Bristol Water
Parent Pennon Group | | |
Website | www |
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Bristol_Water_Works_-_geograph.org.uk_-_94918.jpg/220px-Bristol_Water_Works_-_geograph.org.uk_-_94918.jpg)
Bristol Water is a British
Approximately half the water is taken from the Mendip Hills, particularly Chew Valley Lake, Blagdon Lake, Cheddar Reservoir and Barrow Gurney Reservoirs, with the other half piped from the River Severn via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. There are 6,772 km (4,208 mi) of local water mains.[1][2]
In June 2021, Pennon Group acquired Bristol Water for $563 million.[3]
History
During the medieval period, Bristol had a remarkably efficient water supply, as there were a large number of wells and springs, and most streets had a wooden trough into which water was discharged. The troughs were supplied by local priories, as most of the wells and springs were also owned by religious foundations, but with the
The need for fresh water increased significantly between 1804 and 1809, when
By the spring of 1845, there were two groups attempting to supply Bristol with water. The Merchant Venturers Company had proposed a scheme to supply the area of Clifton with water from two springs on the banks of the River Avon. Although that scheme had not been authorised in 1842, their proposal was to extend it, and they had enlisted the support of Isambard Kingdom Brunel as engineer. Edwin Chadwick and Thomas Hawksley had failed to persuade them that they should implement a combined water supply and drainage scheme,[6] as just supplying water often led to worse sanitary conditions, with cesspits overflowing if there was no network of sewers to carry waste away.[7] The second group proposed bringing water from the Mendip Hills and other springs in Somerset, and after some consideration of various engineers at a meeting held in the Bristol Corn Exchange on 20 June 1845, appointed James Simpson, based on his wide experience of water supply projects. In the ensuing Parliamentary battle, the second group won, becoming the Bristol Water Company.[8]
Line of works
The company, formally known as Bristol Waterworks Company, was formed on 16 July 1846 by an Act of Parliament.
A reservoir was constructed at Barrow Gurney to receive the water, and because the springs at Chewton were the source of the
In 1862 they therefore obtained another Act of Parliament to authorise the construction of a second reservoir at Barrow. However, there was very little rain in the winters of 1861, 1862 and 1863, resulting in the yield from the springs that fed the first reservoir being seriously depleted. With the second reservoir not yet completed, they resorted to obtaining water from any springs that they could, but even with temporary pumping, they could not supply more than 350,000 imperial gallons (1.6 Ml) per day. The 1862 Act also required them to build a compensation reservoir at Barrow Gurney, to enable mills to keep operating. Barrow No. 2 reservoir was finished in 1866, and the two reservoirs could store 350 million imperial gallons (1,600 Ml), representing 88 days at the maximum rate of supply. Meanwhile, they had obtained the Bristol Waterworks Amendments Act 1865, which allowed them to obtain water from springs at
Aqueducts were constructed to bring Water from the springs to the pumping station, which could pump 1.33 million imperial gallons (6.0 Ml) per day to Barrow Gurney, using two 60 hp (45 kW) pumps. They began to be run intermittently from May 1867, and were in regular use from July 1868. Simpson did not live to see wells being constructed, as he died in 1869, but work began in the following year, and many wells and boreholes were eventually constructed. Better pumps and steam engines were installed, enabling the station to pump 6 million imperial gallons (27 Ml) per day. The original pumps were scrapped in 1937.[15]
Development
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Bristol_Water_Constituents.jpg/220px-Bristol_Water_Constituents.jpg)
Women were first employed at Bristol Waterworks during the
Years of planning and design work for the
During the 1950s and 1960s, the area supplied by Bristol Waterworks increased steadily.
Actual amalgamations took place on 1 January 1959 with Shepton Mallet Waterworks Company, who had just celebrated their centenary on 12 December 1958, with Glastonbury Corporation on 1 April 1959, with West Gloucestershire Water Company on 1 July 1959 and with Wells RDC on 1 October 1959. This resulted in the company supply a population of 680,000, spread over an area of 647 square miles (1,680 km2).[24] The water supply undertakings run by Clutton RDC and Shepton Mallet RDC were taken over on 1 April 1960, with Weston-super-Mare following on 1 October 1960.[25] The population supplied increased to 802,000 over an area of 815 square miles (2,110 km2) with the takeover of Tetbury RDC and Wells City waterworks on 1 April 1961.[26] Further expansion took place on 1 April 1962, when Frome RDC was taken over, and the undertakings of Frome UDC, Street UDC and Burnham-on-Sea UDC following on 1 October.[27] Bathavon Rural District was taken over on 1 April 1963,[28] and the final major takeover was of Norton Radstock UDC on 1 April 1964, increasing the area of supply to 934 square miles (2,420 km2), subsequently reduced to 923 square miles (2,390 km2) as a result of some minor changes.[29]
The severe winter of 1962 caused 668 burst mains across the company's supply area in 76 days. Water had to be carted through the streets of Bristol to try and meet demand. In April 1963 a reception at the Council House thanked staff, contractors, drivers and volunteers who had helped.[30]
On 5 October 2011, a subsidiary of Capstone Infrastructure Corporation acquired a 70% interest in Bristol Water from Grupo Agbar, who retained a 30% interest in the company. On 10 May 2012, a subsidiary of Itochu Corporation acquired a 20% indirect interest in Bristol Water. Today, iCON Infrastructure have agreed to acquire a 30 percent stake in Bristol Water from Suez, bringing the 10-year relationship with Agbar (now part of Suez) to a natural end, following the takeover in 2006 and the sale of a 70 percent stake in 2011. In 2018, Bristol Water was owned by iCON Infrastructure Partners III, L.P. (50 percent), iCON Infrastructure Partners III (Bristol), L.P. (30 percent) and Itochu Corporation (20 percent)[31] and is a plc with company number 02662226.[32] Bristol Water is one of very few water companies in the UK that has remained in private ownership since its inception.[33]
Archives
Records of Bristol Waterworks Company and Bristol Water are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. 40619) (online catalogue). Further records are held at The National Archives (United Kingdom).[34]
Bibliography
- Binnie, G M (1981). Early Victorian Water Engineers. Thomas Telford. ISBN 978-0-7277-0128-2.
- Hodgson, Alan (1991). The story of the Bristol Waterworks Company 1939-1991. Bristol Waterworks Co.
- Jones, Frederick C (1993). The Bristol Waterworks Company 1846-1946 (3rd ed.). St Stephen’s Bristol Press.
References
- ^ "Water suppliers". U Switch. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "Cheddar Reservoir Two". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. |accessdate=14 November 2015
- ^ "Pennon Group to offer undertakings to British regulator in Bristol Water deal". 22 December 2021 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ Binnie 1981, p. 80.
- ^ Binnie 1981, pp. 80–81.
- ^ Binnie 1981, p. 81.
- ^ Binnie 1981, p. 22.
- ^ Binnie 1981, pp. 81, 83.
- ^ "Our History". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ Jones 1993, p. 7.
- ^ Jones 1993, p. 18.
- ^ Binnie 1981, pp. 83–85.
- ^ Binnie 1981, p. 83.
- ^ Binnie 1981, pp. 82, 85.
- ^ a b c Binnie 1981, p. 86.
- ^ Jones 1993, p. 38.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 11.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 7.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 15.
- ^ a b Hodgson 1991, p. 25.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 8.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 21.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 24.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 28.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 31.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 32.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 34.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 38.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 40.
- ^ Hodgson 1991, p. 36.
- ^ "Parent Group". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Bristol Water PLC". Companies House.
- ^ "Bristol Water Works Company; a study of nineteenth century resistance to local authority purchase attempts". ResearchGate. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ "The National Archives Discovery Catalogue Page, Bristol Waterworks Co". Retrieved 12 April 2016.