Student No.

1595137

1
ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF BOURN BROOK

INTRODUCTION
Bourn Brook is one of the small streams that feed the River Rea in Birmingham. It is about 5.5 km long
and an upstream urban river.
Three sites of varying nature on the Bournbrook namely Harborne, Woodgate and University sites were
investigated. The aims of this study are:
1) To gain practical experience in water quality assessment techniques
2) To assess the quality of Bourn Brook and
3) To crtically consider the value and limitations of different assessment and monitoring methods.

METHODOLOGY
Field Survey
A River Habitat Survey of the three sites were carried out (See Figure 1). The Harborne data gathering
were taken on Week 4 of the Autumn Term whereas the other two sites were surveyed on Week 7. The
following data and samples were measured and collected:

Dissoved Oxygen (DO), pH, temperature and conductivity using YSI and Hanna meters
Three replicate watre samples for laboratory testing for Phosphorus, Ammonia and suspended
sediments
Three replicate samples for Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Three macroinvertebrates samples using kicksamples as per WFD-UKTAG guidelines
Three phytobenthos samples as per WFD-UKTAG guidelines.

Laboratory Analyses
Suspended Sediments
For each sample, to determine the suspended sediments per volume the following steps were done:
Filter paper was oven dried at 65oC
The oven dried filter paper was place on an aluminum foil boat and weighed
Volume of samples were measured
Water samples were then filtered through the filter paper
Filter paper (with sediments) was placed again on the boat and dried for 24 hours
Filter paper and boat was reweighed again and subtracted to the weight of (2) to get the weight
of the sediment
7. Divide weight of sediment by water sample volume to get suspended sediments per volume
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Phosphorus and Ammonia

Student No. 1595137

Harborne samples were analysed using Hannah test meters for phosporus and ammonia. However during
the analysis of the Woodgate and University samples the ammonia meters were substituted with nitrate
meters.

Figure 1. Bourn Brook Survey Sites: Harborne (red rectangle), University site (blue rectangle), Woodgate site (bottom picture)

Biological Oxygen Demand

The samples were kept at a dark place at approximately 20oC for 5 days. DO was measured after 5 days.
BOD5 was calculated by subtracting initial DO with 5-day DO.
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Animals were placed in petri dishes and sample tubes. 70% Industrial Methylated Spirit was then poured
to each to preserve the animals. Animals were then identified . BMWP and ASPT were then calculated.
Diatoms
Diatom samples were classified using a microscope and a Diatom Classification handout to identify the
observed diatoms.
RHS data
RAPID software was used to calculate the Habitat Quality and Habitat Modification Scores using the data
from the RHS survey sheets.

Student No. 1595137

The Bourn Brook was assessed by using RHS, comparing physico-chemical characterisitcs to WFD-UKTAG
standards and biotic indices. Biological Water Monitoring Party (BMWP) and NTAXA (number of taxa
found in the river) and Trophic Diatom Index were used to classify the rivers ecological status.

RESULTS
River Habitat Survey
A River Habitat Survey (RHS) was done on three reaches in the Bournbrook namely the Woodgate reach,
the Harborne reach and the University reach. Table 1 shows the RHS results using the RAPID software. A
river with a HMC grade of 5 is classified as a severely modified river while a 4 means significantly
modified.
Habitat Quality Assessment
HMS
HMC

Woodgate
59
2745
5

Harborne
59
704
4

University
49
5111
5

Table 1. HMS and HMS Score calculated

Water Quality
Temperature is lowest at the Woodgate site, the most upstream sampling site, (10.1oC) and highest at the
University Site (11.5oC) which is the most downstream sampling site. Likweise DO is lowest at the
Woodgate site with an average of 8.54 mg/l and lowest at the University site with an avergae of 9.39 mg/l.
pH values observed ranged from 7.38-8.6 while the electrical conductivity data were quite erratic with
highly dissimilar values within the Harborne site ranging from 293-406 S and between sites ranging from
293-609 S.

Student No. 1595137

Temperature
o
C
DO%
DO mg/l
pH
conductivity
S
Suspended
Sediment
mg/L
DO (% after 5
days)*
DO (mg/l
after 5 days)*
BOD5 mg/l
Phosphate,
g/l P
Nitrate, mg/l
Ammonia
mg/l N

Harborne
S1G2
S2G2

S1G1

S2G1

S3G1

10.6

10.6

10.7

11

81.7
9.11
7.5

82.40
9.13
7.38

82.1
9.12
7.55

293

406

13.21

4
Woodgate
S3

S3G2

Average

S1

S2

10.9

10.9

10.78

10.1

10.1

81
8.95
7.65

80.8
8.94
7.69

80.3
8.9
7.49

81.39
9.03
7.54

74.9
8.44
8.27

405

333

336

350

353.83

16.98

15.1

3.77

1.89

9.43

61.6

55.4

60

64.2

66.1

5.52

4.95

5.36

5.69

3.59

4.18

3.76

0.53

0.75

0.35

0.43

S1

S2

10.1

10.10

11.4

11.4

11.5

11.43

76.3
8.59
8.32

76.3
8.59
8.26

75.83
8.54
8.28

86.5
9.45
7.94

86.2
9.42
8.6

85.5
9.3
7.93

86.07
9.39
8.16

606

609

606

607.00

472

473

471

472.00

10.06

0.015

0.012

0.031

0.02

3.9604

3.92

2.63

68

62.55

85.1

69.7

56.2

70.33

80.2

80

82.3

80.83

5.88

6.04

5.57

7.88

6.42

5.1

6.47

7.52

7.43

7.62

7.52

3.26

3.06

2.86

3.45

0.56

2.17

3.49

2.07

1.93

1.99

1.68

1.87

0.6

0.39

0.4

0.44

0.52

0.65

0.75

0.72

0.71

0.45

0.45

0.33

0.41

0.9

0.7

1.1

0.90

0.8

2.1

1.3

1.40

0.44

0.58

0.68

0.84

0.55

0.00

0.00

Table 2. A summary of the physico-chemical descriptions of the sample sites

*6 days for Harbourne

University
S3

Average

Average

Student No. 1595137

Macroinvertebrates
Number of Specimens Observed
Taxa

Bourn Brook Overall

BMWP

Woodgate

Harborne

University

Oligochaeta

Gammaridae
Planariidae
Asellidae

6
5
3

3
1
3

6
0
3

1
0
2

10
1
8

Baetidae

10

Hydrachnida

Chironomidae
limnephilidae
Glossiphoradae

2
7
3

1
1
0

2
0
5

0
0
2

3
1
7

Simuliidae

Tipulidae

Hirudinidae

Lymnaeidae

Talitridae

Calopterygidae

Philopotamide

Dendrocoelidae

Sphaeriidae

Ephemerellidae

10

BMWP

28

35

56

81

NTAXA

10

11

17

ASTP

3.5

5.1

4.76

Table 3. Macroinvertebrates Observed in Bourn Brook

Diatoms
The table below indicates the diatom species found in the sampling sites. Navincula gregaria and Synedra
acus is found in all the sample sites. Cocconeis placentula, Gonphonema parvulum and Synedra ulna are
only observed both in the Harborne and Woodgate sites, whereas Rhoicosphaeni abbreviata and Diatoma
vulgare are found in Woodgate and University site respectively.
Phytobenthos
N. gregaria
R. abbreviata
N. lanceolata
C. placentula
G. parvulum
S. ulna
S. acus
D. vulgare

Woodgate

Harborne

University

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No

Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No

Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes

Table 4. Diatom species found in the Bourn Brook survey

DISCUSSION

Nutrient
Sensitivity
according to TDI
3
4
4
2
3
2
3
5

Student No. 1595137

The Environment Agencys River Habitat Survey (RHS) is presently used by the UK government to describe
a river reach and consequently used as an river conservation tool (Davenport, Gurnell and Armitage, 2004)
much like its predecessor, Thornes (1998) Stream Reconnaisance Survey. An Habitat Management Score
and Habitat Management classification scores can then be calculated from the RHS. The HMS score of the
University site has the highest value followed by the Woodgate site. Both sites are Severely Modified
while the Harborne site is Significantly Modified. This is quite common in urban streams and rivers.
Modification of the river geomorphology greatly impacts (e.g. smoothing of river bed, removal of riffles)
river ecology (Thorne, 1998).
Defra data on Bournbrook showed that average ammonia concentration is 0.142 mg/l whereas an
average of 0.55 mg/l was observed in the Harborne site. No ammonia was observed on the Woodgate and
the University site. Possible reasons for this is faulty ammonia meter or mishandling of the laboratory test
which is why the class decided to take nitrate samples on the the Woodgate and University sites. However
basing on the Harborne data, ammonia concentration is quite high.
Large inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus to water bodies can lead to eutrophication causing ecological
changes that result in a loss of plant and animal species, and have negative impacts on the use of water
for human consumption and other purposes (WFD-UKTAG, 2014) (European Environment Agency, 2004).
Woodgate site phosphate was at 0.71 g/l which has 75% more phosphate than the other sites. This can
be attributed to road runoff and household sewage (European Environment Agency, 2004).
Most of the nitrate pollution in UK comes from farms (DEFRA, 2012). This is clearly demonstrated by Bourn
Brook which is an upland urban stream. Highest nitrate measurement was only 1.4 mg/L which is quite
low compared to other parts of the UK. According to the European Environment Agency (2004), (n)atural

Figure 2. Annual average concentrations of nitrates by landscape type (Graph taken from
DEFRA, 2012)

concentrations of orthophosphate vary from catchment to catchment depending uponfactors such as

geology and soil type. Natural ranges are considered to be approximately 0 to 10 g P/l. Concentrations

Student No. 1595137

of nitrate below 0.3 mg N/l are considered to be natural or background levels for most European rivers
though for some rivers levels of up to 1 mg N/l are reported. Concentrations of nitrate above 7.5 mg N/l
are considered to be of relatively poor quality and exceed the guideline concentration for nitrate of 5.6
mg N/l as given in the Surface Water for Drinking Directive.
Meanwhile, recent invertebrate surveys of some reaches in the Bourn Brook particularly in the Woodgate
Valley have a NTAXA score of 9 and BMWP scores ranging from 29 - 35 (Freshwater Invertebrate Network,
2015). Other sites within Birmingham and Black Country also exhibited similar results and are classified as
moderate quality river. The NTAXA and BMWP scores taken by the class likewise indicated comparable
results.
The University site also has the most number of visible road and stormwater drainages and the most
modified reach of the three sampling sites as seen in Figure 2 . However, the said site has a higher NTAXA
and BMWP than the other sites which is unexpected given that the former is the most downstream of all
the sites and lined with roads and buildings 10m from its banks. A possible reason for this may be due to
the the inexperience of the surveyors in river survey or the low BOD5 (1.87 mg/l) of University site
compared to the upstream sites (2.07 mg/l and 2.86 mg/l).
A list of reports by the Environment Agency (EA) (2015) on the Bourn Brook demonstrated that the stream
has an improved ASPT score of 2.25 last 2009 to an overall ASPT of 4.46. This indicates good environmental
management practices and policies by the EA and the local Birmingham City Council.
Diatoms or phytobenthos can also be used as an indicator of river quality (Kelly, 2000). The diatoms were
observed using a 400x microscope, instead of the usual 1000x, and without removing chlorophyll and
other organic matter as per usual practice. Nonetheless, eight diatom species were recognized with N.
gregaria and S. Acus as the most observed. The said diatoms are moderately nutrient sensitive (s=3)
mostly identified with moderate ecological status rivers (Kelly, 2000). More nutrient sensitive diatoms
(s=2) like C. parvulum and S.ulna are found in the upper stream sites. A possible reason for this is that
upstream parts of a river have lesser accumulated urban pollutants e.g. runoff from roads, sewage and
pipe drains. As can be seen from Figure 2, the University site have large numbers of road drains and storm
drains.

Figure 3. Road drainage and storm drains flowing to the Bourn Brook at University site

Student No. 1595137

River Invertebrate Classification Tool (RICT) (EC, 2010) is now being used by UK which includes BMWP and
ASTP. These tools, including freshwater assesment through phytobenthos, are very important in
determining the health and quality of a river. However separate BMWP and ASPT should be done per
season and abundance surveys should be also included as per WFD-UKTAG (2014) guidelines. This could
have helped create a clearer picture on the ecological status of the river. Reasons for this is the lack of
time for students to obtain data on the following seasons. Some scientists like Mustow (2002) advocates
using different set of taxa for BMWP in Thailand and other developing countries compared to the usual
BMWP taxa used in UK.
Presently the UK is using the Trophic Diatom Index (TDI) established by Kelly et al (2006). This was not
used since the survey members were not trained to use the TDI although the findings of the author were
based on an earlier book by Kelly (2000).
One of the big problems in urban streams is urban pollution. The River Rea was surveyed last August 2014
and results show that the river was negatively impacted by oil pollution causing the BMWP socre to
decrease to 15.5 (FIN, 2015)(Environment Agency, 2015). However the EA have dealt with the problem
and last October 2015, there have been signs of ecological recovery (FIN, 2015).
Data from the RHS, BMWP and physico-chemical tests were taken to augment environmental
management decisions. Nonetheless there are other chemicals/compounds that may have a damaging
effect on river habitats which is why the WFD-UKTAG recommended to the European Environmental
Council (EEC) to add more toxic/harmful substances on the list of dangerous chemicals.

CONCLUSION
Major findings on this study are as follows:

Bournbrook is significantly to severely modified stream

Bourn Brook has improved ASTP compared to previous survey
Bourn Brook has not yet achieved WFD-UKTAGs good ecological status much like most rivers
in urban Birmingham and other urban rivers in UK
One of the problems faced by the surveyors were the lack of experience. Some of the class were
having a hard time answering the RHS sheet especially describing the channel characteristics.

The European Unions Water Framework Directive requires all water bodies to achieve good ecological
status by 2015 (European Commission, 2010). Bourn Brook is of moderate ecological quality based from
the results.
Results could have been more accurate and up to UK standards if the students, including the author, were
more experienced but nonetheless the aim of making the students gain practical experience in water
quality assesment techniques was achieved.
The tools used to analyze the status of the river ecological status however Davenport et al. (2004) stated
that most of the time urban rivers cannot reach good ecological status that is set by the EU. Urban rivers
are usually difficult to restore and ecologically improve due to its proximity to the buildings and other
major infrastructures therefore urban rivers should be surveyed according to the parameters set by their
Urban River Survey (URS) rather than the standard RHS (Davenport et al., 2004).

Student No. 1595137

REFERENCES
Davenport, A., Gurnell, A. and Armitage, P. (2004). Habitat survey and classification of urban rivers. River
Res. Applic., 20(6), pp.687-704.
DEFRA, (2012). Observatory monitoring framework indicator data sheet. DEFRA.
DEFRA, (2014). Water Framework Directive implementation in England and Wales: new and updated
standards to protect the water environment. DEFRA.
Environment Agency, (2015). Environment Agency - What's In Your Backyard?. [online] Available at:
http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/default.aspx [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015].
European Commission, (2010). Water Framework Directive. [online] Available
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/pubs/pdf/factsheets/water-framework-directive.pdf

at:

European Environment Agency, (2004). (WEU02) Nitrogen and phosphorus in rivers. European
Environment Agency.
FIN (Freshwater Invertebrate Network), (2015). "Surveys | FIN | The Freshwater Invertebrate Network".
N.p., 2015. Web
Kelly, M. (2000). Identification of common benthic diatoms in rivers. [Great Britain] (GB): Field Studies
Council.
Kelly, M.G., Juggins, S., Bennion, H., Burgess, A., Yallop, M., Hirst, H., King, L., Jamieson, J., Guthrie, R.,
Rippey, B. (2006). Use of diatoms for evaluating ecological status in UK freshwaters. 160pp: Draft final
report to Environment Agency
Mustow, S. (2002). Biological monitoring of rivers in Thailand: use and adaptation of the BMWP score.
Hydrobiologia, 1(479), pp.191-229.
Thorne, C. (1998). Stream reconnaissance handbook. New York: John Wiley.
WFD-UKTAG, (2014). UKTAG River Phosphorus Standards. WFD-UKTAG.