The Foundation For Water Research

FWR Panel Discussion: Protecting our rivers, lakes and seas: tackling water pollution challenges through innovation and collaboration
2025-02-11 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/London) | Online Event
The health of our water environment has never been higher on the public and Government agenda. The topic features daily in the media, while the Government has set a key priority to ‘Clean up our rivers, lakes and seas’. This Foundation for Water Research (FWR) panel discussion will explore how innovative approaches, as well as collaboration between key stakeholders, can unlock new opportunities to help us better protect water quality.
The discussion will be hosted and chaired by Dr Vera Jones, Technical Director for Water Quality at AtkinsRealis, with a panel of key experts working across this important technical area. Vera is a member of the FWR’s Water Resources & Quality Technical Panel. You can sign up to the free FWR newsletter to keep up to date on topical issues in the water sector.
Our Chair
Dr Vera Jones is Technical Director and Global Technical Authority for Water Quality at AtkinsRéalis. She holds a PhD in aquatic biogeochemistry and is Fellow of the Institution of Environmental Sciences. Vera leads a global team of technical experts working on all different aspects of water quality – including bathing waters, catchment management, antimicrobial resistance in the environment and water quality modelling. She is also an AtkinsRéalis Technical Fellow, and a guest lecturer in water quality at Teesside University. She was awarded an AtkinsRéalis President’s award for a standout contribution (2023), was a finalist for the WISE Outstanding Woman in Science award (2024) and Highly Commended in the CIWEM Spotlight awards (2024).
Our speakers
Catherine Wilson is an Associate at AtkinsRéalis, where she specialises in water quality. She has over 20 years’ experience in this field and before joining AtkinsRéalis she worked for the Environment Agency for over 10 years with roles in water quality planning, permitting and policy. In her current role she works on projects for a range of clients – water companies, research bodies and regulators including Defra, the Environment Agency and the Office for Environmental Protection. A lot of her focus recently has been on the emerging regulation around discharges from storm overflows and the new approaches to monitoring the impact of these discharges. But she is interested in and has worked across a range of water quality topics, including emerging pollutants and nutrients. She is passionate about the importance of data-led decision making and the opportunities that can arise from sharing data and evidence between organisations.

Mike Bowes is a Nutrient Hydrochemist at UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and leads the River Water Quality & Ecology Group. His main research interest is investigating the sources and fates of the major plant nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon) within rivers at the catchment scale, and how they impact on aquatic ecosystems.
Mike’s novel research has identified phosphorus concentrations that need to be attained in UK rivers before improvements in river ecology are likely to be observed. He also investigates how physical parameters such as light and flow velocity affect algal growth rates in rivers, and uses high frequency chemical and biological monitoring to determine the causes of algal blooms.
Mike developed the Load Apportionment Model, a novel and rapid method for determining relative quantities of P and N entering rivers from sewage treatment works and agriculture. This enables catchment managers and policy makers to determine how nutrient mitigation strategies will affect water quality and river ecology.
Mike leads the UKCEH Thames Initiative, a major Research Platform that brings together water quality and ecological research across the River Thames catchment.
Joff Edevane is Pathfinder Delivery Lead Wetlands and Harbours at Southern Water. He has 30 years’ experience in the water industry, looking at water quality, regulation and process solutions. His current work focus is on using Nature-based Solutions to treat stormwater overflows.

Tessa Wardley is Director for Communications and Advocacy at The Rivers Trust, building on a lifetime working and playing in our rivers, lakes and seas. Throughout her career Tessa has been employed and collaborated with stakeholders throughout the sector, initially working for the Environment Agency in Anglian and Thames regions and then Nationally, she spent many years with Atkins Global (now AtkinsRealis) and latterly with Defra. As a marine and freshwater ecologist, over her career she has worked on catchment solutions with a particular focus on the impacts of land management, water quality and flow on our rivers, lakes and seas. She has a particular interest in the impact of nutrients and abstraction on the ecology of our precious chalk streams. Within Defra, Tessa worked on delivering the 25 Year Environment Plan, developing the Land Use Framework and business engagement. She is author of 7 books including The River Book, Mindfulness and Wild Swimming, Eco Hero Handbook and Ocean Hero Handbook – helping people take everyday actions to engage with and protect our wonderful wild spaces.
Now, as Director for Communications and Advocacy at The Rivers Trust, Tessa leads a team of 11 communications professionals to deliver the strategic approach for communications that establish the Rivers Trust movement as the leading environmental NGO for rivers, and the preferred partner to help rivers and communities thrive. And a small but active advocacy team, drawing on the extensive expertise across the Trust and wider movement to collaborate with a wide range of partners to influence stakeholders. She has a particular focus on working with decision makers and influencers within the sector to ensure the right policies, legislation and processes are in place to help us deliver tangible improvements in our water environment. As an organisation The Rivers Trust is underpinned by the use of data and evidence to make fair and informed decisions, working in partnership to pool collective strengths and focussing on solutions to drive bold actions towards a vision of wild, healthy, natural rivers valued by all.
Featured image © Julian Gazzard via Adobe Stock
