One of the UK’s most stunning lakes is turning green and toxic due to high visitor numbers, reveals a new report.
Lake Windermere in the Lake District has taken on a new hue during its busiest periods according to new claims.
That’s the verdict on what’s happening at one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations set out in a new report which suggests there are peak visitor times and algal blooming.
Algal blooming occurs due to warm temperatures and nutrients making the water green and toxic.
The phenomenon has been linked by campaigners to discharges of sewage, which although mostly treated, are nutrient-rich. It increases oxygen levels in the water and kills fish and other aquatic life.
Local water company United Utilities, however, say its wastewater plants can cope with peak tourist periods.
Richard Flemmings from the environmental data company Map Impact which conducted the study with funding from the UK Space Agency. He has been taking a closer look at the issue which has also been linked to climate change.
Mr Flemmings said: “There is a significant correlation between visitor numbers and chlorophyll content,” reports the BBC.
He added: “So what you see is typically you get a high spike in the number of people and then three to five days later you get a spike in chlorophyll in the lake.”
The research used infrared analysis of satellite images to measure chlorophyll levels over the last five years in Lake Windermere and contrasted that with visitor numbers which were revealed through mobile phone data.
It showed that there could be up to 300,000 visitors on a busy summer weekend.
The Environment Agency’s own research showed that more than half of the phosphorus – which causes the algal blooming – originated from sewage. But the water company which has overflows into the lake says it’s not the cause.
A spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “Our wastewater treatment works are sized to treat the sewage from maximum population numbers at peak times, and use the highest treatment standards including phosphorus removal and UV treatment to kill bacteria.
“To contribute to the debate about a ‘discharge-free’ solution with no treated or untreated UU discharges, no effluent from the 1,800 private septic tanks or from the additional 89 discharge points around the lake that are owned by others, we carried out a feasibility study that has already been shared with key local stakeholders and we are keen to engage with anyone who might want to investigate this further.”
Earlier this year a campaigner has accused the water company of putting profit over the environment after it discharged over 27,700 hours of untreated sewage into Lake Windermere since 2020.
Matt Staniek told how United Utilities spilled 8,787 hours of sewage into the UK’s largest lake last year.
Matt, who got the data from official figures, said: “The staggering 2023 event duration monitoring data reflects the water industry’s prioritisation of profit over environmental protection even here in the Lake District National Park and UNESCO World Heritage site.”
“This is not about the weather. It is a result of deliberate commercial decisions to not invest in infrastructure to maximise dividend returns. As a result, millions upon millions of litres of untreated sewage have entered a lake that retains much of what is dumped into it.”
