The River Cam usually brings to mind idyllic images of university students punting Yet in its upper reaches, rampant phosphorus pollution has turned the Cam into a slimy, algae-ridden mess, depleting its ability to support wildlife 💧 CapurrodDaniel
Phosphorus in rivers can derive from both agricultural runoff and domestic wastewater, but in the case of the upper Cam and its tributaries, the data appears to link it to the latter.
When this happens, the start of both rivers becomes the outflow pipes of local sewage treatment works. The two major contributors of phosphorus and soluble phosphates are agricultural runoff, when manure and artificial fertilisers wash off fields during rainfall and end up in streams and rivers, and wastewater. Domestic products such as detergents rely on phosphorus to function, while human waste also has high levels.
Once it enters a river, phosphorus encourages the rapid growth of algae. In lakes this can often lead to toxic blue-green algal blooms. In rivers, this is more likely to take the form of filamentous algae.
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