The ORiW proposal would see 12,800 people connected to the sewage network for the first time with up to 86 miles (138km) of new sewage infrastructure and a single wastewater treatment works built to serve them at the end of a 4m-wide sewage tunnel.
Two slightly different plans are being put forward. Both have the tunnel at their heart but one would see the treated effluent discharged into the River Leven, the other into the Irish Sea at Ulverston.
The report highlights two options for paying for the project.
One would see the cost passed on to United Utilities’ customers and would -depending on the route chosen – add up to £3.17 to their monthly bills.
People like Nigel Wilkinson from Love Windermere group, which is linked to many local businesses, would like the cost to be spread nationally, increasing all bills in England by up to 35p a month.
“We believe Windermere is of such national significance and international significance that it is justifiable to treat this as a national asset and fund it accordingly,” he says.
Much now depends on the government’s enthusiasm for following through on promise made then Environment secretary Steve Reed in March 2025 to stop all sewage going into Windermere.
“We share the public’s determination to protect this iconic lake.” a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said, stressing that further work needed to be done to test alternative options.
