surveys

Is your local lake suffering from metal pollution? - Help us find out

Join in the OPAL metals survey and help us learn more about metal contamination in lakes and ponds across England.

Taking part is easy. Just collect a small mud sample from your local pond and send it to the OPAL Water team. We'll then analyse your sample for the presence of metals.

What is metal pollution?

Metals are present in all biological organisms and environments but usually at levels that do no harm. In fact some metals, such as copper and zinc, are essential to the health of living things. However, too much or too little can have damaging effects.

Other metals, such as mercury, cadmium and lead, are not essential. For these metals, each organism has a tolerance level. Exceeding this level can damage growth and development, and very high concentrations can cause death.

In the water, the damaging effects of metals are mostly seen at the top of the food chain, in fish such as pike and in fish-eating birds such as ospreys. This is because metals build up as they pass through the food chain - a process called bioaccumulation.

How will the survey help?
Our knowledge of trace metal distribution in UK lakes and ponds is currently poor. By analysing the mud samples you send us, we'll find out which areas are most affected. Our results will also feed into maps of metal distribution produced by the British Geological Survey.

Get involved today - request your free sampling kit

If you would like to take part, request a free sampling kit by emailing us with your address at: opalwatercentre [at] geog [dot] ucl [dot] ac [dot] uk.

Alternatively, write to us at: The OPAL Water Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

The OPAL metal survey is not suitable for under 5s. Unfortunately, due to lottery funding restrictions, we can not send sampling kits to addresses outside of England.

Sent in a sample? See your contribution on our map

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the metals survey so far. Our sample map shows all the contributions we've received so far.

The FSC is developing survey packs to support each of the five OPAL surveys on soil, air, biodiversity, water and climate. A total of 200,000 packs will be produced, half of which will be distributed to schools.

What's in the survey packs?
Each pack will include all the necessary guides, identification keys and tools required to participate in an OPAL survey. Online versions of the guides and keys will also be made available on the OPAL website.

OPAL in schools
Teaching staff from FSC field centres will provide outreach to participating schools during each survey. If your school has not already been contacted, please contact the FSC via their website to express your interest in the surveys.

Who is the Field Studies Council (FSC)?
The FSC is an independent educational charity committed to raising awareness about the natural world. It has a network of field centres throughout the UK, providing residential and day courses for schools and colleges. The FSC publishes many titles to support its work, and has grown to become one of the UK’s leading publishers of identification guides.