New water quality monitoring equipment will be installed in a Lake District beck next week.
The Environment Agency is putting the kit into Cunsey Beck, which flows into Windermere, which will allow officers working remotely to see in real time the quality of the water and identify any pollution more quickly.
Additional data that is gathered will be used to better understand water quality.
In the last 12 months, there have been reports to the Environment Agency’s incident hot line of dead fish along Cunsey Beck.
Last June, 200 fish were found dead in the beck.
Investigations have concluded that the discolouration, odour and fish deaths reported were most likely caused by a decrease in oxygen, most likely caused by the presence of an algal bloom nearby.
The equipment will enable the officers to have live data about oxygen levels, pollution, and water temperature. Helping them to take appropriate action to limit damage to the environment as quickly as possible.
Nicki Rushton, Environment Agency environment manager, said: “We understand concerns that local people have about water quality and how frustrating it is not to have clear answers about what has caused some of the incidents we have seen.
“This will enable us to have access to better information than ever before to help us take prompt action to maintain and improve water quality in Cunsey Beck in the future.
“It will also enable us to better understand the complex issues facing Windermere and help secure the future of this iconic lake for generations to come.”
Actions for Windermere over the next 12 months include monitoring trends and pollution hotspots, targeting efforts on reducing pollution sources and reviewing findings on a regular basis, the agency said.
The Environment Agency is also leading the Love Windermere partnership, a long-term initiative which brings together organisations committed to developing a science-based plan for the environmental protection of this iconic lake.
People can help by reporting environmental incidents such as pollution and fish in distress to the Environment Agency 24-hour incident hot line on 0800 807060.
