Supply of permanent nutrient neutrality mitigation in Cumbria via upgrades to septic tanks

Westmorland and Furness Council, together with Cumberland Council and the Lake District National Park, established the Nutrient Neutrality North West partnership to drive a Cumbria-wide approach to addressing nutrient neutrality in the four affected catchments (River Derwent and Bassenthwaite Lake SAC, River Eden SAC, River Kent SAC and Esthwaite Water Ramsar). Two of the main aims are to identify and promote delivery of practical mitigation options in the catchments to unlock new housing developments and establish a process to offer mitigation options through nutrient credit trading. Following the award of a significant grant under the Government’s Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund (LNMF), the council is now seeking to procure suitably qualified and experienced contractors to support the delivery of nutrient (phosphorous) credits through a programme of upgrading private septic tanks across the four catchments, which can then be traded through a credit scheme to be launched in the second half of 2025.