Covenham Reservoir

Last updated
Covenham Reservoir
Covenham Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 322272.jpg
View from the reservoir walls
Lincolnshire UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Covenham Reservoir
Location Lincolnshire
Coordinates 53°26′35″N0°01′30″E / 53.443°N 0.025°E / 53.443; 0.025
Lake type Reservoir
Basin  countriesUnited Kingdom
Average depth20 m (66 ft)
Water volume 11 million cubic metres (390×10^6 cu ft)

Covenham Reservoir, located in East Lindsey is a 200-acre reservoir [1] and treatment works constructed between 1963 and 1978 by W. & C. French. [2] The reservoir was built next to the Louth Navigation canal and acts as a pumped storage reservoir from the canal, and can be supplemented by transfer schemes from Great Eau and Long Eau rivers. [3]

Opened in 1972 by Princess Alexandra, [4] the reservoir was subject to some controversy as it was to be built on high grade agricultural land. The reservoir is approximately 1 km by 1 km in size and the depth is approximately 20m. [4] Remedial works concerning a slip (movement) in the north embankment were undertaken at some point. [2]

The reservoir is situated between Grimsby and Louth in Lincolnshire. The reservoir hosts a watersports centre offering sailing, waterskiing and diving with a perimeter walkway open to the public. Built on the Lincolnshire coastal marsh, the sides of the reservoir offer views over surrounding farmland towards Grimsby, to the north, the coast, Louth and the Lincolnshire Wolds to the west.

The reservoir acts as storage for times of low aquifer recharge in the area, and can be used to prevent saline intrusion into the Lincolnshire chalk aquifer which is the primary source of water in East Lincolnshire. The return of treated effluent from Louth to the Louth Canal, and Great Eau transfer scheme also help to maintain the water levels of the reservoir in this relatively dry region of the UK. [3]

The reservoir is constructed of walls all around, raised 20m above the low lying Lincolnshire marsh. The structure is concrete lined, which prevents growth of marginal plants, however this does not prevent the reservoir attracting varied waterfowl and other birds.

The reservoir primarily serves the water needs of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes conurbation, as well as being a supply feed for Louth, Mablethorpe and Skegness. [5] In 2012 a £40 million [6] pipeline linking the reservoir to the town of Boston in the south of the county began, and is expected to be capable of transferring 26 million litres of water a day. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincolnshire</span> County of England

Lincolnshire, abbreviated Lincs, is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to the north, the North Sea to the east, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland to the south, and Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire to the west. The county town is the city of Lincoln. Lincolnshire is the second largest county in England after North Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ancholme</span> River in Lincolnshire, England

The River Ancholme is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the Humber. It rises at Ancholme Head, a spring just north of the village of Ingham and immediately west of the Roman Road, Ermine Street. It flows east and then north to Bishopbridge west of Market Rasen, where it is joined by the Rase. North of there it flows through the market town of Brigg before draining into the Humber at South Ferriby. It drains a large part of northern Lincolnshire between the Trent and the North Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foss Dyke</span> Canal that connects the River Trent to Lincoln

The Foss Dyke, or Fossdyke, connects the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, and may be the oldest canal in England that is still in use. It is usually thought to have been built around AD 120 by the Romans, but there is no consensus among authors. It was refurbished in 1121, during the reign of King Henry I, and responsibility for its maintenance was transferred to the city of Lincoln by King James I. Improvements made in 1671 included a navigable sluice or lock at Torksey, and warehousing and wharves were built at Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Thoresby</span> Village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England

North Thoresby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated between Louth and Grimsby, approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) from each. and has a village population of 1,068 (2011) Some 50.5% of the population is older than 60 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louth, Lincolnshire</span> Market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England

Louth is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor attractions include St James' Church, Hubbard's Hills, the market, many independent retailers and Lincolnshire's last remaining cattle market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louth Navigation</span> Canalised river in England

The Louth Navigation was a canalisation of the River Lud. It ran for 11 miles (18 km) from Louth in Lincolnshire, England, to Tetney Haven, at the mouth of the Humber. It was authorised by act of Parliament in 1763 and completed in 1770, under the supervision of the engineer John Grundy Jr. and then by James Hoggard. Eight locks were required to overcome the difference in altitude, six of which were constructed with sides consisting of four bays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvingham</span> Village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England

Alvingham is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 3 miles (5 km) north-east from the market town of Louth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Forty-Foot Drain</span> Drainage canal in eastern England

The South Forty-Foot Drain, also known as the Black Sluice Navigation, is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston. The Drain has its origins in the 1630s, when the first scheme to make the Fen land available for agriculture was carried out by the Earl of Lindsey, and has been steadily improved since then. Water drained from the land entered The Haven by gravity at certain states of the tide until 1946, when the Black Sluice pumping station was commissioned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourne Eau</span> River in Lincolnshire, England

Bourne Eau is a short river which rises from an artesian spring in the town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, England, and flows in an easterly direction to join the River Glen at Tongue End. Within the town, it once powered three water mills, one of which is now a heritage centre. At Eastgate, it becomes much wider as it was navigable in the 18th and 19th centuries, and this was the location of the terminal basin. Below the town it is an embanked river, as its normal level is higher than that of the surrounding Fens. Navigation ceased in the 1860s and the river now forms an important part of the drainage system that enables the surrounding fen land to be used for agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A16 road (England)</span> Road in Lincolnshire, England

The A16 road is a principal road of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands region of England, connecting the port of Grimsby and Peterborough, where it meets the A1175, A47 & A1139 then on to the A1 and the A605; the latter, in turn, giving a through route to Northampton and the west, and south west of England. Its length is 78 miles (126 km). The road was "de-trunked", with responsibility largely returned to Lincolnshire County Council from the Highways Agency in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincolnshire coast</span> Part of the English coastline

The coast of Lincolnshire runs for more than 50 miles (80 km) down the North Sea coast of eastern England, from the estuary of the Humber to the marshlands of the Wash, where it meets Norfolk. This stretch of coastline has long been associated with tourism, fishing and trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Reservoir</span> Dam in Western Sydney, New South Wales

The Prospect Reservoir is a heritage-listed 50,200-megalitre potable water supply and storage reservoir created by the Prospect Dam, across the Prospect Creek located in the Western Sydney suburb of Prospect, in New South Wales, Australia. The eastern bounds of the reservoir are a recreational area and the western periphery are within the bounds of Western Sydney Parklands. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetney</span> Village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England

Tetney is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, just west of the Prime Meridian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fens Waterways Link</span> Waterways project in eastern England

The Fens Waterways Link is a project to improve recreational boating opportunities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England. By a combination of improvements to existing waterways and the construction of new links a circular route between Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely and Boston is planned. The project is being organised by the Environment Agency and financed from the Regional Development Agency and the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lincolnshire Railway</span> Railway in England

The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Alford, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848. The ELR Company had leased the line to the Great Northern Railway, and it was the latter which constructed the line and operated it, as its East Lincolnshire Line.

Essex and Suffolk Water is a water supply company in the United Kingdom. It operates in two geographically distinct areas, one serving parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, and the other serving parts of Essex and Greater London. The total population served is 1.8 million. Essex and Suffolk is a 'water only' supplier, with sewerage services provided by Anglian Water and Thames Water within its areas of supply. It is part of the Northumbrian Water Group.

Poondi Reservoir or Sathyamoorthy reservoir is the reservoir across Kotralai River in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu state in India. It acts as the important water source for Chennai city which is 60 km away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation</span>

Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) is a project launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with objective of filling 115 major dams by diverting floodwaters overflowing from the Sardar Sarovar Dam across the Narmada river to the drought areas in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 Louth flood</span> Natural disaster (flood)

The 1920 Louth flood was a severe flash flooding event in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth which occurred 29 May 1920, resulting in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in Britain and Ireland during the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mablethorpe loop railway</span> Railway in Lincolnshire, England

The Mablethorpe Loop railway was formed in Lincolnshire, England, by two independent railway companies, which built branches from the East Lincolnshire Line.

References

  1. "Other Water Parks". anglian water. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 "British Construction Projects". man.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Water Resource Zone Characteristics and Drought Measures=" (PDF). anglian water. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Domesday Reloaded". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  5. "First pipes laid in £40m Anglian Water project to improve Boston supply". thisislincolnshire. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  6. "New £40 million pipeline plans go on view to public". Boston Standard. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  7. "Anglian Water starts work on £40M Lincolnshire pipeline". waterbriefing.org. Retrieved 12 March 2012.