Science survey of Windermere's water quality is in

The project, led by Dr Ben Surridge, a biogeochemist and senior lecturer at Lancaster University gives a large-scale snapshot of the water quality in Windermere that has never been seen before. 

A map of the sites surveyed around Windermere (Image: Dr Ben Surridge)

The water samples were taken in June by one hundred citizen scientists across 93 different sites and 59 across the shoreline of Windermere itself. Typically the Environment Agency surveys four locations across Windermere. Dr Surridge said that 'it would not have been possible to get all these locations' if it was not for the number of people that volunteered, giving an 'unprecedented' snapshot of the water.

The Big Windermere Survey aimed to establish two factors, how much bacteria is in the water and how much phosphorus is in the water. Phosphorus can come from sewage and it is a nutrient that can help feed the blue-green algal blooms we have seen in Windermere over the summer.

The samples were put into test kits and sent off to the lab at Lancaster University (Image: Dr Ben Surridge) 

For levels of bacteria such as e.coli and intestinal enterococci, which can come from faecal matter, 90 per cent of the sites in the survey met bacterial standards for 'good' or 'excellent' bathing water quality under the European Union Bathing Water Directive, which is a key test of whether a body of water is safe for a human to interact with. 

READ MORE: Windermere to feature in Channel 5 Michaela Strachan documentary

More mixed results came from the phosphorus survey. 63 per cent of all sites met standards for at least 'good' status. For Windermere itself, the figure was 58 per cent. 

The Doctor said that he swims in Windermere and has both a professional and personal interest in it (Image: Dr Ben Surridge)

The main conclusion that Dr Surridge established is that Windermere is not a single waterbody with the same water quality. There is no evidence of poor water quality across the whole of Windermere. 

However, the survey will have to be run again in November and at some point in the spring to get a true analysis of Windermere. Dr Surridge said that people were already willing to volunteer again. 

According to the survey, Windermere should not be treated as a singular body of water (Image: Dr Ben Surridge)

He said that the raised profile of Windermere through the media coverage and Matt Staniek's campaign 'is really important': "The value is there in speaking about these issues. We are hoping to inform this discussion with scientific evidence, so we can put our energy and investment into the right places."