Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
Scientists investigating water pollution in Devon have found that sewage-linked E. coli can reach popular beaches and shellfish farms even when there has been little or no rain, raising questions about how effectively current pollution warnings protect the public.
Research by scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) has tracked bacteria from rivers and sewage overflows through coastal waters to beaches and shellfish farms in Plymouth Sound and Lyme Bay.
The study found that rainfall alone is not a reliable indicator of where bacterial pollution will end up.
Instead, coastal currents, tides and wind direction and speed can determine how contamination is transported, potentially carrying bacteria considerable distances from its original source.
Researchers combined water sampling with a sophisticated ocean model and particle-tracking technology to investigate how E. coli moves through coastal waters.
One example came on 8 July 2024, whe…
