In July, members of the Love Windermere Partnership met with Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) for an insightful exchange on innovation, community priorities, and the shared challenges faced by our freshwater ecosystems.
CWA, based in the United States, leads cutting-edge work to inform and empower water managers in Lake Erie—one of North America’s largest freshwater lakes. Their visit to Windermere, England’s largest natural lake, offered a unique opportunity to explore common ground across two continents. Despite the geographical distance, the parallels were striking.
Together, we reflected on the environmental pressures facing both lakes, from nutrient loading to climate change, and the importance of maintaining balance between community livelihoods, the natural environment, and economic sustainability. Both organisations share a belief that collaboration and data-led decision-making are essential to protect these iconic waters for the future.
Discussions focused on how science, innovation and community engagement are driving local responses. Windermere’s recent “A Changing Windermere” report was shared as an example of how long-term data, drawn from decades of scientific monitoring, is informing action at catchment scale. In return, we heard how CWA is building a regional innovation ecosystem to support water technology solutions and smart lake monitoring across Lake Erie.
