Blithfield Reservoir | |
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Blithfield Reservoir | |
Location | Blithbury, Staffordshire, England |
Coordinates | 52°48′32″N1°55′08″W / 52.809°N 1.919°W Coordinates: 52°48′32″N1°55′08″W / 52.809°N 1.919°W |
Type | Drinking water reservoir |
Primary inflows | River Blithe, Tad Brook |
Primary outflows | River Blithe |
Managing agency | South Staffordshire Water |
Built | 1953 |
Max. length | 1.88 miles (3.03 km) |
Max. width | 0.6 miles (0.97 km) |
Surface area | 3.19 square kilometres (790 acres) |
Max. depth | 16 metres (52 ft) |
Water volume | 18,172,000m3 (4 billion gallons) |
Shore length1 | 5.9 miles (9.5 km) |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Blithfield Reservoir is a large raw water reservoir in Staffordshire, England, owned by South Staffordshire Water.
Some 800 acres (324 hectares) of reservoir was formed on land sold by Baron Bagot to the South Staffordshire Water Works (SSWW) in the 1940s. Blithfield Reservoir was opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother on Tuesday 27 October 1953. [1] [2]
The Reservoir is located just north-east of the town of Rugeley and just south of Abbots Bromley
The reservoir is a haven for wildlife, particularly birds, a fact that was recognised in 1988 when the reservoir and most of its surrounding woodland was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, (SSSI). [3] Parts of the shoreline and surrounding woodland are only available to birdwatchers under a permit scheme, operated by the West Midland Bird Club, [4] but much of the open water is visible from the road causeway which crosses the reservoir (grid reference SK055235), and there is access to the dam end of the reservoir. There is also an education centre to facilitate visits by school parties. [5]
Blithfield was once a 'members only' fly fishing destination, however, in recent years it has been opened up to day ticket holders. Day tickets are available from the Estate Office. [6]
Blithfield reservoir walks give members of the public the chance to enjoy the area and its wildlife. The reservoir has been visited by many scarce and rare migrant birds, including an inland Arctic warbler (1993), Bonaparte's gull (1994 and 1996), blue-winged teal (1996 and 2000) and squacco heron (2004). [7]
Blithfield Hall, is a privately owned Grade I listed country house in Staffordshire, England, situated some 9 miles (14 km) east of Stafford, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Uttoxeter and 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Rugeley.
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The demonym for residents of the town is Burtonian. Burton is 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Derby, 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Leicester, 28 miles (45 km) west-southwest of Nottingham and 20 miles (32 km) south of the southern entrance to the Peak District National Park.
The West Midland Bird Club is the UK's largest regional ornithological society. It has been serving birdwatchers and ornithologists in the four English counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the Metropolitan West Midlands, with lectures, field trips, research, a bulletin and an annual report, since 1929. It is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 213311.
Belvide Reservoir is a reservoir in South Staffordshire, England. It was built in 1833 to supply the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, and has been managed as a nature reserve since 1977. It has been used to study the effect of water level changes on bird populations.
Chew Valley Lake is a large reservoir in the Chew Valley, Somerset, England, and the fifth-largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom, with an area of 1,200 acres (4.9 km²). The lake, created in the early 1950s and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956, provides much of the drinking water for the city of Bristol and surrounding area, taking its supply from the Mendip Hills. Some of the water from the lake is used to maintain the flow in the River Chew.
Brookvale Park Lake is a former drinking water reservoir in the Erdington area of Birmingham, England.
Edgbaston Reservoir, originally known as Rotton Park Reservoir and referred to in some early maps as Rock Pool Reservoir, is a canal feeder reservoir in Birmingham, England, maintained by the Canal & River Trust. It is situated close to Birmingham City Centre and is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
Hampstead Heath, a vast open area of woodland and grassland in north London, has some thirty ponds on or adjacent to it.
Blithfield is a civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It includes the settlements of Admaston, Newton along with Blithfield Hall, home of the Bagot family since 1360. It is situated 7.5 miles (12.1 km) southwest of Uttoxeter and 5.3 miles (8.5 km) north of Rugeley. Blithfield and Admaston comprise 1,414 acres (572 ha) of land, with Newton occupying 1,744 acres (706 ha). The nearest railway stations are Rugeley Trent Valley 4.5 miles (7.2 km) and Rugeley Town 6.0 miles (9.7 km).
Delamere Forest is a large wood in the village of Delamere in Cheshire, England. The woodland, which is managed by Forestry England, covers an area of 972 hectares making it the largest area of woodland in the county. It contains a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees.
The Brent Reservoir is a reservoir in North West London. It straddles the boundary between the boroughs of Brent and Barnet and is owned by the Canal & River Trust. The reservoir takes its informal name from a public house called The Welsh Harp, which stood nearby until the early 1970s. It is a 68.6-hectare (170-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the only SSSI in either Borough and among more than 30 SSSIs in Greater London.
Langsett Reservoir is in Yorkshire, England, near the villages of Langsett and Upper Midhope, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The reservoir was constructed between 1898 and 1904, and is now managed by Yorkshire Water. Fed by the Little Don or Porter River, it is around a mile long, and supplies water for Sheffield and Barnsley via the Langsett Treatment Works.
Doxey Marshes is a 150 hectares nature reserve located within two miles of Stafford town centre, and is managed by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its wet grassland habitat and its breeding wading birds and wildfowl, it is particularly noted for its populations of breeding snipe. The habitat is one of the most threatened nationally, along with related wildlife such as snipe, lapwing, little ringed plover, otter and water shrew.
Beacon Fell is a fell in the civil parish of Goosnargh in Lancashire, England. The high ground, which rises to 266 m (873 ft), has been a country park since 1970. It is situated within the south westerly part of the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Trentabank Reservoir is located within Macclesfield Forest, partly in the Peak District National Park in England, and is home to rich unimproved uplands and grasslands. The reservoir is surrounded mainly by coniferous plantations and is also home to about 22 pairs of herons. The Peak District Boundary Walk runs past the reservoir.
South Staffordshire Water plc known as South Staffs Water is a UK water supply company owned by a privately owned utilities company serving parts of Staffordshire the West Midlands as well as small areas of surrounding counties in England. South Staffordshire Water plc is part of South Staffordshire plc. It purchased Cambridge Water in 2011. In 2013, KKR & Co. L.P., a company registered in the United States of America, acquired South Staffordshire Water from Alinda Infrastructure Fund. As of April 2018, KKR & Co. L.P., has agreed to sell its 75% equity stake in South Staffordshire plc to Arjun Infrastructure Partners (AIP). This deal will include South Staffs Water (SSW) and its non-regulated businesses, SSI Services and Echo Managed Services.
The Queen Mary Reservoir is one of the largest of London's reservoirs supplying fresh water to London and parts of surrounding counties, and is located in the Borough of Spelthorne in Surrey. The reservoir covers 707 acres (2.86 km2) and is 45 ft (14 m) above the surrounding area.
Hanningfield Reservoir is a 402.9 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Billericay and Chelmsford in Essex. It is owned by Essex and Suffolk Water and run by them in conjunction with the Essex Wildlife Trust. The reservoir is covered by a Bird Sanctuary Order.
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