£3.6bn tunnel proposed to end Windermere sewage spills

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 07:44 · Archive

A £3.6bn tunnel up to 12 miles long has been proposed to stop sewage flowing into England's largest lake.

A £3.6bn proposal to build a tunnel up to 12 miles long would stop raw sewage and treated effluent being discharged into Windermere, England's largest lake in the Lake District. The scheme, known as Only Rainwater into Windermere (ORiW), is backed by United Utilities and environmental campaigners. Campaigners say nutrient-rich wastewater contributes to green algal blooms in the lake during warmer months. The project would also connect 12,800 people to the sewage network for the first time.

Windermere holds around 300 billion litres of water and can take up to nine months for water to travel from one end to the other. The Lake District is a Unesco World Heritage site attracting close to 18 million visitors each year. Louise Beardmore, chief executive of United Utilities, described the proposals as a '100 year solution for this lake', contrasting it with the UK's typical five-year investment cycles. She said the plan showed 'we need to do something differently'.

The government must now decide whether the plans should be developed further and whether the £3.6bn price tag is acceptable. Environmental campaigners have welcomed the announcement as a milestone.

How it is being reported

• £3,600,000,000 tunnel could be solution to sewage problem at stunning UK tourist spotLake Windermere attracts almost 18 million visitors every year (Picture: Getty Images) A £3.6billion tunnel has been proposed to stop sewage being dumped into England ’s largest lake. The scheme, backed by water company United Utilities and environmental campaigners, aims to stop both raw sewage…Metro · 21 Oct, 07:35
• Giant tunnel proposed to clean up Windermere's sewage problemThe plan would eliminate sewage spills into Windermere, blamed for turning the water green.BBC News · 21 Oct, 05:44

In this story: Windermere · Lake District · United Utilities · Louise Beardmore · England

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