Island's watercourses 'generally in good health'

Large majority of them have excellent or good chemical classification

With under-performing water companies in the UK under fire for failing to prevent the pollution of the nation's rivers and streams, it's a different story in the Isle of Man, where watercourses have been found to be generally in good health.

Information provided to Manx Radio by Department of Environment, Food & Agriculture's Environmental Protection Unit show that 98 percent of monitored sites achieved an 'excellent' or 'good' chemical classification - based on biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen and ammonia.

Water samples are routinely collected from 86 locations across the Island and assessed against the standards set out in the Water Pollution (Standards and Objectives Scheme) 2020, which aligns with UK and EU criteria.

The latest test results show that for nutrients 98 percent of sites met excellent or good classifications for phosphate and 86 percent for nitrate.

All 17 sites that are surveyed for heavy metals including copper, manganese, nickel and iron met expected standards. 83 percent of them passed for dissolved cadmium. However, dissolved zinc exceeded the standard at 80 percent of sites - largely due to historic mining activity.