Exclusive: Concentrations of faecal bacteria in the lake were found to peak in summer but there were high levels throughout year
Bathing water quality across most of Windermere is poor throughout the summer, indicating high levels of sewage pollution, according to a comprehensive analysis of water quality in England’s largest lake.
High levels of bacteria found in human faeces – Escherichia coli (E coli) and intestinal enterococci (IE) – indicating sewage pollution, were found to be highest in the summer months, when Windermere is used heavily by holidaymakers for swimming and watersports.
The results come from the largest survey of water quality across the lake, which involved 350 citizen scientists taking more than 1,000 samples over two and a half years in the Big Windermere Survey.
The results, published on Tuesday, include data on water quality from many areas of the lake that have not previously been analysed for water quality.
