Lake District sewage could leave Windermere ecologically dead: Letter of Response to the Guardian
4 November, 2021
Re: ‘Lake District sewage could leave Windermere ‘ecologically dead’
Dear Editor,
I write in response to your article entitled “Lake District sewage could leave Windermere ‘ecologically dead’” published in the Guardian on 8th October.
The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) has been based on the shores of Windermere for over 92 years. We welcome the heightened public awareness of the deterioration in water quality and loss of biodiversity in England’s largest and most iconic body of freshwater.
The widely reported water quality issues on Windermere pose risks to both human, ecological and the water-based economy of the area. Added to this, our wetter and warmer winters (driven by climate change) combined with population / visitor demands and expectations are now creating the conditions where the occurrence of algal blooms is becoming a year-round issue. Our lake temperature data (taken daily since the 1930s) shows an increase of 1.5C between 2008 and 2018.
There has been some significant water company investment to improve water quality, but much more needs to be done.
FBA is calling for the formation of a “coalition of the willing” (comprising public, private, third sector, academic and local community stakeholders) on Windermere to 1) help better understand the sources, pathways and impacts of pollution, 2) co-create a credible action plan to address these pressures, and 3) secure the necessary long-term investment required to deliver ecological improvement and monitoring programmes.
A coalition supported by an inspiring vision, sound science, strong leadership, committed stakeholders and the right levels of investment will deliver better and faster outcomes for the people and nature of Windermere. Programmes to restore the water quality of the Great Lakes of North America clearly demonstrate that the approach we are calling for on Windermere would deliver success.
Together, we must act now, if we are to save our ‘great lake’, Windermere.
Yours faithfully,
Simon Johnson
Executive Director, FBA
