Saving Windermere

All photos courtesy of Matt Staniek / Save Windermere

High on a remote hill, a freshwater spring tumbles towards a small pool suspended in grass and earth. This tiny trickle will soon gather pace, join other trickles, and form the river Rothay, one of the main tributaries of Windermere—England’s largest natural lake.

The river is fed by countless smaller streams that flow from the Lake District National Park’s wild peaks, valleys, and grasslands. But the Rothay has a more sinister source of water—a concrete structure on the bank about a mile from the lake.

This industrial plant is a water treatment works, owned and operated by the UK’s biggest listed water company, United Utilities. They’re responsible for processing part of the region’s sewage, but for years they’ve discharged untreated waste into the river while prioritising profits for shareholders and bosses (In 2023, United Utilities paid its CEO a bonus of £420,000 as part of a total pay package of £1.4 million).

Crystal-clear water teems with living things upstream from the plant. Grey herons patrol the river’s bends waiting patiently for trout. White-throated dippers perch on rocks and search for underwater invertebrates. There’s an abundance of wildlife almost everywhere you look, yet below the wire fences and sewage pipes, the water turns a gloomy brown. A thick algae chokes much of the river bed, and little else grows from here down. There are few birds singing, and even fewer insects humming.

Untreated sewage can contain a toxic mix of human waste, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics. Under UK government legislation, discharges into waterways are only permitted in exceptional circumstances—or during times of heavy system strain, where not discharging would overload the infrastructure, potentially flooding homes and businesses with raw sewage. But there’s a mounting body of evidence that suggests illegal dumping has become a routine practice, well outside of permitted conditions. [Source]

“We pay water companies to treat our sewage, and they are illegally dumping it into our lakes, rivers, and seas instead,” explains Matt Staniek from his home in Windermere town. He’s the lead campaigner and founder of Save Windermere, a local not-for-profit community interest company that is fiercely campaigning for changes to regulations to protect the lake from pollution.

Matt studied zoology at university before returning to his hometown to spend more time working outdoors. A serious car accident temporarily put his hill-going days on hold however, so he turned to wildlife photography to pass the time while he recovered. Visiting one of his favourite riverside spots, he noticed the stark contrast in flora and fauna above and below United Utilities’ water treatment plant.

“I started my campaign to stop sewage discharges in the lake,” says Matt. “It’s pretty simple really. United Utilities use Windermere as a dumping ground for human waste. They prioritise dividend returns over environmental protection, sucking customer money out of the system instead of investing in much needed infrastructure. The whole privatised water industry is a scam.”

England is the only country in the world with a fully privatised water system, where nine main companies deliver water and wastewater services on a regional basis—most of which are thought to be owned by private equity firms and international investors. These companies have built up over £60 billion of debt since the water industry was privatised in 1989, while at the same time investors have withdrawn approximately £85 billion in shareholder dividends and other payments. The results are bleak, with the Environment Agency reporting no stretches of river in “good overall health” across England, and just 15% satisfying their “good ecological health” requirements.

The Lake District National Park is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage destination, and Windermere arguably represents its heart. Home to rare and protected species, the lake and its surrounding countryside have also inspired some of English literature’s finest works. The Romantic poet William Wordsworth lived within view of the northern shore, and celebrated children’s author Beatrix Potter moved here from London after first visiting in 1882. Totally enchanted, Potter would go on to dedicate her life and fortune to protecting the area—acquiring 4,000 acres of land before donating it to conservation charity the National Trust.

In the summer of 2022 Windermere experienced one of its biggest algal blooms on record. A potentially toxic blue-green cloud spread across the entirety of the lake’s five-mile long north basin, making the water unsafe for recreational use and threatening the highly sensitive freshwater ecology. The cause? Unprecedented levels of phosphorus linked directly to sewage inputs. And according to recent investigations, more than 140 million litres of sewage were illegally dumped directly into the lake between 2021-2023 by a United Utilities plant close to the shore. [Source]

If the sewage continues to flow, experts believe a more devastating algal bloom could occur, depleting the oxygen in the lake, wiping out fish stocks, and causing irreparable damage to this precious environment.

Matt and Save Windermere are part of a much bigger water quality movement in the UK. Groups such as Surfers Against Sewage first began highlighting the malpractice of water companies in the 1990s, when local Cornish surfers noticed they were sharing the paddle out with faeces and sanitary towels. The movement is rapidly gathering pace—and huge public support.

Matt is currently doing everything he can to raise the issue of water pollution higher on the political agenda. He and many others protest weekly outside United Utilities’ offices in Windermere town (complete with inflatable faeces, placards, and toilet bowls), and regularly petition the government on its failing approach to regulation.

The campaign’s hope is to follow the example set by the local people of Annecy, France. Like Windermere, Lake Annecy was formed around 18,000 years ago when glacial ice retreated. And like Windermere, Annecy suffered greatly from human pollution as infrastructure lagged behind increased population numbers and tourism.

“When Lake Annecy began deteriorating ecologically in the 1950s and 1960s, pressure from the community led to the decision to completely renovate the sewage networks. It’s now known as the cleanest lake in Europe,” explains Matt. “So why isn’t that happening here? Because the private companies responsible for handling the sewage take as much profit away as possible, all in place of what’s fundamentally needed: the complete removal of these sewage discharges in their entirety.”

Much like Annecy in the 60s, local fish populations are suffering, too. Arctic char—a member of the salmon family and a rare and endangered species—have persisted in Windermere since the last ice age, but are believed by some to be extinct in the lake’s south basin. If nothing is done, Matt believes there’ll soon come a time when there’s no Arctic char left.

The rippling freshwater streams high on the Lake District’s fells couldn’t feel further from the murky world of corporate greed and pollution below. But without drastic action, the habitats and ecosystems these waterways and lakes support remain under major threat.

“Windermere is England’s greatest natural asset. We depend on it, and it’s part of our natural environment,” says Matt. “It’s now about taking these facts to as wide an audience as possible, and securing real, long-term change. The only reason we have life on this planet is because of freshwater, and it’s being destroyed.”

Learn more about Save Windermere here: https://www.savewindermere.com/