Nutscale Reservoir

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Nutscale Reservoir
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Nutscale Reservoir
Location Exmoor, Somerset, England
Coordinates 51°10′37″N3°37′52″W / 51.177°N 3.631°W / 51.177; -3.631
Primary inflows Nutscale Water
Primary outflows Nutscale Water
Managing agency Wessex Water
Built1942
Surface area8 acres (3.2 ha)
Average depth12.2 metres (40 ft)
Water volume277,000 m3 (225 acre⋅ft)
Shore length11,140 metres (3,740 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Nutscale Reservoir is a reservoir located in Exmoor in north west Somerset, England. It was intended to supply the town of Minehead and nearby Porlock and Porlock Weir. [1] The reservoir is part of the River Horner catchment area and is fed by Nutscale Water . The reservoir is no longer used for public drinking water supply. [2]

The reservoir was built in 1942. [3] A mass concrete gravity arch dam, 90m along the crest and 14m high [4] impounds 36,000,000 imperial gallons (160,000,000 L; 43,000,000 US gal). This was intended to relieve summer droughts in Minehead. [5]

High levels of geosmin were recorded in 2008. [6] To manage the effects of this on tap water systems were developed to remove this reservoir from the drinking water supply when necessary and flush the pipe carrying the water. [7]

The site is operated by Wessex Water whose drought plan suggests that six months would be required to bring Nutscale back into supply operations in a severe drought. [8]

The fishing rights to the reservoir are owned by the National Trust, as part of its Holnicote Estate, and leased out privately. [9]

References

  1. "Nutscale Reservoir". BBC . Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  2. "South and West Somerset abstraction licensing strategy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  3. "Conspirators Charge Against Council" . Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser. 30 July 1938. Retrieved 8 October 2015 via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. Panahandeh, Hadi (2018). "Valuation of Dams. Appendix 5.9.B – Third party report – MWH for Wessex Water" (PDF). Wessex Water. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  5. "Minehead Summer Shortage" . Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser. 4 December 1937. Retrieved 8 October 2015 via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Nutscale Reservoir Taste and Odour Investigations" (PDF). Wessex Water . Retrieved 8 October 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. "Public water supplies in the Western region of England July 2012 A report by the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water" (PDF). DEFRA. p. 27. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  8. "Drought Plan 2022 Wessex Water" (PDF). Wessex Water. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  9. "Fishery Survey of the Horner Water Catchment" (PDF). National Rivers Authority. 1993. Retrieved 8 October 2015.