June 2025.
