Lake Windermere is the compass needle located at the centre of the beating heart of the English Lake District. Its beauty reflects that of the surrounding fells, it provides both our playground and our livelihood and is part of our treasured UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it needs protection to stay beautiful for generations to come.
For decades our waterways have been used and perhaps even abused, by us. The relentless increase in tourism, outdated infrastructure, global warming, and the failure of companies involved in dealing with our waste are taking their toll on the environment. We need to do something about it before this wonderful environment is damaged beyond repair.
Is it safe to swim in Windermere?
Waterhead at dawn this morning
In my educated opinion, yes it is. For the past 18 years, I have swam or paddled (canoe/kayak) in Windermere almost every week throughout the entire year. I have never witnessed a fish kill caused by pollution and I am delighted to see a wide variety of seasonal and local wildlife. Otters fish here, dabchicks still patrol the reed-lined borders of the Brathay and the herons appear well-fed and can always be seen fishing for minnows in the shallows.
There is a healthy population of seabirds and I see pairs and family groups of goosanders and merganser at all times of the year. Visiting waterfowl include goldeneye, whooper swans, tufted duck, great crested grebe and teal. As a keen fisherman I have witnessed vast pods of roach and perch and often see the lean shape of a pike in the pool drop-offs in the summer.
This is all indicative of a healthy body of water and I am happy to swim here with my family and guide and coach groups of swimmers here. Before each swim I test the water with a WaterSafe bacterial testing kit which identifies dangerous levels of harmful bacterial like coliform’s and pseudomonas (often present in sewage). I have only once had a positive result, which happened in the spring after a heavy flood. I have only once in the past 18 years had to re-locate a swim due to excessive levels of blue-green algae.
However, I am aware that the water quality in Windermere could be vastly improved, and have noticed subtle but significant changes over the years. I don’t see trout in the river anymore (a clean water indicator species), there are less clear gravel beds (essential if the trout and char are to spawn), less water plants grow below the water treatment works, and algal blooms are more noticeable and more frequent. As water temperatures increase each year the algal growth in Windermere has intensified too. I believe if we don’t begin to make significant changes to what goes into Windermere immediately, then this stunning environment will be corrupted for ever.
What is the issue with Windermere?
There are issues with pollution all over the country including the Lakes. However, Windermere is unique in its topography which makes it difficult for seasonal flooding to flush any dumped sediment away and off to the coast.
Windermere is a glacial ribbon lake and has two distinct basins. One to the North, the other to the South. The basins are very deep, 67m at their deepest. This means that any sediment or sewage incoming from the main tributaries and rivers immediately drops to the depths and remains there. The dramatic depth of the basins act as huge holding tanks. Over the years a vast amount of nutrients have built up which continually adds to the problem of over-enrichment: increased algal blooms, reduced aquatic oxygen content, huge negative impact on biodiversity and water quality.
It’s going to be tough to fix, and no one wants to put their hand in their pocket to sort it out.
We are really bad at dealing with our own sewage in this country. European countries with similar problems put us to shame. Croatia’s Adriatic Sea (a stunning swimming destination), Germany’s Ruhr River, Albania’s bathing sites at Durres and Italy’s Lake Varese have all been vastly improved with intelligent investment in infrastructure and monitoring to reduce or eradicate the effect of pollution. Take a look at this interesting article by Tanja Radu, Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering, Loughborough University for more on this: UK waters are too polluted to swim in – but European countries offer answers.
There are some really good examples of how to deal with this kind of problem. There is no excuse for not dealing with the problems we face in improving the quality of our water. The water companies need to put investment in infrastructure and the environment before profits.
Save Windermere
Save Windermere was founded by Matt Staniek, a local Windermere lad, a zoologist, and a real Force of Nature. He has dedicated his life to environmental activism and solving the issue of water quality in Windermere. I can’t help but respect his energy and focus. I’ve had a few meetings with Matt at Swim the Lakes and it is clear that he sees right through the excuses of the organisations tasked with monitoring Windermere’s waters and dealing with our wastewater. These include the National Park, the Environment Agency, and the real villain of this story, the water company United Utilities. It is increasingly clear that Matt is the new thorn in their side. We must keep these iconic lakes at their best for future generations of swimmers and wildlife alike, which is why we are so keen to support him.
Matt was recently featured on Series 1, Episode 1 of Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled Rivers (BBC, still available on iPlayer).
Matt had this to say about this excellent coverage: “I’ve been running my Save Windermere campaign to stop sewage pollution in our lake for the past 19 months. It relies on spreading awareness as far and as wide as possible, so it was an absolute pleasure being able to speak with Paul Whitehouse about the threats that Windermere is facing for his TV series about water quality in the UK. Hopefully, after Sunday’s show you can see where we all need to put our attention and why we must now fight to Save Windermere.”
How can you help as a Swimmer?
Get involved! Matt has a very informative new website that covers everything you need to know to get involved and help out at every level. So please, donate, sign the petition, write to your local MP, watch the film, and come to the meetings (next one this Tuesday 18th April 2023 at Holbeck Ghyll). Links below.
Link to Save Windermere Website
Link to Swimmer Meeting info this Tuesday 18 April
Link to Blue Green Algae and Swimming Article
We all enjoy swimming and playing in this wonderful lake. Please join in and do what you can to help protect it, Thank you.
See you at the meetings,
Pete and the Swim the Lakes team.