Nuestro proyecto ha completado este fin de semana las primeras minicampañas de recogida de muestras de agua desarrolladas en la comarca de Odra-Pisuerga. Esto supone los primeros pasos de una iniciativa de ciencia ciudadana que busca conocer mejor el estado de las aguas y la presencia de nitratos en el medio rural.This weekend, our project completed the first mini-campaigns to collect water samples in the Odra-Pisuerga region. These mark the first steps in a citizen science initiative aimed at gaining a better understanding of water quality and the presence of nitrates in rural areas.
The sampling, carried out thanks to public participation in the Santibáñez and Valdehumada valleys, enabled a total of 31 water samples to be collected, mostly from private wells, but also from fountains, water troughs, springs and other supply points, providing valuable information on water resources used in daily life.
Although the activity was initially aimed at people who had previously registered via the project’s website, community involvement has been one of the defining features of these early campaigns, and the response from local residents exceeded the organisers’ expectations. Several people spontaneously joined those already registered in the various localities, demonstrating the existing interest in understanding the quality of the local water they use regularly and in contributing to the generation of environmental knowledge useful for the region.
As well as helping with the collection, participants shared information on the history and traditional use of numerous water sources in the region, providing valuable local context to the data collected.
The samples have been preserved in accordance with the protocols established by the project and transferred to the University of Burgos, where the relevant laboratory analyses are currently being carried out.
Thanks to this network of participants, ambassadors and collection points, the project is beginning to build a detailed map of water quality in the study areas.
The sample collection campaigns will continue until next August in various areas of Castile and León, Aragon and Portugal.
The University of Burgos encourages local residents, associations, local councils, irrigation communities and anyone else interested to join this citizen science initiative. The more samples collected, the more comprehensive and representative the map will be, enabling us to determine the presence of nitrates and the state of water resources in the region.
Those interested can view the study areas and participation options, and register via the sampling campaign page on the website.
