England's largest lake to be monitored non-stop
ReutersWater quality at England's largest lake will be monitored non-stop in a 12-month trial to test the equipment and process being used.
Two monitoring buoys are being put into Windermere in Cumbria next week as part of a year-long study to continuously assess the body of water.
United Utilities said the trial would help it and the Environment Agency (EA) work out how best to use the technology in large, still water bodies.
This monitoring is separate from the testing conducted by the EA during bathing season which involves collecting samples in person. The EA said the trial would help inform its future monitoring requirements for water firms.
Equipment in the bright yellow buoys will collect data from two spots on Windermere: the treated wastewater discharge point at Tower Wood and the storm overflow outfall at The Glebe.
Information will be gathered on oxygen, ammonia and pH levels as well as water temperature.
'Complex environment'
Unlike with rivers and streams, there is no legal requirement for water companies to continuously monitor water quality upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment works and storm overflows in lakes.
The EA said this trial was aimed at discovering whether such monitoring could work in the water bodies which it said presented a "more complex monitoring environment".
United Utilities said the focus of the trial was to test the process but the data collected would also be made publicly available at the end of the 12 months, although the findings would not be used for regulation purposes.
The trial was part of a wider study across the country, it said.
The EA currently collects water samples in designated bathing waters, including parts of Windermere, between 1 May and 30 September.
These samples are tested for bacteria which indicates the presence of faecal matter which can come from many sources such as sewage from storm overflows, livestock and wildlife.