SCIENTISTS are turning detective in an attempt to improve water quality in the River Neet at Bude. Over the coming weeks the agency will be carrying out a detailed survey of pipes discharging into the river around Bencoolen Bridge from the Killerton Road area of the town.
The investigation follows a series of samples taken by the agency's Monitoring and Data team that contained consistently high levels of bacteria. The pollution is believed to be affecting bathing water quality at nearby Summerleaze Beach.
Officers will be working closely with South West Water and North Cornwall District Council. By concentrating on pipes containing the highest level of contamination, officers hope to find out where the pollution is coming from.
Some of the pipes draining from Killerton Road date from Victorian times and are in poor condition. In addition to leaks, it is possible the pollution could be coming from misconnections to local surface water drains.
The agency will be using some hi-tech methods to pinpoint the pollution including a spore- producing bacterium called Bacillus Globigii that mimics the bacteria found in sewage and enables scientists to trace the movement and distribution of potentially harmful bacteria. The team will also be using colourful tracer dyes.
'CONTAMINATION'
"We carried out a preliminary survey last month to determine which pipes discharge from Killerton Road into the River Neet. The next phase of the project is to take a closer look at the pipes around Bencoolen Bridge to try to find out the source of the bacterial contamination," said James Wimpress for the Environment Agency.
"We've already discovered that some of the pipes run close to a main sewer that might be leaking into the surface water system. There's a history of bathing water quality problems at Bude so it is important we press ahead with this investigation."
Once they have completed their survey of the Killerton Road area, the investigation team could target other areas of the town in a bid to clean-up the River Neet and improve bathing water quality at nearby Summerleaze Beach.