# River Ehen > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/River_Ehen > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/River_Ehen.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Ehen > Source revision: 1220700481 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The **River Ehen** is a [river](/source/River) in [Cumbria](/source/Cumbria), [England](/source/England). The river's source is at the west end of [Ennerdale Water](/source/Ennerdale_Water): it runs west through [Ennerdale Bridge](/source/Ennerdale_Bridge) where it is joined by Croasdale Beck (flowing from Banna Fell). Ennerdale Water itself is fed by the [River Liza](/source/River_Liza). The Ehen continues past [Cleator Moor](/source/Cleator_Moor) and [Cleator](/source/Cleator), where it is fed by the [River Keekle](/source/River_Keekle), moving southwards through [Egremont](/source/Egremont,_Cumbria) and eventually running parallel to the [Irish Sea](/source/Irish_Sea) which it eventually joins at [Sellafield](/source/Sellafield) at the same point as the [River Calder](/source/River_Calder,_Cumbria). ## Wildlife The river supports the largest [freshwater pearl mussel](/source/Freshwater_pearl_mussel) population in [England](/source/England).[1] The river is a breeding ground for [Atlantic salmon](/source/Atlantic_salmon).[2] There is widespread [poaching](/source/Poached_salmon) along the length of the river.[3] ## Environmental protection The river Ehen was designated a [Special Area of Conservation](/source/Special_Area_of_Conservation) in 2005.[4][5] The section of the coast into which it flows was designated as the [Cumbria Coast Marine Conservation Zone](/source/Cumbria_Coast) in 2013. The Ehen is home to the [Ennerdale black pearl](/source/Ennerdale_black_pearl), a rare black [pearl](/source/Pearl) formed in [freshwater pearl mussels](/source/Freshwater_pearl_mussel).[6] It is the only river in England to be part of the project "Pearls in Peril", funded by the European Union's [LIFE + NATURE Programme](/source/The_LIFE_Programme). The project aims to conserve the species at 21 sites in the UK.[7] The freshwater pearl mussel relies for part of its life on the presence of salmonids, a group of fish including salmon and trout. Sellafield has previously used water from the River Ehen for cooling on the site, but ceased this operation in the 1990s. There is a weir on Ennerdale Water, and as at 2016 the valley continues to be an important source of drinking water for customers of [United Utilities](/source/United_Utilities) in West Cumbria.[8] However, there are plans to supply these customers using a new pipeline from [Thirlmere](/source/Thirlmere) because the [Environment Agency](/source/Environment_Agency) has confirmed that for environmental reasons it will rescind the abstraction licence for Ennerdale. This means United Utilities must stop using it as a source of water by 2025 at the latest,[9] and therefore will need to find one or more alternative sources of water. ## References 1. ["River Ehen - Special Area of Conservation - SAC - Habitats Directive"](http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030057). Jncc.gov.uk. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2012-07-15. 1. ["Vertebrate species: fish"](http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/species.asp?FeatureIntCode=S1106). Jncc.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-27. 1. ["River Ehen Poaching Prosecution"](http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/News/river_ehen_poaching.html). Anglersnet.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-15. 1. ["River Ehen"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130507123602/http://www.westcumbriariverstrust.org/our-area/river-ehen/). West Cumbria Rivers Trust. Archived from [the original](http://www.westcumbriariverstrust.org/our-area/river-ehen/) on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2013-10-27. 1. [[http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/n2kforms/UK0030057.pdf](http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/n2kforms/UK0030057.pdf)< "Natura 2000 Standard Data Form"]. Jncc.defra.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-27. 1. ["The Black Pearls of Ennerdale"](http://www.lakestay.co.uk/blackpearls.html). *lakestay.co.uk*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240425104145/http://www.lakestay.co.uk/blackpearls.html) 25 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 April 2024. 1. ["Pearls in Peril"](http://freshwaterblog.net/2014/07/24/pearls-in-peril). *The freshwater blog*. BioFresh. 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015. 1. ["Plan for £300m Lake District water pipeline approved"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-37992605). 15 November 2016. 1. Robinson, Sarah (16 May 2013). ["Plans made to stop using Ennerdale as water source"](http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/Plans-made-to-stop-using-Ennerdale-as-water-source-ac668d55-4d2a-41c3-9fc0-f8a2d0381fd5-ds). *[The Whitehaven News](/source/Whitehaven_News)*. Retrieved 3 July 2013. ## External links - [Wath Brow and Ennerdale Angling Association](https://web.archive.org/web/20120504201053/http://www.wbeaa.co.uk/) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [River Ehen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Ehen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Ehen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.