Water giant United Utilities has defended its management of Thirlmere reservoir after concerns were raised that Keswick could be hit by flooding again this winter.
Both Lynne Jones, who received the MBE for her work with Keswick Flood Action Group, and the town’s mayor Paul Titley expressed their fears after the local reservoir overspilled last week following a wet November.
“This year, above all others, it might have been prudent to ensure that flood risk was minimised – and yet our community is in a more vulnerable situation for the time of year than is normally the case,” said Lynne.
Mr Titley added: “The current situation at Thirlmere is less than it was at the same time in 2015 – and we know how that worked out. Keswick only floods when the reservoir is full. We are one big storm away from another appearance on Sky News.”
Their concern is that although Thirlmere can hold back a vast amount of water, its recent lack of spare capacity could lead to the River Greta being overloaded, which resulted in severe flooding to Keswick in 2015 when more than 500 homes were hit.
KFAG wants water to start being released via the reservoir’s valves before it is too late.
United Utilities owns and manages the reservoir.
A United Utilities spokesman said: “At Thirlmere we have a legal duty to manage the reservoir to ensure availability of the public water supply and also to make sure that we do not cause harm to St John’s Beck, which is part of the River Derwent Special Area of Conservation.
“We also have a duty to make sure that deliberate releases from the reservoir don’t cause flooding to properties in the area close to the dam.
“We have a long-standing voluntary agreement with Keswick Flood Action Group to release water from Thirlmere.
“At this time of year we release water when the reservoir is three metres below full.
“However, we have never committed to maintaining that level. If the inflows are greater than what we can release, the reservoir will eventually fill and then spill naturally as it is designed to do.
“Changing the management plan at Thirlmere is not something United Utilities can decide to do alone.
“It is a complex issue which has an impact on water supplies and on the ecology and flood risk of the river downstream, so we continue to work with regulators such as the Environment Agency and Natural England on the long term plans.”
