Lake District beck-water metals: the dataset

Compiled by Lee McCoy from the Environment Agency Water Quality Archive. Updated 14 July 2026.

This is the data behind “Can you drink the water in the Lake District?” The narrative — which becks, and what it means — is there; this page is the raw joined dataset and how it was built.

How it was built

Source: the Environment Agency Water Quality Archive (opens in new tab) — 58 million measurements at ~58,000 sampling points, Open Government Licence v3.0.
The join is ours. We pulled every EA sampling point in the Lake District, then kept those within 250 m of one of our published route lines — the becks a walker actually crosses. 105 of them carry dissolved-metal data.
Dissolved, not total. We report the dissolved fraction (the part a filter cannot remove): determinand codes verified against live coverage — zinc lives under 3408, copper under 6450, not the obvious codes.
Honest medians. A median is only shown where there are at least five quantified samples; below-detection results are reported as censored (<limit), never substituted. Median, max, count and period are all in the CSV.
Discharge ≠ beck. A mine’s discharge pipe or adit runs far higher than the stream; those points are excluded from the headline medians (kept in the CSV, labelled).
Mine tags are evidenced. A point is tagged to a mine only where the Environment Agency’s own record names that watercourse or catchment as polluted by abandoned mines — never inferred from a nearby adit. Six mines: Threlkeld/Gategill, Greenside, Yewthwaite, Goldscope, Force Crag, Coniston.

The full dataset

All 105 sampling points within 250 m of a published route that carry dissolved-metal data, mine-tagged rows first, then by lead. Cells show the **median µg/L** and sample count (n); **<value** means every sample was below that detection limit; — means not measured. This is the raw dataset, so it includes the mine **discharge pipes and adits** (clearly named, and much higher than the beck) alongside the becks themselves — the guide quotes the beck a walker actually crosses, not the pipe.
Sampling point (EA)	Nearest route	m	Mine	Pb	Cd	Zn	Cu
WOODEND LOW LEVEL MINE DISCHARGE	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	49	Threlkeld / Gategill	453 n54	80 n54	38000 n54	6.63 n54
GATEGILL BECK DOWNSTREAM FOUR SEASONS DEPOT	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	46	Threlkeld / Gategill	203 n36	15.8 n36	7075 n36	5.93 n36
GATEGILL BECK D/S YELLOW DAM	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	59	Threlkeld / Gategill	155.5 n48	18.5 n48	7120 n48	4.075 n48
GATEGILL BECK D/S WOODEND LEVEL	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	46	Threlkeld / Gategill	91.95 n6	16.05 n6	8175 n6	3.415 n6
YEWTHWAITE GILL FORD	Ard Crags Knott Rigg Ard Crags	5	Yewthwaite	81 n29	0.81 n29	110 n29	1.1 n29
GATEGILL BECK	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	200	Threlkeld / Gategill	80 n34	16 n34	6150 n34	3.7 n34
SWART BECK D/S GREENSIDE MINE	Helvellyn Striding Edge Swirral Edge Birkhouse Moor	118	Greenside	43.5 n18	1.2 n18	96.5 n18	<1
GATEGILL BECK DOWNSTREAM OF BLUE DAM	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	25	Threlkeld / Gategill	29 n35	0.653 n35	135 n35	2.4 n35
GLENRIDDING BECK	Helvellyn Striding Edge Swirral Edge Birkhouse Moor	10	Greenside	24.8 n31	0.724 n31	59.6 n31	0.877 n31
GLENRIDDING BECK AT A592	Helvellyn Striding Edge Swirral Edge Birkhouse Moor	175	Greenside	22.75 n158	0.6175 n158	51 n141	1.1 n200
NEWLANDS BECK DOWNSTREAM GOLDSCOPE MINE	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	51	Goldscope	7.98 n6	<0.1	<5	<1
NEWLANDS BECK U/S STAIR CONFLUENCE	Ard Crags Knott Rigg Ard Crags	219	Goldscope	4.45 n6	<0.1	8.605 n6	<1
COLEDALE BECK AT EEL CRAG HOUSE	Coledale Round Kinn	53	Force Crag	3.455 n21	0.723 n21	161 n21	1.455 n21
COLEDALE BECK AT BRAITHWAITE FOOTBRIDGE	Coledale Round Kinn	3	Force Crag	3.1 n31	0.5 n31	120 n31	1.12 n121
COLEDALE BECK D/S WEIR	Coledale Round Kinn	44	Force Crag	2.3 n14	0.505 n14	160 n14	1.2 n14
COLEDALE BECK AT BRAITHWAITE FOOTBRIDGE NR MELBECKS	Coledale Round Kinn	49	Force Crag	1.67 n18	0.8925 n18	196.5 n18	2.5 n18
LEVERS WATER BECK BELOW SPOIL	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	88	Coniston Copper	0.249 n20	0.109 n20	15.35 n20	18.1 n20
LEVERS WATER D/S PADDY END & WTW SPRING DISCHARGE	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	35	Coniston Copper	0.2335 n13	0.0633 n13	9.41 n13	8.29 n13
MEALY GILL PTC CHURCH BECK D/S BURSTINGSTONE QUARRY	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	1	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	<5	<1
SSN0962 YEWTHWAITE GILL AT LITTLE TOWN	Ard Crags Knott Rigg Ard Crags	3	Yewthwaite	n1	n1	n1	n1
RED DELL BECK AT ROADBRIDGE	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	4	Coniston Copper	<2	0.11 n45	14 n45	7.1 n45
NEWLANDS BECK U/S CASTLENOOK MINE	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	11	Goldscope	<2	<0.1	<5	<1
LEVERS WATER BECK D/S CONFLUENCE LOW WATER BECK	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	12	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	11.7 n11	10.1 n11
CHURCH BECK AT HYDRO SCHEME	Coniston Horseshoe Wetherlam	12	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	n3	n3
CHURCH BECK D/S RED DELL CONF	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	13	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	16.25 n6	9.55 n6
NEWLANDS BECK AT DALEHEAD	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	18	Goldscope	<2	<0.1	<5	<1
CHURCH BECK U/S SCROW BECK CONFLUENCE	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	37	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	15.5 n6	9.86 n6
LEVERS WATER DISCHARGE	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	38	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	8 n10	4.41 n10
NEWLANDS BECK D/S CASTLENOOK MINE	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	40	Goldscope	<2	<0.1	<5	<1
LEVERS WATER BECK U/S RED DELL BECK	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	44	Coniston Copper	<2	0.122 n34	17.4 n34	18 n34
CHURCH BECK D/S SCROW BECK CONFLUENCE	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	44	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	14.2 n6	9.035 n6
LEVERS WATER U/S SPOIL	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	46	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	11.05 n6	9.785 n6
RED DELL BECK D/S BONSOR DEEP MINE ADIT	Coniston Horseshoe Wetherlam	48	Coniston Copper	<2	0.1315 n6	19.3 n6	11.4 n6
GATEGILL POINT PT WEIR	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	50	Threlkeld / Gategill	n2	n2	n2	n2
GOLDSCOPE MINE DISCHARGE FROM SPOIL	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	56	Goldscope	n4	n4	n4	n4
GOLDSCOPE MINE RUNOFF FROM MINESPOIL	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	64	Goldscope	n4	n4	n4	n4
CHURCH BECK D/S A593	The Sun Coniston Pub Walk	72	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	10.4 n9	10.5 n172
CHURCH BECK D/S A593 BRIDGE, CONISTON	The Sun Coniston Pub Walk	81	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	12.7 n11	7.8 n11
LEVERS WATER BECK D/S LEVERS WATER	Coniston Horseshoe Wetherlam	85	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	10 n11	4.3 n11
LEVERS WATER BECK AT FOOTBRIDGE U/S PADDY END SPOIL	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	110	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	7.395 n12	8.935 n12
LOW WATER BECK PTC LEVERS WATER BECK	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	115	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	14 n12	1.44 n12
LEVERS WATER PTC LOW WATER BECK	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	120	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	11.9 n11	17.6 n11
LEVERS WATER BECK D/S SPOIL HEAP SPRING DISCHARGE	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	126	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	12 n6	17.1 n6
GLENRIDDING BECK D/S GREENSIDE MINE	Helvellyn Striding Edge Swirral Edge Birkhouse Moor	128	Greenside	n1	n1	n1	<1
LOW WATER BECK U/S CONFLUENCE LEVERS WATER BECK	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	160	Coniston Copper	<2	<0.1	14.6 n11	1.665 n11
NEWLANDS BECK UPSTREAM GOLDSCOPE MINE	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	163	Goldscope	<2	<0.1	<5	<1
NEWLANDS BECK U/S YEWTHWAITE D/S KESKADALE	Ard Crags Knott Rigg Ard Crags	227	Yewthwaite	n4	<0.1	<5	<1
RED DELL BECK U/S BONSOR DEEP MINE ADIT	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	239	Coniston Copper	<2	0.137 n7	19.7 n7	12.9 n7
ROYAL OAK HOTEL, ROSTHWAITE, KESWICK	Borrowdale Fells Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot	54		22.4 n21	<0.1	4.285 n21	0.471 n21
CONISTON YOUTH HOSTEL TRIB	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	20		8.43 n9	1.99 n9	432 n9	585 n9
SPRING DISCHARGE AT BASE OF SPOIL HEAP BELOW CONISTON YHA	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	93		4.57 n9	2.05 n9	466 n9	456 n9
NEWLANDS @ CHAPEL BRIDGE	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	5		3.75 n35	<0.1	7.35 n35	1.4 n35
GLENRIDDING STW SEPTIC TANK & FILTER EFFLUENT@ OUTFALL TO GLENRIDDING BECK	Helvellyn Striding Edge Swirral Edge Birkhouse Moor	101		2.3 n30	<0.1	26.65 n30	4.835 n30
COLWITH ORCHARD NY30/24	Elterwater Skelwith Force	138		2.3 n28	0.023 n28	44 n28	77.5 n28
RIVER GRETA AT A59 ROAD BRIDGE KESWICK	Honister Over The Top To Keswick Dale Head	7		0.937 n28	0.113 n28	46.9 n28	1.24 n143
BLACK BECK AT B5285	Hawkshead Into The Woods Latterbarrow	6		0.496 n36	<0.1	<5	0.9175 n53
GOLDRILL BECK U/S ULLSWATER	St Sunday Crag Arnison Crag	150		0.221 n12	0.0142 n12	2.99 n12	0.629 n92
LANTHWAITE GREEN SPRING NY12/8	Grasmoor Surrounding Fells Whiteside (Whiteside West Top)	192		0.195 n26	0.179 n26	46.6 n26	1.875 n26
WAST WATER (WFD STILLWATER SITE)	Wastwater Shore The Screes View	9		0.164 n45	0.0113 n45	1.8 n45	0.2555 n44
LOWESWATER AS PART OF A WQ SURVEY	Loweswater Circuit	179		0.146 n54	<0.01	1.8 n54	0.6375 n52
ELTERWATER (OUTER BASIN)	Elterwater Skelwith Force	174		0.129 n45	0.015 n45	2.94 n45	0.47 n45
BRATHAY D/S LANGDALE STW OUTFALL	Loughrigg Tarn Walk With Dog Loughrigg Fell	31		0.112 n12	0.0176 n12	3.87 n12	0.5365 n12
BUTTERMERE (WFD STILLWATER SITE)	Buttermere Circuit	1		<0.4	0.018 n41	5.2 n41	0.499 n41
RIVER ROTHAY AT OUTLET FROM GRASMERE	Grasmere Lake Circuit	2		<0.4	<0.1	5.62 n9	0.662 n163
HAYESWATER GILL D/S HAYESWATER	Brock Crags Angle Tarn Beda Fell And Place Fell Brock Crags (Wainwright)	4		<0.1	<0.01	n3	n3
WARNSCALE BECK AT NY189 148	Buttermere Circuit	6		<0.4	0.0244 n13	4.61 n13	0.628 n89
SAIL BECK AT NY173 170	Crummock Water Shore	6		—	—	—	0.902 n158
GREAT LANGDALE BECK AT ELTERWATER	Elterwater Walk With Dog	11		<0.1	0.0145 n13	2.56 n13	0.713 n132
ELTER WATER (WFD STILLWATER SITE)	Elterwater Skelwith Force	11		<0.4	<0.1	n1	n1
CAPPLERIGG WELL, KENTMERE NY40/19	Kentmere Horseshoe Yoke	13		—	—	—	—
HIGH ROW COTTAGE, THRELKELD, KESWICK	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	15		<2	<0.1	4.81 n31	0.304 n31
RYDAL WATER SHORE SAMPLE	Rydal Water Rydal Caves	16		<0.1	0.014 n12	2.6 n12	0.45 n12
COMISTON COPPERMINES GAUNTS LEVEL	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	21		<2	0.243 n6	55.55 n6	22.4 n6
BRATHAY AT COLWITH ROAD BRIDGE	Elterwater Skelwith Force	24		<2	<0.1	n1	<1
LAUREL HOUSE SD28/04	Low Light Haw Low Light Haw	25		—	—	—	—
BLEA TARN (WFD STILLWATER SITE)	Blea Tarn Langdale	31		—	—	—	—
SSN0914 WRAY BECK AT BASECAMP	Wray Castle Windermere West Shore	32		<0.1	<0.01	n3	n3
LANGDALE STW OXIDATION DITCH EFFLUENT@ SETTLING TANK OVERFLOW	Elterwater Skelwith Force	35		—	—	—	—
LOWESWATER FFD SITE AT NY 12765 21243	Loweswater Circuit	41		<0.4	<0.1	<5	1.165 n95
RIVER ROTHAY AT GRASMERE U/S OF GRASMERE STW OLD OUTFALL	Grasmere Easdale Tarn	50		<0.4	<0.1	5.67 n37	0.811 n55
WATENDLATH BECK U/S MARY MOUNT SDW	Ashness Bridge Surprise View	61		—	—	—	0.667 n86
HEADS COTTAGE, KENTMERE NY40/20	Kentmere Horseshoe Yoke	89		—	—	—	—
KESKADALE BECK PTC NEWLANDS	Scope End Hindscarth Dale Head From Little Town Scope End	92		<2	<0.1	<5	1.09 n9
UZZICAR BECK ISSUES	Ard Crags Knott Rigg Ard Crags	103		n4	n4	n4	n4
AIRA BECK AT A592	Aira Force Gowbarrow Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit)	108		—	—	—	—
SPRING DISCHARGE AT BASE OF PADDY END SPOIL	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	114		<2	<0.1	10.025 n20	16.65 n20
PRIV SEW EFF FROM ASHNESS FARM, BORROWDALE, KESWICK TO CAT GILL	Ashness Bridge Surprise View	118		<0.4	<0.1	<5	n1
COMB GILL PTC RIVER DERWENT	Borrowdale Fells Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot	122		—	—	—	0.678 n77
BLELHAM TARN - LAKES TOUR	Wray Castle Windermere West Shore	136		<2	<0.1	<5	1.35 n10
SAMPLE POINT 3 KILNHOW BECK	Blencathra Blease Fell Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)	139		<2	<0.1	n4	<1
ASHNESS GILL (BARROW BECK) PTC DERWENT WATER	Ashness Bridge Surprise View	147		<0.4	<0.1	<5	0.8415 n92
FUSEDALE BECK AT HOWTOWN ROAD BRIDGE	Fusedale Circuit Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)	150		<0.4	<0.1	<5	<0.5
MISC NORTH AREA GROUNDWATER SAMPLES FROM LANDFILL SITES	Coledale Round Kinn	154		—	—	—	—
RIVER GRETA PTC RIVER DERWENT	Ard Crags Knott Rigg Ard Crags	166		n1	n1	n1	n1
LOWESWATER - LAKES TOUR	Loweswater Circuit	179		<2	<0.1	<5	<1
BUTTERMERE - LAKES TOUR	Buttermere Circuit	200		<2	<0.1	7.045 n10	<1
GRASMERE - LAKES TOUR	Grasmere Lake Circuit	204		<2	<0.1	<5	<1
LOUGHRIGG TARN - LAKES TOUR	Loughrigg Tarn Walk With Dog Loughrigg Fell	205		<2	<0.1	<5	<1
PASTURE BECK PTC HAYESWATER GILL	Brock Crags Angle Tarn Beda Fell And Place Fell Brock Crags (Wainwright)	206		<0.1	<0.01	6.74 n5	0.812 n5
WASDALE CAMP SITE PSTW	Scafell Pike Via Lingmell Scafell Pike	230		<2	<0.1	47.1 n17	10.5 n17
MOSEDALE BECK AT MAGGIES BRIDGE	Loweswater Circuit	234		—	—	—	0.856 n156
WINDERMERE NORTH - LAKES TOUR	Wray Castle Windermere West Shore	241		<2	<0.1	<5	<1
RYDAL WATER - LAKES TOUR	Rydal Water Rydal Caves	241		<2	<0.1	<5	<1
STONETHWAITE BECK AT ROSTHWAITE BRIDGE	Borrowdale Fells Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot	248		<0.4	<0.1	<5	1.09 n162
BONSOR DEEP MINE DISCHARGE FROM ADIT	Coniston Old Man Round The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)	249		<2	0.144 n19	38 n19	8.4 n19

⇩ Download the full dataset (CSV)

What this dataset is NOT

It is not a drinking-safety certification. Mine-water concentrations swing hugely with flow, a sampling point is not a drinking spot, and absence of a sample is not clean water — most upland becks a walker crosses are not sampled at all. Drinking-water and ecological standards are kept separate, and zinc carries no ‘times the limit’ figure (there is no health-based guideline for it). The full caveats travel with the data.

Sources & licence

Measurement data © Environment Agency, Open Government Licence v3.0 (opens in new tab). Standards from the World Health Organization (opens in new tab). Mine attributions from the Environment Agency / Defra (Catchment Data Explorer (opens in new tab); Derwent North West (opens in new tab) and Kent & Leven (opens in new tab) abandoned-metal-mines baselines). Reuse freely with attribution.