Bela

Catchment Facts

• Total Area: ~90km²
• The River Bela is fed from Killington Reservoir and enters Morecambe Bay downstream of Milnthorpe
• There are no large population centres with Beetham and Milnthorpe being the main settlements
• Land use is dominated by sheep farming with some beef and dairy farms in the lower catchment
• Water dependent industries include a paper mill and several small hydro-electric schemes
• White Clawed Crayfish are present in the catchment and there are currently no reported sightings of the invasive American Signal Crayfish
• The Bela supports a small run of Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout following the opening up of a fish pass at Heron Corn Mill in the early 1990s
• Historic modifications to the system include Killington Reservoir and a water transfer for Lancaster Canal
• Dallam Tower estates own part of the catchment
• View a map of the Bela catchment

The River Bela is a small catchment in the east of South Cumbria. With its source at Peasey Beck near Killington Reservoir the River Bela flows through Beetham and Milnthorpe before reaching Morecambe Bay. There are no lakes in the catchment and historically much of the main river has been embanked. However, the river still supports good populations of native species.

FOR EVERY £1 SPENT IN THE KENT CATCHMENT TOWARDS IMPROVING THE WATER ENVIRONMENT YOU COULD RECEIVE £5.37 OF BENEFITS (RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLAN SUMMARIES)