Morecambe Bay - plastics & pollution
BETA site in development
Morecambe Bay
Unfortunately, this beautiful area also suffers from a range of pollution sources which negatively impact on the water quality, wildlife and aesthetics of the bay. Lune Rivers Trust, the Morecambe Bay Partnership, South Cumbria Rivers Trust and Wyre Rivers Trust have come together in a partnership to address these issues. These four organisations will be taking a wholescape approach to tackling plastics and pollution throughout the Morecambe Bay area.
The partnership between the three Rivers Trusts and the Morecambe Bay Partnership is a unique collaboration. In the past organisations such as Rivers Trusts focused their work mainly on catchments with the support of CaBA (Catchment Based Approach) while Coastal Partnerships, supported by the Coastal Partnerships Network , have targeted their activities along the coast. This collaboration recognises that there are no artificial boundaries between catchments and the coast and that in order to successfully tackle the issues of Morecambe Bay, it is necessary to work together.
Morecambe Bay - A place like no other
Plastics and pollution
Pollution in Morecambe Bay
Although Morecambe Bay is a beautiful area, it suffers from the impacts of a wide range of pollution sources. These pollution sources include sewage outflows, plastic pollution and runoff from agriculture.
Impacts on water quality
Four principle rivers flow into Morecambe Bay: the Kent, Leven, Lune and Wyre. These rivers fall within the boundaries of the South Cumbria, Lune and Wyre Rivers Trusts.
As a result of all the pollution sources entering Morecambe Bay, water quality in the main bay is currently classified as Poor. The tidal areas of of the Kent, Leven and Lune and all classified as Bad and the tidal area of the Wyre is classified as Moderate. The Duddon estuary is classified as Good. The waterbodies are classified under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) which is an EU directive aiming to achieve 'Good' status for all waterbodies. The classification in the map on the right is the 'Overall status' which is based on both the ecological and chemical status of a waterbody.
There are a wide range of reasons why waterbodies do not achieve higher water quality. You can explore some of these reasons by clicking on the buttons below to highlight catchments upstream of Morecambe Bay where a failure is attributed to a particular factor or sector. You can also click on the last button to return to the water quality status map.
One of the factors involved in the poor water quality of the area is the high numbers of visitors to the region. This results in seasonal fluctuations of the amount of sewage, particularly from off-mains properties such as holiday homes and campsites. The Call of Nature Campaign was begun to highlight the impact of rivers and watercourses caused by poorly maintained off mains sewage systems. A video produced by the campaign can be seen on the right.
Recreation
Recreation is extremely important to the local economy of Morecambe Bay, however it also brings it's challenges to the natural environment.
Numbers of tourists in the area increase in the summer months with visitors eager to enjoy Morecambe Bay. The map on the right shows the estimated number of visits each year to the areas surrounding Morecambe Bay. The darker the green, the more visits are estimated to take place in that area. The data is modelled rather than coming from actual visit numbers and is from the ORVal tool created by Exeter University. You can click on the button below to explore the recreation data in more detail.
Impact on bathing waters
There are several designated bathing waters around Morecambe Bay. These are locations which are popular for swimming and are monitored throughout the summer months for bacteria which indicate the levels of feacal material in the water. In times of heavy rainfall, large volumes of polluted water can be discharged into the bay making the beaches temporarily unsuitable for swimming.
Discharges from poorly maintained septic tanks, storm overflows of untreated sewage from sewage treatment works, runoff from urban areas and runoff containing animal faceal bacteria from farmland can all have a negative impact on Morecambe Bay.
Bathing water status
The majority of bathing waters surrounding Morecambe Bay are currently classified as 'Good', however there are areas such as Morecambe Bay North, Morecambe Bay South and Haverigg where the status is only 'Sufficient'. Full details about each bathing water can be found by clicking the dots on the map on the right then following the link to the bathing water profile.
Surfers Against Sewage have produced a map and a mobile phone App which shows live information about whether a bathing water is currently at risk from any water quality issues. To view the map or download the App, click the link below.
Plastic
As with the rest of the world, plastic is an issue throughout the Morecambe Bay area. From agricultural plastic in the upper reaches of each catchment, to urban rivers clogged plastic bottles and shopping bags, through to the huge range of plastics we find littering our beaches and floating in the sea. In addition to all the plastic we can see littering our landscape, tiny fragments of plastic called 'microplastics' are also everywhere.
Recently a Greenpeace Report found plastic in every single river they sampled. They looked at thirteen rivers throughout the UK and found over 1,200 pieces of plastic, ranging from bottle tops to fragments smaller than 1mm across. You can read the Greenpeace report by clicking on the button below.
The Morecambe Bay partnership regularly carry out beach cleans at various locations throughout the Bay. With the help of x volunteers they have collected over x kg of plastic from Morecambe Bay's beaches. Include map/image of MBP beach cleans if possible.
Action to tackle plastics and pollution across Morecambe Bay
The Morecambe Bay Coastal Partnership and the three CaBA Partnerships (led by Lune, South Cumbria and Wyre Rivers Trusts respectively) encompassing the Bay catchment have begun a programme of collaborative working to address pollution and plastic around Morecambe Bay. You can find out more about each organisation's current projects below.
Projects led by Lune Rivers Trust
1) Work with volunteers and community groups, conduct litter picking days, identify hotspots and the origin where possible, to support development of a plan to approach local companies to reduce the problem.
2) In conjunction with Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC), sample and analyse micro-plastics in the riverine water column. Explore the potential for LEC support (sampling and analysis) to other Morecambe Bay partners. Support progression of development of a standard for micro-plastics in water.
Click here to see the full project report (EXAMPLE PDF AT PRESENT)
Photo: Lune Rivers Trust
Projects led by Morecambe Bay Partnership
1) Identify plastics at specified beaches around the Bay area, determine the extent to which birds are using plastics in nest materials and assess the degree of bird entanglement
2) Raise awareness of the issue of plastic in the environment through; social media, the creation and delivery of a schools lesson plan, the provision of citizen science opportunities and a campaign focused on personal hygiene products.
3) Support engagement with the LOVEmyBEACH and Love Water campaigns and activities.
Projects led by South Cumbria Rivers Trust
1) With respect to bathing water quality, undertake a monitoring programme to determine the impact of septic tanks and agriculture on microbial and nutrient water quality through both monthly and wet weather high flow sampling.
2) In collaboration with Lune Rivers Trust and Lancaster Environment Centre undertake sampling and analysis of microplastics in the riverine water column.
Projects led by Wyre Rivers Trust
1) Through use of acoustic tags and receivers, identify the migration and spawning location of the European Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) within the Wyre catchment.
2) Undertake juvenile fish surveys in the Wyre Estuary to characterise its use as a nursery area.
3) Analyse the gut contents of a number of adult fishes, captured from the river Wyre, for plastic content.
Photo: Rupert Fleetingly, via Wikipedia Commons . CC BY-SA 2.0.
Potential future projects and collaboration
Details to be added on ideas and plans for future collaboration.
Project leads & volunteering opportunities
Acknowledgements
This StoryMap has been created through the WAMM (Wholescape Approach to Marine Management) project. WAMM is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to support a more an integrated and collaborative approach to the management of estuarine and coastal waters nationwide.
Links to further information
Click on the links below to explore additional data and information about the catchments which flow into Morecambe Bay and the bay itself.
