Plans are under way for a new giant tunnel to transport sewage away from Windermere, England’s largest lake. The water body is located in the Lake District and has suffered from widespread raw sewage and bacterial pollution driven by discharges from United Utilities.
Campaigners stated this pollution has caused more frequent toxic blue-green algal blooms. Because of this contamination, the public has been advised to avoid swimming in the lake. Modelling indicates the climate crisis will exacerbate these challenges, with the catchment expected to experience more intense rainfall over the coming years, placing pressure on the wastewater infrastructure.
The water company said the use of tunnelling techniques would minimise disruption to local communities. Windermere sits at the heart of a Unesco world heritage site and has inspired poets, storytellers and lyricists for generations. An estimated 17.7 million people visit the area every year.
Treated effluent would eventually be discharged into either the River Leven or the Irish Sea at Ulverston. The project carries an estimated price tag of 3.6 billion pounds. United Utilities will seek permission from the government to raise customer bills to help pay for the work.
The company said the programme could add up to 3.17 pounds a month to water bills in 2035. The initiative will now enter a detailed design phase, during which specialised engineers will work out the technicalities of the build. This phase is expected to take two years.
If granted permission to raise bills to fund the scheme, United Utilities stated the project could be completed within seven years. The firm described it as a one and done solution with an immediate impact.
Matt Staniek, a campaigner at Save Windermere, which is a partner on the project, said creating the feasibility report had involved weekly meetings over 15 months. Staniek has been calling for an end to sewage discharges into the lake for more than five years.
Staniek admitted he was concerned at first about partnering with the company responsible for the pollution. However, he concluded they were the only people who could actually fix the problem. “This has demonstrated that it is possible not to dump sewage in Lake Windermere,” he said.
In planning for the project, the team considered the transformation of Lake Annecy in France, which is widely recognised as one of the cleanest lakes in Europe. In the 1950s, Annecy faced similar pollution problems before authorities invested in long term infrastructural improvements to eliminate sewage discharges.
“This is up to the government now," Staniek said. "The plan is there, it’s in place, we’re not going to stop until Andy Burnham is on the shores of Lake Windermere with a spade announcing that the construction has begun on this project.”
