| Wast Water | |
|---|---|
 Looking towards Wasdale Head | |
  Wast Water Location in the Lake District Show map of the Lake District Wast Water Location in the former Copeland Borough Show map of the former Borough of Copeland | |
 Map of 1925 | |
| Location | England |
| Coordinates | 54°26′30″N3°17′30″W / 54.44167°N 3.29167°W /54.44167; -3.29167 |
| Type | Ribbon Lake |
| Primary inflows | seelist |
| Primary outflows | River Irt |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
| Max. length | 3.03 miles (4.88 km) |
| Max. width | 0.49 miles (788.58 m) |
| Surface area | 1.08 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| Max. depth | 258 feet (79 m) |
| Water volume | 0.110 cubic kilometres (0.026 cu mi)[1] |
| Shore length1 | 6.84 mi (11.01 km) |
| Surface elevation | 200 feet (61 m) |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Wast Water orWastwater (/ˈwɒstwɔːtər/) is alake located inWasdale, a valley in the western part of theLake District National Park, England. The lake is almost three miles (five kilometres) long and more than one-third mile (500 m) wide. It is aglacial lake, formed in a glacially "over-deepened" valley. It is the deepest lake in England[2] at 258 feet (79 m). The surface of the lake is about 200 feet (60 m) above sea level, while its bottom is over 50 feet (15 m) below sea level. It is considered relativelyoligotrophic.[3] It is owned by theNational Trust.
The nameWast Water is a reduced form ofWas(t)dale Water, referring to the valley in which the lake lies. The nameWasdale itself comes from the Old NorseVatnsdalr, meaning "valley of the lake".[4]
The head of the Wasdale Valley is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in England, includingScafell Pike,Great Gable andLingmell. The steep slopes on the southeastern side of the lake, leading up to the summits ofWhin Rigg andIllgill Head, are known as the "WastwaterScrees" or on some maps "The Screes". These screes formed as a result of ice and weathering erosion on the rocks of theBorrowdale Volcanic Group, that form the fells to the east of the lake, towardsEskdale. They are approximately 2,000 feet (600 m), from top to base, the base being about 200 feet (60 m) below the surface of the lake.
A path runs the length of the lake, through the boulders and scree fall at the base of the craggy fell-side. On the northwestern side are the cliffs ofBuckbarrow (a part ofSeatallan) and the upturned-boat shape ofYewbarrow. Wast Water is the source of theRiver Irt which flows into theIrish Sea nearRavenglass.
Both the lake and Wasdale Screes are protected asSites of Special Scientific Interest and under European Union law asSpecial Areas of Conservation.
In 1976, the "Wasdale Lady in the Lake",Margaret Hogg, was murdered by her husband and her body was disposed of in the lake. She was found after eight years, with her body preserved like wax due to the lack ofoxygen in the water.[5]
In February 2005 it was reported that a "gnome garden" complete withpicket fence had been placed in the lake as a point of interest for divers to explore. It was removed from the bottom of Wastwater after threedivers died in the late 1990s.[6][7] It is thought the divers spent too much timetoo deep searching for the ornaments.Police divers report a rumour that the garden had been replaced at a depth beyond the lowest the police were allowed to dive.
PC Kenny McMahon, a member of the North West Police Underwater Search Unit, said
Wastwater is quite clear at the bottom, but there's nothing to see. At a depth of about 48 m [157 ft], divers had taken gnomes down and put a picket fence around them. But several years ago there were a number of fatalities and theLake DistrictNational Park Authority asked us to get rid of them. We went down there, put them in bags and removed the lot. But now there's a rumour about a new garden beyond the 50 m [160 ft] depth limit. As police divers we can't legally dive any deeper so, if it exists, the new garden could have been purposefully put out of our reach.[6]
Water was first pumped from the lake during World War II to supply the Royal Ordnance Factory atDrigg. It is pumped to the nearbySellafield nuclear facility as an industrial water supply.[8] The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is allowed to extract from the lake a maximum of 4,000,000 imperial gallons (18,000 m3) a day to use on that site.
On 9 September 2007, Wast Water was announced as the winner of a vote to determine "Britain's Favourite View" by viewers of ITV.
Clockwise from River Irt
In the bookGoodbye, Mr. Chips, Mr Chipping meets his wife at Wasdale Head.
