Pollution Warning Database

Reported to us by anyone and including the Environment Agency ‘hotline’. This project is a simple one with the objective to give as early a warning as possible of pollution to interested parties downstream of an event. They can then in turn monitor such events and report any findings.
If you’d like to be notified of such events then please contact us.

Invertebrate Monitoring Project

We have funding for, and have organised days now, for the training of 24 volunteers in a standardised methodology of sampling, genus recognition and recording of invertebrates. Data is then centrally recorded and nationally archived and will trigger alarms if trends change locally or nationally (indicative of a chemical/pollution problem usually).

One or two places remain for the first two courses on 20th and 21st March as we have had volunteers with change in circumstance. All we ask is that volunteer’s record and submit data over a full year (perhaps every 2 months and a sample takes 25minutess once you have the gist of it) Expertise in invertebrate recognition is NOT a pre requisite.(its very simple to record the data required ….. but if you want to educate yourself it’s a fantastic opportunity)
We hope to hold further courses in the future….…for further information on invertebrate monitoring click here.

Education and Engagement of Toddlers and Teens

As part of the Greenstreams Project we are currently working with Kirklees Education and other partners like Wild Trout Trust in delivering a programme that will be effective in both junior and senior schools in engaging children to accept that the River is not the dumping ground that were left to us by our industrial heritage and how it should be respected. All integrated into the national curriculum and recognised by the Department for Education and Skills.

This has the potential to be the biggest integrated education project in the country and we would be looking to ’roll out’ to Calderdale and Wakefield if the project is a success and further funding can be found.

After all without this little girl….perhaps we wouldn't have even got this far...

This little girl had the faith to invest in the Calder and Colne Rivers Trust by being the first member of the public to offer a donation of ANY size. Fifty pence well spent in our opinion!

Fish Passage and the River Corridor

A very important part of our work and working with many organisations on this subject.

The new Water Framework Directive (European based) states quite clearly that by 2027 we must attain “good ecological status on all our rivers”.

With heavy revetment, huge urban conurbation and navigable waterways the subject of fish passage becomes a huge issue in these circumstance.

We have identified, already, our five priority weirs for fish passage and should see work start on these in the near future. Castleford has proudly led the way in fish passage on the lower river with the inclusion of a fish and Eel pass in their Heritage Lottery Fund bid and Castleford Renaissance Project. The Eel pass is the grill covered section on the right and inside there is what can only be described as bristles for the eels to wriggle upwards through the heavy flow.

We are currently working with Knottingley to see about the inclusion of a fish pass in their renaissance project and a North Yorkshire council is so keen to see the Salmon in their area that they too are involved with the lobbying at Chapel Haddersley.

And we have to agree that's its very exiting to think that Salmon could be swimming through our towns after maybe a 100yr gap.

British Waterways have agreed with us in placing fish passage on two of their weirs in 2010 at Cooper Bridge and Ledgards.

With EA backed plans for further weir passage the future looks good for our returning Salmon which have been highlighted in a directive that states that there shall be sustainable populations of migratory fish by 2021 in all our rivers.

Salmon were seen on 23 rd July 2009 valiantly attempting to tackle the Old Corn Mill weir near Brighouse which is the highest upstream that they have ever been seen.