Visitor captures shocking scene unfolding in beloved lake: 'This just breaks my heart'

Damaging pollution is not always visible to the naked eye, and when we can't see it ourselves, it can be relatively easy to ignore. However, when we are faced with irrefutable evidence that nature is being contaminated, it becomes nearly impossible to pretend the problem doesn't exist.

Matt Staniek (@mattstaniek) recently took to TikTok with a disturbing video showing one such example of unmistakable pollution.

@mattstaniek Sewage discharging in #LakeDistrict river. United Utilities doing what they do best. Video taken at 10am this morning on the river Brathay. The Environment Agency is permitting up to 1.1 million litres a day of sewage to come out of this pipe. This is making its way into Englands largest lake in a @UNESCO world heritage site and National Park. Save Windermere has made a new short film about this pipe please visit the links in my instagram bio. #sewage #pollution #swimming #nature #climatechange #river #fishing ♬ original sound - mattstaniek

In the video, Matt shows the River Brathay, a seemingly peaceful and tranquil body of water on a calm day in England. The camera then dives underwater, where a pipe can be seen spewing sewage into the river.

The caption accompanying the video explains, "The Environment Agency is permitting up to 1.1 million litres a day of sewage to come out of this pipe."

The problem of water contamination continues to rise around the globe, as the Natural Resources Defense Council explains. Oil spills, microplastics, and sewage are just some of the threats facing our oceans, rivers, and lakes. This pollution threatens not only the health of humans but also the delicate ecosystems that live underwater. Pollution that infiltrates bodies of water can have a cascading negative impact on various species that can ultimately affect everything from our food chain to the amount of carbon in our atmosphere and the temperature of our planet.

Unfortunately, the example from the River Brathay is not an isolated incident. A lake in India called Durgam Cheruvu was recently shown to be covered in litter and refuse, resulting in tons of dead fish, and a hiker uploaded a video showing massive amounts of litter and garbage all around Lake Ray Hubbard in Texas.

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While such reports are disturbing, they can also be a call to action. Concerned citizens can rally local governments to enforce existing laws designed to prevent such pollution and lobby them to pass stronger laws in the first place.

Commenters on the video were understandably upset by what they were witnessing.

One said, "This just breaks my heart."

Another was indignant, asking, "How are pipes feeding sewage even allowed to be positioned in a river?"