For those of us who work in the Llanberis valley, Llyn Padarn is a significant feature in our lives.  The livelihoods of many people in the area are closely linked to the well being of the lake.  Many aspects of how we live and work have a direct impact on the health of the lake.

Simple changes to some aspects of how we work can make a big difference to Llyn Padarn.

You can be a Loving our Lake supporter by;

Switching to a phosphate-free dishwasher detergent

Phosphates in dishwasher tablets are a problem for Llyn Padarn.  When phosphates enter the water they become nutrients or food for algae, the algae feast and multiply.  In certain conditions this leads to toxic algal blooms threatening wildlife and preventing us all from enjoying the lake.

Most dishwasher detergents contain at least 30% phosphates, the only way you can be sure that none of this ends up in Llyn Padarn is to change to a phosphate free brand.

If you use a automated dosing industrial dishwashing machine:

environmentalsupplies.co.uk offer a range of environmentally friendly products for hospitality businesses, including phosphate free dishwash detergent as trialled and loved by Loving Our Lake friends, at the Gallt y Glyn (restaurant with accommodation). Learn more about what they have done in this in this video

Loving Our Lake Final from Snowdonia-Active on Vimeo.

Special Offer for Loving Our Lake Supporters

Environmental Supplies are offering a 5% discount for orders under £100 and 10% discount + free delivery for orders over £100.

Please email them at sales@environmentalsupplies.co.uk, or FREEPHONE on 0800 808 7887, stating you are a ‘Loving Our Lake’ supporter.

If you use a domestic dishwasher, look out for the following products:

Ecover, 19p per wash, available in Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose

PlanetClean, 12p per wash, available in Asda
W5, 8p per wash, available in Lidl

If you shop online lookout for the following products;

Faith in Nature,  14p per wash, available from faithinnature.co.uk

Simply, 18p per wash, available from simplywashing.com

All of the above are cheaper than other leading brands!

Emptying your septic tank every 1-2 years

When did you last empty your septic tank? Monitoring has shown that leaking septic tanks are a significant source of phosphate inputs into the lake.  All septic tanks require regular emptying if they are to function effectively.

The following contractors empty septic tanks in the Llanberis area;

Hefin Thomas Agri Contractors Ltd, Tel. 0800 092 1592

Eifion Hughes, 01286 672 816

Spread the word – Sometimes people only need a reminder, if you are having your tank emptied why not ask your neighbours if they need theirs doing and pass on your contractors details.

Have you registered your septic tank? For most people this is free and a one-off registration, subject to certain criteria.  You can choose to register online, by email or by post.  Go to the Environment Agency website for more details.

As part of the Loving our Lake project we have created ‘Looking After your septic tank: A guide and logbook for householders’. You download your own copy here.