West Cumbria Catchment Partnership (South West Lakes excluding Duddon)

Catchment partnership vision

West Cumbria will have healthy rivers, lakes and estuaries that support wildlife, are used sustainably to benefit people and are valued by all. The focus is on the West Cumbria Catchment Partnership area of the South West Lakes (Ehen-Calder and Irt-Esk-Mite-Annas). The Duddon is also within this management catchment but is part of the South Cumbria Becks to Bay Partnership, (see Kent and Leven Catchment Page). We will work collaboratively to plan, fund and deliver actions to:

  • improve water quality by reducing diffuse pollution an wastewater inputs
  • increase resilience to climate change
  • reverse redundant modifications and allow more natural flow
  • reduce the impact of floods, droughts and coastal erosion using sustainable methods
  • provide high quality, diverse and connected habitats, and control invasive species
  • help farm businesses to adopt sustainable practices
  • increase opportunities for communities to enjoy and safeguard their catchments
  • use robust evidence.

istock photo

Related websites

Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.

Catchment challenges

Current challenges identified by partnership

  • Physical modifications

    Modified rivers and obstacles to fish passage reduce habitat availability, disconnect floodplains and limit climate change adaptation

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Diffuse inputs of fine sediment and nutrients from agriculture

  • Pollution from waste water

    Point source pollution from combined sewer overflows and private sewage treatment

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Important salmonid populations, critical to survival of freshwater pearl mussels, with no designations to safeguard them

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Typically low engagement of west coast urban communities with nature, lack of access to nature sites in some areas

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Ageing combined sewer infrastructure systems with frequent overspills throughout the catchment, particularly around Whitehaven

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Multiple strategies exist including the Catchment Partnership plan, LNRS and Lake District National Park Plan and need to be joined up

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Better soil management could increase infiltration and organic matter, helping reduced flood risk, improve water quality and sequester carbon

  • Support levelling up, growth and jobs

    Disparity in indices of deprivation across the catchment, lack of training opportunities for people to access employment in the conservation sector

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Modified channels and catchments with low vegetation cover are susceptible to drought and spate events

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Potential for New Zealand Pigmyweed to spread into lakes also increasing tourism and recreational use of lakes causing greater biosecurity risks

  • Pollution from waste water

    Growing populations and tourism combined with more low flow events and storm events (combined sewer overflows)

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Emerging challenges

  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Since 2016, the partnership completed two major river restoration projects: removal of Ennerdale Mill Weir to improve fish passage through the River Ehen and removal of a plastic liner from 2 km of the River Keekle to restore natural habitat and prevent plastic pollution. Work to restore freshwater mussel populations on the Rivers Ehen and Irt included land management to cut phosphate and sediment inputs, improving fish habitat, and reintroducing juvenile mussels. The 'Pearls in Peril' and Biffa Award projects were completed. Work continues under United Utilities compensatory measures funding and the Fisheries Improvement Programme. The Wild Ennerdale Partnership has continued to work successfully to allow Ennerdale to evolve as a wild valley shaped by natural processes, providing opportunities for education and enjoyment. Natural England's Catchment Sensitive Farming supported farmers to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture. Successful catchment projects were delivered by West Cumbria Rivers Trust in the Annas catchment, focussed on natural flood management and in Kirk beck, funded by the Environment Agency and NuGEN, to improve water and habitat quality including removing fish passage barriers. A partnership project between Cumbria County Council, West Cumbria Rivers Trust and Copeland Borough Council installed a reedbed in Seascale to improve water quality in Seascale's bathing water, also increasing flood resilience.

WCRT

Partnership development plans

The partnership will continue to implement multi-benefit projects to reduce flooding and realise environmental improvements. The partnership would benefit from greater involvement of local communities and specific interest groups and links coastal and marine projects. The partnership aims to complete landscape-scale habitat improvement projects by utilising a broader range of funding sources including private investment and to make use of opportunities afforded by Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality legislation.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    United Utilities ceasing to abstract from Ennerdale Water and removal of redundant infrastructure

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Ennerdale Water Ehen (upper including Liza)

  • Confident

    Continued partnership work at Wild Ennerdale to allow the landscape and river to evolve as a wild valley

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Nature Recovery Network
    Location
    Ehen (upper including Liza)

  • Confident

    Catchment Sensitive Farming advice & interventions to reduce diffuse pollution, establish a 'facilitated farmer group'

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
    Location
    Lowca Beck Pow Beck (South West Lakes) Newmill Beck Kirk Beck (Ehen)

  • Confident

    Continue compensatory measures projects to restore freshwater mussel populations

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Ehen (lower) Irt u/s Bleng Irt (d/s Bleng confluence) Ehen (upper including Liza)

  • Confident

    River restoration strategy – restoring natural function to modified, straightened and perched watercourses

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Location
    Irt (d/s Bleng confluence) Bleng Pow Beck (South West Lakes) Dub Beck Newmill Beck

  • Confident

    Irt High status - Deliver an action plan of projects to improve geomorphology and natural processes to achieve WFD 'high' ecological status

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Wast Water Irt u/s Bleng Irt (d/s Bleng confluence) Bleng

  • Less certain

    Water friendly farming projects and septic tank education to improve water quality in rivers and bathing waters

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
    Barriers to delivery
    Increased resourcing for the number of farm advisors
    Location
    Cumbria Pow Beck (South West Lakes) Newmill Beck Kirk Beck (Ehen)

  • Less certain

    Reduce occurrence of combined sewer overflows at Distington, Cleator, Moor Row and Hensingham

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Increased drivers for water company investment
    Location
    Keekle (lower) Lowca Beck Ehen (upper including Liza)

  • Less certain

    Invasive species control and biosecurity campaigns, focussed on preventing spread of Crassula into pristine lakes

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Nature Recovery Network
    Barriers to delivery
    Increased resourcing for delivery
    Location
    Wast Water Ennerdale Water

  • Less certain

    Low risk barrier removal programme – for the improvement of fish passage, habitat diversity and hydromorphology

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Secure additional funding to resource
    Location
    Ehen (lower) Calder (Lower)

  • Less certain

    Keeping Rivers Cool – upland riparian tree planting for ecology, improved water quality and flood reduction

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Climate for Nature funds
    Barriers to delivery
    Secure additional funding to resource
    Location
    Ehen (upper including Liza) Irt u/s Bleng Burnmoor Tarn Bleng Whillan Beck Annas Devoke Water Broad Oak Beck Esk (upper) Calder (South West Lakes) Worm Gill

  • Less certain

    Peat restoration to maintain natural flow regimes, improve water quality and enhance habitat

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Climate for Nature funds
    Barriers to delivery
    Secure additional funding to resource
    Location
    Annas Bleng Ehen (upper including Liza)

  • Wider water environment

    Walkmill Woods project to improve access and engage Whitehaven community in managing the country park, education and apprenticeship opportunities

    Reason for measure
    Connecting communities with nature
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Location
    Dub Beck

  • Wider water environment

    Work with developers to increase use of SUDs and nature-based solutions to reduce runoff into combined sewers, particularly around Whitehaven

    Reason for measure
    Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
    Delivery mechanism
    Developer funded
    Location
    South West Lakes

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: