Plans have been revealed to tackle pollution in England’s waterways – including £914 million in Cumbria.
Defra revealed this morning that the Government and Ofwat will be bringing forward £1.6 billion-worth of investment to speed up vital infrastructure projects to improve water quality.
The announcement comes ahead of the Government’s Integrated Plan for Water, published tomorrow, and will set out how we can achieve cleaner and more plentiful water for future generations.
The investment announced today will ensure improvements are made more quickly to address the unacceptable levels of pollution in waterways and deliver for customers, Defra said.
The announcement included £914 million committed to the North West so United Utilities can reduce around 8,400 spills a year, including into Windermere.
All work will start in the next two years.
Water Minister Rebecca Pow said: “These new schemes will help accelerate the delivery of the urgent improvements we need to protect our environment. It includes £1.1 billion of new investment to stop sewage discharges at sites across the country and will deliver a reduction of 10,000 discharges per year in places like Windermere, the River Wharfe, Falmouth and Sidmouth.
“The investment set out here will also provide an important boost for regional jobs, businesses and local communities.
“It builds on the key commitments in our five year strategy – our Environmental Improvement Plan – as well as our upcoming Plan for Water to tackle pollution, reduce water consumption and protect our waters.”
United Utilities has today been told it can bring forward four wastewater improvement projects at Windermere for early delivery. The early funding would see improvements taking place at:
- Elterwater pumping station
- Ambleside wastewater treatment works
- Hawkshead pumping station
- Near Sawrey wastewater treatment works
United Utilities’ new chief executive Louise Beardmore said: “I am thrilled to be able to begin work early on these improvement projects. This builds on the £45 million investment we completed at Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere as part of our improvement programme between 2015 and 2020.
“We have been in discussions with the Government and our regulators for some time to prioritise where future investment could be brought forward. The new Environment Act of 2021 sets out that water companies must reduce all storm water spills by 2050 but we’ve challenged ourselves to move smarter and faster because we know how important this issue is to local communities.
“This aligns with our commitment to the Love Windermere partnership. We care passionately about playing our part in improving water quality in the lake and mitigating against the impacts of climate change.”
Richard Leafe, chief executive of the Lake District National Park Authority, added: “This is welcome news for Windermere, the environment and everyone who enjoys this special part of the Lake District.
“This significant investment will accelerate the work of the Love Windermere partnership by improving the treatment of wastewater. Through this partnership we are tackling all the current challenges, including pollution from septic tanks and land management which, together with this new investment, will bring long term benefits to Windermere and beyond.”
The Windermere projects announced today will increase storage capacity so that during heavy rainfall more of the sewer flows can be treated. While it will not stop spills completely, as overflows play a critical role in protecting communities from flooding during severe storms, United Utilities said, the investment will reduce the number of occasions they need to operate.
The accelerated funding, announced today, is subject to consultation with stakeholders until Monday April 24.
The firm said the £914 million is broken down into the following areas:
- £719 million for reducing storm overflow spills, including Windermere
- £117 million for habitat improvements in and around the River Eden in Cumbria
- £78 million to reduce the frequency of storm overflow spills into bathing waters
