West Cumbria, UK: Water Roadmap Collective Action Project

The challenges in West Cumbria’s waters

Cumbria, home to the Lake District National Park, is well known for its water, with some of England’s largest lakes and internationally recognised lowland bog habitats in the West Cumbria region. The Waver Wampool catchment found in West Cumbria, along with fertile coastal floodplains, provide water for agriculture, primarily beef, dairy and lamb. The catchment is a lifeline for animals and plants that depend on good water quality and specific, consistent conditions.

As critical as water is to the region, it’s been polluted by poor land management, farming practices and modifications made by humans. Sadly, not a single waterway in West Cumbria meets good ecological status in either above ground or below ground sources. Our Water Roadmap Collective Action Project is bringing the essential people together to fix this.

What we’re doing to protect water in West Cumbria

Protecting the water in West Cumbria is essential to safeguard habitats and species, and importantly, to future-proof food production in the area. We’re working with farmers and food and drink businesses to restore the region’s waterways by:

• Rolling out practical on-farm solutions to improve water quality and soil health
• Providing training and advice for farmers to identify priority actions on sustainable water management, participate in peer-to-peer learning, and tap into schemes or grants to implement new practices
• Facilitating sessions to encourage discussions about sustainable water management between advisors and food and drink businesses
• Advocating and lobbying for incentives to reward environmental improvements with government and food and drink businesses
• Establishing baseline metrics, conducting research and monitoring progress toward our shared goals.

Whether your business sources from or works in West Cumbria, you have a responsibility and opportunity to restore and protect its water.

You don’t have to go it alone – join the Water Roadmap to access guidance and help support this important project.

Our impact in West Cumbria so far

Strong partnerships and advisory groups are already driving action on the ground. A dedicated Farmer Focus Group, made up of eight key producers in West Cumbria, meets regularly to share insights, flag blockers and help shape solutions to improve water quality. This work has helped deliver riparian buffer strips that prevent pollution and sediment from entering local rivers and is supporting soil health monitoring. Around the Wedholme Flow Site of Special Scientific Interest, air quality monitoring is also underway to inform nutrient management plans and deepen farmer engagement with water management in high-risk areas.

Collaboration has been key. A clear engagement plan is enabling joined-up action with our delivery partners, West Cumbria Rivers Trust, powered by the support and funding of food and drink businesses committed to the Water Roadmap.

Scaling up: action still needed

West Cumbria’s watercourses should be a thriving lifeline for nature, food production and local communities. Now is the time to take action to restore it. We need more businesses that source from or operate in West Cumbria to step up, champion water stewardship across their supply chains, and fund the next phase of this critical work.

By joining the Water Roadmap, your participation will drive:

1. Support for farmers through a new voucher scheme that connects them with expert advice and grant application help
2. Scaled on-farm interventions such as constructed wetland creation and in-field tree planting  
3. Strategic farm planning including integrated and tailorable actions, with a focus on high priority areas near protected sites or with the lowest water status
4. Flagship demonstration farms to showcase best practice in dairy, beef and crops  
5. Learnings and solutions that can be implemented in other current and future Water Roadmap projects.