| Ennerdale Water | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Ennerdale Water Location in the Lake District Show map of the Lake District Ennerdale Water Location in Copeland Borough Show map of the former Borough of Copeland | |
| Location | Lake District,Cumbria |
| Coordinates | 54°31′12″N3°22′34″W / 54.52000°N 3.37611°W /54.52000; -3.37611 |
| Type | natural lake,reservoir |
| Primary inflows | River Liza |
| Primary outflows | River Ehen |
| Basin countries | England |
| Max. length | 4.17 km (2.59 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.28 km (0.80 mi) |
| Surface area | 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 113 m (371 ft) |
| Islands | 4 |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Ennerdale Water is the most westerly lake in theLake District National Park inCumbria, England. It is aglacial lake, with a maximum depth of 150 feet (46 metres), and is1⁄2 to 1 mile (800 to 1,600 m) wide and2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 kilometres) long.
The lake lies in the eponymous valley ofEnnerdale, surrounded by some of the highest and best-knownfells in Cumbria including:Great Gable (899 m),Green Gable,Brandreth,High Crag, Steeple andPillar.To the west of the lake lies the hamlet ofEnnerdale Bridge, consisting of two pubs and a few houses. It is close to the port ofWhitehaven.
" 'Anund's valley'. The name Ennerdale seems originally to have derived from 'Anundar',genitive sing.[ular] of the ON personal name 'Anundr'/'Ǫnundr', and ON 'dalr' 'valley', but there has been cross-influence between this p.n. and 'Ehen', the name of the river which flows through the valley."[1] (ON isOld Norse.)
The lake has been referred to in guidebooks and maps variously as "Brodewater" (1576), "Brodwater" (1695), "Broad Water" (1760), "Ennerdale Water" (1784) and "Ennerdale Lake" in Otley's Guide (1823). It is now theOrdnance Survey convention to name it "Ennerdale Water".
Ennerdale Water is fed by theRiver Liza and other streams, and in turn feeds theRiver Ehen, which runs to theIrish Sea.
Although the lake is natural, in 1902 a shallow weir was added to what is probably aglacial moraine to maintain the level.[2] The lake is owned byUnited Utilities, which abstracts water to serve customers in the Whitehaven area.[3]
In 2013, United Utilities was informed by theEnvironment Agency that the abstraction licence was being revoked to protect the environment of Ennerdale and the River Ehen. This meant that United Utilities had to find an alternative water source for customers in West Cumbria. After public consultation, a preferred option to provide water to West Cumbria via a new pipeline from Thirlmere was selected. After a public inquiry in 2014, the independent Planning Inspectors report ruled that the Thirlmere transfer was the right solution and that abstraction from Ennerdale Water would cease by 2022. The construction of the pipeline commenced in 2017. At the same time, United Utilities started to blend water from Ennerdale Water with groundwater from boreholes near Egremont.
Ennerdale has been designated a biologicalSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Species of interest include theArctic char. The site contains a variety of habitats apart from the open water of the lake itself.[4]
Despite being sited on Wainwright'scoast-to-coast walk, the valley is not much visited by tourists.
Due to the remote location, the lack of a public road up the valley, and its management by theForestry Commission, theNational Trust andUnited Utilities, Ennerdale Water has not been as spoiled as other lakes in the National Park by construction, activity on the lake or the effects of tourism.
Though the Lake District is a popularUK location for film shoots, Ennerdale has been left relatively in the shadow, with only a few brief exceptions. The closing sequences of the film28 Days Later (2002), directed byDanny Boyle, were filmed around the Ennerdale area, and include a sweeping, panoramic view of the lake.
In 1810 a large carnivore killed hundreds of sheep in and around Ennerdale before it was hunted down and killed. The locals dubbed it theGirt (dialect: "great") Dog of Ennerdale, though it was said to have had the traits of both a dog and a large cat.
Once a year, during the last week in August, the Ennerdale Show brings local people together with agricultural displays, competitions, arts and crafts.
Former US PresidentBill Clinton first proposed to his wifeHillary on the banks of Ennerdale Water in 1973.[5]
