New project to discover source of pollution in Scarborough's South Bay
It's expected to last a year.
Last updated 22nd Mar 2024
An environmental expert has been recruited to analyse seaweed along the North Yorkshire coast in a bid to pinpoint the source of pollution which is affecting bathing water quality in Scarborough’s South Bay.
Durham University, funded by North Yorkshire Council and McCain Foods, has been brought in to conduct the tests which are hoped to provide evidence of the origins of the pollution.
Professor Darren Gröcke, who is the director of the Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory (SIBL) at Durham University, has started to collect seaweed samples along the coast in a project which is expected to last a year.
Chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, Richard Flinton, said:
“The quality of the bathing water along the North Yorkshire coast is hugely important to North Yorkshire Council.
“Thankfully, the majority is rated as either good or excellent, but we want that to be the case for Scarborough’s South Bay too.
“As well as wanting this resolved for our residents, the coast is a key draw for our visitor economy, which impacts directly on people’s businesses and livelihoods. And although improving bathing water is not within our gift as the council, we are tackling it head-on.”
Professor Gröcke said:
“By sampling the latest growth part of seaweed, collected along the coast, we can analyse its nitrogen isotopes and from that, we can determine where the pollution is coming from.”
The project will cost £30,000.