PLANS have been revealed to ‘return a lake to nature’ after being used as a water source for more than 120 years.

Ennerdale Water was previously used to supply residents in the Whitehaven area with water but United Utilities stopped abstracting water last year under the West Cumbria supply scheme.

The project is now complete and the new water source is Thirlmere Reservoir, which supplies about 80,000 homes and businesses in the area.

Since then, United Utilities has been carrying out a number of feasibility studies to inform what future plans for Ennerdale will look like. A drop-in session was held at The Gather in Ennerdale on Monday to share the long-term plans for Ennerdale Water.

United Utilities say its studies aim to understand the feasibility of removing the infrastructure and restoring the site to a more natural state.

But some residents have raised concerns over the potential impact of removing the infrastructure and how it will affect wildlife and users of the lake.

Hugh Branney, who lives in Ennerdale, said: “I don’t think they have a plan. I would like to see it left as it is rather than mess around with it.

“If they take the weir off completely then there’s nothing to hold the water back and we have been known to have droughts, even in Ennerdale. In the hot summer, you can walk a long way before you get to the water.

“The impact on some of the wildlife is still not known. Ennerdale has a very ancient fish, the Arctic charr, that lives there and that would be at risk as well.

“There are people who regularly go wild swimming, there’s canoeing and the Scout camp. There’s a lot going on and I’m not sure what would happen to them if the water drifted away.

“There is so much unknown.”

Julian Thursz, chairman of Ennerdale and Kinniside Parish Council, said: “What concerns me slightly is the absence of clarity to what the end state for the public is going to be.

“People come to Ennerdale because it is Ennerdale – it’s not Ambleside or Windermere. It is the last unspoilt lake.”

Mr Thursz said he was concerned that there was an intention to use the infrastructure for commercial opportunities.

He said: “It’s in a very prime location for what it was used for. To suggest somebody might do something commercially with it, other than its intended purpose, would raise a number of concerns.

“When you’re dealing with a company that is commercially focused and has pumped sewage into places it shouldn’t, in the absence of clarity, people will make their own assumptions and cynicism plays out.

“It’s the absence of commitment to the public.”

United Utilities say revocation of the abstraction licence at Ennerdale was a requirement from the Environment Agency under the habitat directive and under the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), there is a need for the removal of the infrastructure.

With the completion of the new Thirlmere pipeline and water network the existing water treatment works at Ennerdale will no longer be operational and will be taken out of service. 

There are no plans to change the long-term recreational use of Ennerdale Water for permitted leisure activities but United Utilities would look to undertake assessments to understand the shoreline gradients and whether the lowered water level will impact access to the water. 

Matthew Buckley from United Utilities, said: “It was great to meet members of the community and talk to them about our plans for Ennerdale. For anyone who was unable to make it, we’ve shared more information on our website and we’ll be hosting more drop-in events as our plans continue to develop next year.”