Canvey Island risks to London and the Thames estuary area. It is proposed that the western side of Canvey is developed as a site which is either temporarily flooded at times of risk, or transformed into a permanent wetland. Developments in the 20th century have produced a marked contrast between the environments in the east and west of the island. The eastern half of the island is allocated to residential areas, the main public amenities and a small holiday camp and seafront, while the western half of the island is mainly farmland, marshes and industrial areas. The marshes in the west include
River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network The River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON) is a pioneering waterway observing system founded and maintained by Sanibel-Captiva Conservation. RECON is funded primarily by private donations to SCCF's Marine Laboratory. Seven fixed locations stream water quality data from in situ Satlantic instrument packages. The sensor array includes a chemical-free nitrate sensor (ISUS), a CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) and fluorometer package for depth, turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and chlorophyll a fitted with a bleach injection system (WETLabs, Water Quality Monitor), and a CDOM fluorometer. One of the stations also incorporates a Nortek