Latest news with #SaveWindermere
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Windermere swimmers warned after blue-green algae found in lake
Swimmers have been told to avoid part of a popular lake after harmful blue-green algae was found in the blooms, which can make people ill if swallowed, were discovered at the Lakeside YMCA bathing area in Windermere, in the Lake campaigners said they believed it had been caused by a combination of pollution flowing into the lake and the warmer Environment Agency said blue-green algae - which can turn the water green - is "naturally occurring" and can appear across the UK, but advised people to avoid swimming in the affected area. Blue-green algae is technically not an alga but a collection of microscopic organisms known as cyanobacteria, which is naturally present in lakes and when conditions are right it can become abundant and form blooms, which can discolour the water or produce scums on its blooms can produce toxins which can cause a rash and make people ill if swallowed. It can also be dangerous to animals, such as dogs. The founder of Save Windermere, Matt Staniek, said the primary source of nutrients for blue-green algae in the lake came from sewage."When you get a combination of sewage flowing into the lake providing the nutrients, which is essentially fertiliser for algae, and nice warm weather like we've got now, that's when we're more inclined to see blue-green algae in the lake," he said."This is just going to get worse and worse with climate change." According to the Environment Agency's bathing water quality map, there are currently three areas in the Lake District swimmers are advised to Lakeside YMCA, Coniston Water Boating Centre and Derwent Water at Crow Park have all been rated poor for water Environment Agency confirmed the presence of blue-green algae in the Lakeside YMCA bathing area."As a result, the current advice is to avoid swimming in this part of the lake," a spokesperson said."Blue-green algae is a naturally occurring environmental phenomenon. It is not unique to Windermere and can appear in many water bodies across the UK, particularly during warm, calm, and dry conditions." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Water quality monitors moved after activist tests
Water quality monitors near England's largest lake which were deemed ineffective by campaigners have now been moved. The Environment Agency (EA) installed the monitors at Cunsey Beck, which feeds into Windermere in the Lake District, after a fish kill in June 2022 in which "100% of life" within the river was suspected to have died. Earlier this year, Save Windermere campaigners claimed a test using non-toxic dye showed the equipment was wrongly placed and could not pick up flow coming from a nearby sewage pipe. The EA said at the time it was "confident" the monitors had been placed correctly but last week it moved the equipment to where the campaigners had said would work better. The monitors, known as sondes, are placed upstream and downstream of Near Sawrey Wastewater Treatment Works - managed by United Utilities - which discharges into Cunsey Beck. Matt Staniek, a founder of Save Windermere, told the BBC in January that the group had placed fluorescent dye where sewage entered the beck and observed the dyed water not passing the sonde. "This means any sewage spills from Near Sawrey - a prime suspect in the fish kill and the main cause for concern on Cunsey Beck - would go undetected by the EA's monitor," he added. The EA said at the time more information on how and when Save Windermere's test was carried out would be needed to determine its relevance. It has now confirmed it reviewed the position of the sonde and had since moved it to the other side of the river just as Save Windermere had recommended, adding that it "welcomed" feedback. It also said it had carried out its own dye test, which suggested this new position captured flow from the outfall effectively. "This is yet another clear example of how Save Windermere is driving real, on-the-ground change," said Mr Staniek. "It also raises serious questions about the reliability of historical data collected in the area." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Water quality monitors 'fail to detect sewage' Watchdog criticised over sewage spill permit Water firm drops fight for sewage data access 'Huge' wildlife loss from sewage plant, charity says How much sewage is released into lakes, rivers and the sea? Environment Agency
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Water quality monitors moved after activist tests
Water quality monitors near England's largest lake which were deemed ineffective by campaigners have now been moved. The Environment Agency (EA) installed the monitors at Cunsey Beck, which feeds into Windermere in the Lake District, after a fish kill in June 2022 in which "100% of life" within the river was suspected to have died. Earlier this year, Save Windermere campaigners claimed a test using non-toxic dye showed the equipment was wrongly placed and could not pick up flow coming from a nearby sewage pipe. The EA said at the time it was "confident" the monitors had been placed correctly but last week it moved the equipment to where the campaigners had said would work better. The monitors, known as sondes, are placed upstream and downstream of Near Sawrey Wastewater Treatment Works - managed by United Utilities - which discharges into Cunsey Beck. Matt Staniek, a founder of Save Windermere, told the BBC in January that the group had placed fluorescent dye where sewage entered the beck and observed the dyed water not passing the sonde. "This means any sewage spills from Near Sawrey - a prime suspect in the fish kill and the main cause for concern on Cunsey Beck - would go undetected by the EA's monitor," he added. The EA said at the time more information on how and when Save Windermere's test was carried out would be needed to determine its relevance. It has now confirmed it reviewed the position of the sonde and had since moved it to the other side of the river just as Save Windermere had recommended, adding that it "welcomed" feedback. It also said it had carried out its own dye test, which suggested this new position captured flow from the outfall effectively. "This is yet another clear example of how Save Windermere is driving real, on-the-ground change," said Mr Staniek. "It also raises serious questions about the reliability of historical data collected in the area." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Water quality monitors 'fail to detect sewage' Watchdog criticised over sewage spill permit Water firm drops fight for sewage data access 'Huge' wildlife loss from sewage plant, charity says How much sewage is released into lakes, rivers and the sea? Environment Agency
BBC News
10-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Windermere swater quality monitors moved after activist tests
Water quality monitors near England's largest lake which were deemed ineffective by campaigners have now been Environment Agency (EA) installed the monitors at Cunsey Beck, which feeds into Windermere in the Lake District, after a fish kill in June 2022 in which "100% of life" within the river was suspected to have this year, Save Windermere campaigners claimed a test using non-toxic dye showed the equipment was wrongly placed and could not pick up flow coming from a nearby sewage EA said at the time it was "confident" the monitors had been placed correctly but last week it moved the equipment to where the campaigners had said would work better. The monitors, known as sondes, are placed upstream and downstream of Near Sawrey Wastewater Treatment Works - managed by United Utilities - which discharges into Cunsey Beck. Matt Staniek, a founder of Save Windermere, told the BBC in January that the group had placed fluorescent dye where sewage entered the beck and observed the dyed water not passing the sonde."This means any sewage spills from Near Sawrey - a prime suspect in the fish kill and the main cause for concern on Cunsey Beck - would go undetected by the EA's monitor," he added. The EA said at the time more information on how and when Save Windermere's test was carried out would be needed to determine its has now confirmed it reviewed the position of the sonde and had since moved it to the other side of the river just as Save Windermere had recommended, adding that it "welcomed" also said it had carried out its own dye test, which suggested this new position captured flow from the outfall effectively."This is yet another clear example of how Save Windermere is driving real, on-the-ground change," said Mr Staniek."It also raises serious questions about the reliability of historical data collected in the area." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Sky News
01-04-2025
- General
- Sky News
Campaigners say analysis shows illegal sewage spills in Lake Windermere reach record levels
Sewage was illegally poured into the Lake District's famous Lake Windermere for a record number of days last year, campaigners say, citing new analysis. They looked at official data released by United Utilities to identify times the water company had released untreated sewage into England's longest lake, when legally it should have been treating some of it. The Save Windermere and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) groups counted 140 days of what they deemed illegal spills in 2024 across six sites on the lake. This was more than the previous record of 110 days in 2023, and higher than in any other of the three previous years, Professor Peter Hammond from WASP found. United Utilities disputed the findings, saying some of the data was "erroneous" and that the method was different to that used by the regulator. The company has earmarked £200m of investment to treat wastewater more thoroughly and stem the flow of the six overflow sites in question. Water companies are allowed to release untreated sewage into waterways when the network risks being overwhelmed, to avoid sewage backing up into people's homes. 1:37 The campaigners say United Utilities discharged sewage into the lake before that threshold had been breached. Other water companies in the country have faced similar accusations. Last week, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the amount of sewage being dumped into English rivers remained "disgraceful", despite some improvements. Campaigners call for legal action Matt Staniek, founder of Save Windermere, said: "What's happened in Windermere is clear: shareholder profits have been prioritised over the ecological health of one of our most iconic and culturally important landscapes. "Bill-payers are being forced to cover the cost of a broken privatised system, yet even now, the proposed investment falls short of what's needed." The group is calling for United Utilities to be prosecuted. England's Lake District is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, based on the "universal value" of its scenic landscape that "everyone has a right to appreciate and enjoy". But the landscape has turned bright green as algal blooms, fuelled by the nutrients in large sewage releases, swamp the waters, campaigners say. United Utilities declined to provide more accurate figures when asked by Sky News, but said the campaigners had wrongly labelled spills at one of the sites, Ambleside, as illegal when the site had in fact complied with its permit. A spokesperson said they were "extremely disappointed" that the campaigners "refused the opportunity to talk through the data so that they can get a better understanding of it". "The methodology used by the campaigners is different to that used by the Environment Agency for its compliance assessments. "On top of that, erroneous data has been used, tags and naming conventions in data sets appear to have been misunderstood, and assumptions seem to have been made on whether different types of flow meters have been installed. "The methodology fails to use other corroborating information from the sites which would prove that spills did not occur. As a result, the numbers quoted are inaccurate." "We're committed to playing our part in continuing to improve the water quality in Windermere." It previously invested £75m to cut the amount of phosphorus entering the lake, which has cut the duration of such spills by 28% in the last year, they added.
