Unchartered Waters:
A Swimming Community's Fight to Save Their Lake
Shepperton Open Water Swimming Lake
Shepperton Open Water Swimming Lake, with its picturesque views, fresh water and abundant wildlife is an idyllic place to swim.
In 2010 it opened to the public and has grown in popularity ever since, especially since the pandemic.
It's home to veteran swimmers and those just dipping their toes into the sport.
Owner of the lake Emma Pattinson learnt how to swim there.
Originally a meadow, her family converted the land into a gravel pit in the 1960s- a business that lasted forty years.
Subsequently, it was left to form a natural water habitat.
Resident swimming coach Salim Ahmed explained who uses the lake:
Janine Jackson is an amputee swimmer who has been coming to the lake since 2019. She said: "As an amputee, accessing open water swimming was daunting at first, but the team at Shepperton helped me every step of the way.
"The water in the lake is so clean which makes every swim a joy. This is a special lake and must be protected at all costs."
Lisa Brennan lives near the lake and is a keen outdoor swimmer. She said: “I’ve been going to the lake for years. It means an awful lot to have a fresh water lake on my doorstep where you never have to worry about sewage.
“It’s a really peaceful place. I’m very lucky as I can cycle there. As a working mum I go very early, do a swim, come back, make the coffee and everyone else is just getting up.
"I also love the fact there’s people of all ages there now. Initially it used to be just super-fit triathletes but now all kinds of swimmers go there.”
Emma Jackson works in recruitment and cherishes the mental health benefits of swimming in the lake - the way it allows her to completely disconnect.
She spoke with warmth about what the place means to her: "It's like a second home to me, somewhere I come to unwind after a busy working week. The community is so welcoming and friendly. I've made some life-long friends here."
She told me about a charity event that takes place on the lake to raise money for Level Water - an organisation which provides 1:1 swimming lessons for children with disabilities across the UK.
The event - which involves a team of eight swimmers completing a 24-hour relay of the lake - raised over £140,000 last year.
Eimear Varian-Barry, a social media influencer, spoke about the transformative qualities of the lake and the way it helped boost her self-esteem and meet new people.
Nicole Murray and Vicky Lack are seasoned outdoor swimmers. They described the quality of the water at the lake.
But the River Thames Scheme could put the future of the lake at risk.
What is the River Thames Scheme?
The stretch of the Thames which runs between Egham and Teddington is one of the largest floodplains in England.
It’s an area susceptible to serious flooding when the banks of the Thames burst after prolonged spells of heavy rainfall.
In 2014, the borough of Runnymede experienced a deluge which saw hundreds of homes destroyed, multiple power failures and a local primary school temporarily displaced.
With the threat of climate change increasing the likelihood of such events occurring again, the River Thames Scheme was launched.
It’s designed to alleviate flooding when the river levels are high by directing the water into two built-in flood channels - at Runnymede and Spelthorne in Surrey.
The scheme also intends to create new recreation areas for communities and habitats for wildlife.
However as plans currently stand, the Spelthorne channel is set to flow into the lake.
This could introduce pollutants, chemicals and sewage to the water, making it unsafe to swim in.
The construction process itself may pose a hazard to swimmers by unearthing submerged objects and debris which could lead to injuries.
While the delicate ecosystem that has developed over many years could suffer from oxygen depletion, algal blooms, and the decline of aquatic life.
A campaign has been launched to stop this from happening.
It urges the Environment Agency to consider alternatives - none of which involve polluted water entering the lake.
Owner Emma Pattinson said one possible solution was to use a creek that runs down the side of the lake for the flood relief channel to flow into instead.
Another possible option is to expand alternative bodies of water in the area that already link to the proposed route.
She added: "I'm not an engineer or a hydrologist, but we know the Environment Agency have not considered other options."
At the time of publication, the petition had received more than 14,000 signatures and inspired impassioned responses across social media.
Tommy Reid runs a business at the lake which offers swimmers the chance to hire out wet-suits before getting into the water.
He said: "Swimmers are looking for safe venues to swim in with good water quality. That's what we have here. It's a haven for the community which could be ruined if we allow either sewage of contaminated water into the lake."
He explained how the Spelthorne channel will pass through three landfill sites on its route.
He worried that swimmers would not feel safe to swim there were the two bodies of water to merge.
Lisa Brennan shared his concerns. She said: "I'm very much in favour of having a scheme that prevents flooding. But we can't have a channel that directs sewage into an open water swimming lake. Sewage and swimmers do not mix."
I contacted The River Thames Scheme in light of the campaign.
A spokesperson emailed this response: "The River Thames Scheme will reduce the risk of flooding to homes, businesses and infrastructure.
"It will improve access to quality green open space, create a more sustainable travel network and increase biodiversity by creating a network of high-quality wildlife habitat.
"The scheme has consulted widely with landowners and the public, including Shepperton Open Water Swimming Lake.
"These discussions are important to us and are ongoing."
Follow the campaign @ https://chng.it/GF7t8mHFM9
All photo credits: Douglas Gibson
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