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Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo)

Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo)

Challenge: Breakthrough 1
Water cycle: Rivers, catchments, groundwater
Lead water company: United Utilities
Partner water companies: Affinity Water Anglian Water Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) Northumbrian Water Severn Trent Water South East Water South West Water Southern Water Thames Water Yorkshire Water
Delivery stage: In progress
Est. completion date: Sep 2025

Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo)

Led by:  United Utilities

Funding amount: £6,395,499

Partners: The Rivers Trust, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, South West Water Ltd, Southern Water Services Ltd, Dŵr Cymru Anglian Water Services Ltd, Severn Trent Water Ltd, Yorkshire Water Services Ltd, Northumbrian Water Ltd, Affinity Water, South East Water, Earthwatch Institute, The Freshwater Biological Association, The Zoological Society of London, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Cardiff University, University of Exeter, Natural Course EU Life Integrated Project, Hummingbird Technologies

See project updates on the CaSTCo website.

Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo) – a partnership led by United Utilities between the Rivers Trust, twelve water and sewerage companies as well as academia and environmental charities– has been awarded £7.1 million to revolutionise the way crucial data about England and Wales’ water environment is gathered and shared, in particular on the health of the nation’s rivers. Only 14% of rivers in England are in ‘good health’ – one of the worst records in Europe. This project will ensure there is robust evidence base for tackling environmental challenges with direct support for local evidence gathering and community engagement in eight demonstration catchments, and a national framework of standardised tools and training.

Update from the project (July 2024)

30+ partners sponsored by Ofwat, including water companies, local communities, technical experts, academics, NGOs and UK regulators, are collaboratively building a standardised national framework of integrated environmental monitoring methods like citizen science, low-cost monitoring, real-time monitoring and modelling, and producing data to combine and visualise as insightful information, driving improved decision-making and better actions and outcomes for water and people.

Resources

For more information on Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative, take a look at the following resources:

  • See the CaSTCo website for the most up-to-date information on the project
  • Read the case study from December 2022
  • Watch the below interview