August in the Lake District,
>> but with Windermir increasingly not just
an icon of the English countryside, but
also a headline making illustration of
the sewage scandal and the state of the
waterways. Now, a new study provides
more evidence about the scale of
pollution at this world famous lake.
Many of the sites we've we've visited,
so over 120 sites have never been part
of official mortar quality monitoring
before. And in the report, there are
clearly some areas of particular concern
in terms of water quality. Probably the
most obvious is that the levels of
bacteria that we find in many of the
sites around Windmir shoreline increase
substantially in the summer months from
our survey to the extent that actually
if these were designated bathing waters,
they would be given the the poor water
quality condition that we would give to
to different bathing waters based on
their bacterial concentrations.
pollution worse than in the summer, just
when even more people are doing this.
Windermir's four official bathing sites,
including this one, have an excellent
rating from the Environment Agency. But
the big winder survey gives a much
bigger picture with data from at least
1,000 water samples over two and a half
years from more than 100 sites all
around the lake and from interlin rivers
and becks. This isn't one of Windermir's
official bathing water sites, but it is
really popular with visitors and for
water sports. And in this report, it's
highlighted as a particular hot spot for
high levels of two kinds of bacteria
that can make you ill.
And then there's a big ecological
warning sign in the high phosphorus
levels detected. Particularly if we're
seeing high levels of phosphorus
increasing over time with warming
temperatures, you're going to get
increased risk of utrofification, which
is essentially um an a big event that
risks an ecosystem collapse. So we are
putting not only the water quality, but
the species that live in the lake under
significant risk long term.
The reasons for all this, the report
says there are multiple factors
including sewage from private systems
and septic tanks and also from the
regional water company.
And so in a place where millions visit
the landscape that inspired literary
greats. I'm on a sewage sightseeing tour
>> for Windmir. The solution is to stop
putting sewage into a lake. between the
sewage works and the lake, this river,
which according to save winder
campaigner Matt Staniac is a sign of
what needs to change.
If you can see that layer of slime and
so in the summer months when you've got
a constant stream of treated sewage
going into the lake, creating algae,
it's essentially trapped within it
because it's an enclosed ecosystem. You
are adding to this problem over time.
The company United Utilities says
targeted action by multiple sectors is
needed that it's wholeheartedly
committed to playing a part and working
at pace on multiple projects to improve
water quality in Windermir.
Improving things also the goal of
hundreds of volunteers who became
citizen scientists collecting the water
samples needed for a study on the scale
of the one published today.
When you were dunking in the bucket, did
you notice it looked a bit off?
>> I didn't notice anything. The main thing
I would notice is if it had been
raining, there was more silt in the
water and things like that, but nothing
looked wrong.
>> Now, knowing what the results are, would
you swim in it?
>> Um, I'd be cautious.
For me, the big question is why are we
having to actually ask that question in
the first place on one of the world's
most iconic lakes that we have to say is
this place safe to swim in? And that to
me feels like a really bad place to be
and is very much a function of what's
happening not just on Windermir but
other lakes in the Lake District and the
United Kingdom and Europe.
Responding to today's report, the
government restated its commitment to
ending sewage pollution into Wintermir
and said, "We share the nation's fury at
the levels of pollution pumped into this
national treasure.