The government said it will “clean up Windermere” after criticizing the amount of sewage criticized into England’s largest lake.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed promised that the “only rainwater” would enter the famous waters of the Lake District, ending the situation “suffocated by unacceptable pollution levels of sewage pollution.”
Reed highlighted a range of measures being taken, including investments from the Water Company United Utilities. The company, once a major polluter of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recently acknowledged in its legal efforts to block public access to data related to how much sewage is dumped in bulk.
United Utilities believe that information on how much phosphorus was found in Windermere’s main wastewater treatment plants is not publicly accessible environmental information.
In addition to the company’s legal emissions to critical habitats, various investigations have found that it has also illegally dumped millions of liters of raw sewage into the waterway.
Reed and Drinking Water Secretary Emma Hardy will be on Monday in Windermere as part of a “only get cleaner” journey to see investments in water infrastructure will create new homes, create jobs and enhance the construction of local economies.
“Windermere is an amazing and beautiful national treasure, but it’s been choked by unacceptable sewage pollution,” Reed said.
He added that the government was “committed to clearing the iconic lake” as part of its plan to change plans that upgraded the collapsed water infrastructure and used more than £10 billion in private investment to boost economic growth.
Reed added that the government is also working to “stop all sewage from entering the lake and restore it to a natural beauty”.
Local groups and organizations have established a feasibility study to study what is needed to eliminate wastewater discharge to Windermere and draw on successful examples and innovations around the world.
The research was established by alliances including United Utilities, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, Save Windermere, Love Windermere, Love Windermere, Lake District National Park Authority, and Westmorland and Furness Council.
United Utility’s £200 investment will be used to upgrade 10 wastewater treatment projects in Windermere and reduce spillovers from four storms to two times a year by 2030.
Private sector funds will be used to wastewater pipelines, water treatment projects and nine reservoirs to support new homes of 1.5 m, 150 large infrastructure projects, and power industries such as Gigafactories and Datacentres.
The water company’s fines and penalties money have been corrected to deliver local water projects, while plans to clean the waterways will receive up to £11 million.
Windermere has over 14,000 people and their landscapes, rare species and cultural heritage attract 7 million visitors each year, bringing £750 million to the local economy.
