Public offered chance to find out more about United Utilities’ plans for Ennerdale

United Utilities is hosting a drop-in session next week so the local community can find out more about its plans to return Ennerdale back to nature.

Ennerdale Water was used as a water source for customers in the Whitehaven area for more than 120 years. With the completion of the West Cumbria supply scheme from Thirlmere, abstraction for public water supply stopped last year. 

Since then, United Utilities has been carrying out a number of feasibility studies to inform what future plans for Ennerdale will look like.

The session is being held on Monday 23 September at The Gather, The Ennerdale Centre between 2pm and 7pm. 

The company has been working with key stakeholders including the Environment Agency, Natural England, Lake District National Park Authority, National Trust and the Forestry Commission to develop long-term plans that would maintain access for visitors, while sensitively returning Ennerdale Water back to a more natural state.

The purpose of the proposed scheme is to deliver long-term environmental benefits,

which would include:

• The restoration of natural salmon and freshwater mussel habitat
• Removing barriers to fish and eel movement
• The restoration of natural flows and sediment transportation.
• Improving river habitat quality