West Cumbria Update

For more than 120 years, water for homes and businesses in West Cumbria has come from local sources, including Ennerdale.

The lake and the River Ehen, play host to many rare and protected species. It’s a very special place and we have an important role to make sure it stays this way.

With a growing population, and to help protect these precious local bodies of water, we have recently commissioned a project which means we no longer abstract water from Ennerdale. The West Cumbria water supplies project will now utilise Thirlmere Reservoir as the new source of water for West Cumbria.

Despite many challenges including dry weather, extreme wet weather and flooding...even the impact of Covid-19, we're now in the final stages of this unique scheme. Our project has involved the construction of a huge new 62-mile pipeline, a new water treatment plant and a range of supporting infrastructure to supply around 80,000 homes and businesses in and around the towns of Egremont, Cockermouth and Whitehaven. 

Find out more information on our West Cumbria hub