The Save Windermere campaign group says a study shows a 'direct correlation' between the number of visitors to the Lake District and algal blooms, which can make the water toxic or starve wildlife of oxygen.
The flood of tourists to the Lake District is turning Lake Windermere green by driving algal blooms, according to new research. The study - funded by the UK Space Agency - is believed to be the first to examine the impact of visitor numbers on the ecology of the lake in Cumbria. Algal blooms are fuelled by high levels of nutrients - which can come from sewage - and high temperatures. They can make the water toxic or starve wildlife of oxygen.
Lake Windermere is the largest in England, while the Lake District attracts around 18 million visitors a year, according to the national park. As part of the study, research company Map Impact analysed mobile phone data to estimate the number of people in the area, alongside levels of chlorophyll-a - an indicator for algae - detected. The researchers identified single days when more than 300,000 people were in the area - compared with the resident population of just 35,000.
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