A Tunnel to Protect Windermere
Aims
A major tunnel plan aims to stop sewage entering Windermere, raising questions about how to protect nature and pay for it.
The lesson, stage by stage
- News10 min
In the news: The story
Read a 87-word news story: A Big Plan Beneath the Lake District
A new proposal suggests building a long tunnel to carry sewage away from Windermere, England’s largest lake. The £3.6bn plan would connect about 12,800 people to a new treatment system. Supporters say waste and high levels of nutrients can help cause summer algal blooms, when parts of the lake turn green; heavy rain can also make waste spill from overloaded facilities. The government must decide whether to develop the plan and how to pay: local water bills could rise, or the cost could be shared across England.
- Vocabulary8 min
Vocabulary: Words in the news
7 items
- Discussion10 min
Discussion: Protecting a special place
2 discussion questions
- What kinds of changes would make you feel a natural place was being well protected?
- When should a community choose a large project instead of smaller improvements over time?
- Discussion10 min
Discussion: Places that matter to us
2 discussion questions
- Is there a lake, river, beach, or park you care about? What makes it special to you?
- Have you seen a local place improve or become more polluted? How did people respond?
- Discussion10 min
Discussion: Who should pay?
2 discussion questions
- When a project protects a place important to the whole country, who should help pay for it?
- How should leaders balance the cost of big projects with the needs of nature and local people?
Target vocabulary
In a Tuton account these words become your student's vocabulary deck, so they come back in practice between lessons.
- proposal
- A plan suggested for people to consider
- tunnel
- An underground passage for water, services, or travel
- sewage
- Waste water that leaves homes and toilets
- treatment
- A process that makes waste or water safer
- algal bloom
- Fast growth of algae in water, often changing its color
- spill
- To escape or flow out by accident
- bill
- The amount charged for a service or product
This plan comes from the Environment course in the Tuton library. Browse all free lesson plans.