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THE LOWESWATER CARE PROJECT

THE LOWESWATER CARE PROJECT. lake background how we got here where we might be going. LOWESWATER. - catchment area of 800 hectares - largely agricultural with some forest and open fells - grazed mainly by sheep with smaller numbers of cattle. catchment contains 31 properties

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THE LOWESWATER CARE PROJECT

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  1. THE LOWESWATER CARE PROJECT lake background how we got here where we might be going

  2. LOWESWATER - catchment area of 800 hectares - largely agricultural with some forest and open fells - grazed mainly by sheep with smaller numbers of cattle • catchment contains • 31 properties • 8 working farms • 63 full-time population equivalents • 18 sewage treatment plants - 1.6 km long, 0.5 km wide - volume = 5,400,000 m3 - average depth = 8.4m - maximum depth = 16m - mean retention time = 200 days history of increasing eutrophic character (algae and cyanobacteria) due to increased inputs of phosphates from fertilisers/wastes and possibly from lake sediments

  3. HISTORY OF RECENT WORK • 1999 EA West Cumbria Local Environmental Action Plan (LEAP) • need for further information on the algal blooms occurring in Loweswater • 2000 University College London study • changes in agricultural practices • nutrient management plans for farmers • improved maintenance of septic tanks • More use of phosphate-free detergents

  4. HISTORY OF RECENT WORK • 2002 Loweswater Improvement Group • established by local farmers after F&M crisis • aim to gain information about how to improve agricultural practices and to address potential pollution sources through working together and with outside agencies and scientists • nutrient budgeting exercise in collaboration with ADAS • soil pH survey and consequent liming to raise soil pH • farm waste survey • replacement of 5 septic tanks with packaged sewage treatment plants in 2007 Biodisc Reed Bed

  5. HISTORY OF RECENT WORK • 2004-6 studies by Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and Lancaster University (LU) • CEH study on impacts of farming practices on the lake involving sampling of input streams for P analysis, algal monitoring and lake modelling • Lancaster University scoping study for later multi-disciplinary study of lake catchment • 2007-2010 CEH/LU study “Understanding and Acting within Loweswater: A Community Approach to Catchment Management” = Loweswater Care Project (LCP) aiming to • create a mechanism that allows the community, stakeholder and institutions to come together and make decisions • carry out further research on the ecology of land and water in the catchment and studies of institutional regulation and management • to see if the way that has evolved to bring together local communities, institutional stakeholders and researchers of different disciplines is beneficial and can be transferred to other situations.

  6. COMMUNITY-LED LOWESWATER CARE PROJECT: OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE • key factors for future operation • technical focus, water or wider? • geographical focus, lake catchment or wider? • who are main stakeholders? • The Melbreak Communities • new partnership between 4 local Parish Councils • developing Community Action Plan with focus on safety/security, transport, housing, valley services, recreation and the environment • Derwent Rivers Trust • newest of 34 Rivers Trusts across the UK • already some collaboration on control of Himalayan Balsam • National Trust • owners of the lake and some nearby land • An independent body

  7. CONTACTS AND REFERENCES • Websites • Lancaster Universityhttp://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/projects/loweswater/ • The Melbreak Communitieshttp://www.melbreakcommunities.org.uk/activities/loweswater-care-project/ • Contacts • Ken Bell, local farmer and researcher on LCP • Leslie Webb, local resident • Claire Waterton, Lancaster University • References • Bennion et al “Water Quality Investigation of Loweswater, Cumbria” Final Report to the Environment Agency by the Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, May 2000 • Maberlyet al “An investigation into the potential impacts of farming practices on Loweswater” CEH Report to the Rural Development Service and the National Trust, January 2006. • Waterton et al “Understanding Loweswater: Interdisciplinary Research in Practice”, J. Agricultural Economics, 2006, 57, 2, 277–293.

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