Chew Valley Lake

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Chew Valley Lake
Governing body Bristol Water
SSSI Ref 1001346
SPA Code UK9010041
Chew Valley Lake
Primary inflows
River Chew
Primary outflowsRiver Chew
Catchment area14,000 acres (57 km2)
Basin countriesUnited Kingdom
Surface area1,200 acres (4.9 km2)
Average depth14 ft (4.3 m)
Max. depth37 ft (11 m)
Water volume4,500,000,000 imp gal (0.020 km3)
IslandsDenny Island

Chew Valley Lake (

Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. It provides much of the drinking water for the city of Bristol and surrounding area, taking its supply from the Mendip Hills. Some of the lake water is used to maintain the flow in the River Chew
.

Before the lake was created, archaeological investigations were carried out that showed evidence of occupation since

habitats
for some less common plants and insects.

Some restricted use for recreational activities is permitted by the owner, Bristol Water, including dinghy sailing and fishing, primarily for trout.

Location

Chew Valley Lake is in the Chew Valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, surrounded by meadows and woods and close to the villages of Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Bishop Sutton. When it was built in the 1950s, its 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) were flooded with 4,500 million imperial gallons (20,000,000 m³) of water from the Mendip hills,[1] with a catchment area of 14,000 acres (57 km²).[2] It is shallow, with an average depth of 14 ft (4 m) at top level and a maximum depth of just 37 ft (11 m). It is fed by small rivers, and it flows into the River Chew for 17 miles (27 km) before it joins the Avon to head out to sea. The deepest part is near the dam and the outlet tower, where the steeply sloping shores of Walley Bank and the north shore result in depths of up to 20 ft (6 m).[2] "Denny Island", above the surface throughout the year, is wooded and provides a habitat for wildlife.

The lake is owned and operated by Bristol Water, which created it in 1956 when the demand became too large for nearby Blagdon Lake. Working with the Avon Wildlife Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust and other environmental groups, Bristol Water has encouraged various species of birds and plants, and created a venue for visitors.[1]

It has two landscaped picnic areas. Facilities include a

tea shop, with indoor and outdoor seating areas with a view of the lake, and information centre. There are a souvenir shop and small art gallery[3] and two nature trails. The Grebe Trail[4] is a hard-surfaced, all-weather path suitable for pedestrians, pushchairs and wheelchairs and covers a circuit 0.75 miles (1.2 km) long, starting and finishing at the wooded picnic area. The Bittern Trail[5]
is reached from the Grebe Trail by the footbridge over Hollow Brook. The grassy path is often waterlogged in winter, but there is a boardwalk over a short section. The trail runs along the east shore, visits an open bird hide and returns to the footbridge, making a 1-mile (1.5-kilometre) circuit. Bristol Water imposes conditions on visitors, particularly related to the areas where dogs are allowed.

Access and transportation

Woodford Lodge and part of the sailing club

Access to the waterside is restricted in places to reduce the disruption to wildlife. Paths around the lake are generally flat and, where paths are surfaced, wheelchair access is possible.

Visitors are officially invited to use public transport, but overwhelmingly arrive by private car, encouraged by the provision of parking spaces. The "Chew Valley Explorer" bus route 672/674 provides access.[6]

In 2002 a 1.9-mile (3-kilometre) safe cycle route, the Chew Lake West Green Route, was opened along the B3114 on the western part of the lake. It forms part of the

Route 3. It has all-weather surfacing, providing a smooth off-road facility for ramblers, mobility-challenged visitors and cyclists of all abilities. It was funded by Bath and North East Somerset Council with the support of Sustrans
and the Chew Valley Recreational Trail Association. Minor roads around the lake are also frequently used by cyclists.

Weston super Mare. The A37 and A38 are slightly further away, providing access from Bristol. The lake is also easily accessible from the M5 motorway
at junctions 18 and 22, with visitors instructed to follow signs to Bristol Airport. Car parking is available at the visitor centre and Woodford Lodge, for which a charge is made, and a small amount of parking is available at points around the lake; some of these are restricted to those with fishing permits.

History

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.[8] Further evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age occupation is provided by the archaeological survey of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[9]

Excavations have also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the first century to third century AD. The finds included a villa at Chew Park[9] where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. The tablets were sent to the British Museum, but other Roman material is on display at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery with the lake's other historical artefacts.[8]

Further excavations around the village of Moreton, which has now been totally submerged, found evidence of a thriving community in

lime kilns, which were used in the production of mortar for the construction of local churches. Farming, both arable and dairy, continued until the flooding of the lake, with most households also keeping pigs. There were orchards for fruit production, including apples, pears and plums.[8] Moreton was also the site of a gunpowder mill in the 18th century.[11]

Reservoir

Photograph showing the white coloured dam running horizontally across the picture with water and vegetation in the foreground and hills behind
Chew Valley Lake dam
White concrete single story building, with vegetation around
Pumping Station

Plans for the building of the reservoir were under discussion before the

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, with the unveiling of a commemorative stone and plaque, which can be seen from the dam, on 17 April 1956, although it was not full until 25 February 1958.[8]
Flowers were presented to the Queen at the opening of Chew Valley Lake by Judith Blair Brown, daughter of Kennedy Brown, who worked at Bristol Water Works at the time of construction of the lake.

During the

Bristol police issued a warning that the dam might not hold, prompting localised evacuation of populated valley areas downstream including Pensford and Keynsham.[13]

Ecology

photograph of the lake showing a road crossing via a causeway at Herriots Bridge. It is surrounded by green vegetation with hills in the distance
Herriot's Bridge

The lake is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)[14] and a Special Protection Area (SPA) (Site Code: UK9010041) largely because of the diversity of species and habitats. Providing further protection, much of the area around the lake also falls within the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The lake appears to have a higher sedimentation rate than would be expected in other similar reservoirs, being in the region of 100–150 t.km−2.yr−1.[15]

Geology

The main geological outcrops around the lake are

alluvial deposits beside the course of the River Chew.[16]

Birds

Bird with wings forward. Yellow bill, green head with white collar, brown body with blue wing feathers and orange feet.
Drake mallard in flight on Chew Valley Lake

Over 270 species of birds have been recorded at Chew,[17] an internationally important site for wintering and migrating wildfowl. From late July to February, up to 4,000 ducks (Anatidae) of twelve different species may be present, including internationally important numbers of northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) and gadwall (Anas strepera). Up to 600 great crested grebes (Podiceps cristatus) gather to moult on the lake in autumn.[18] Data on bird species and their numbers on the lake, dating back to the first "ringing" in 1964, is available from the Chew Valley Ringing Station.[19]

Numerous other birds can be seen, especially during the spring and autumn

grebes (Podicipedidae) and Eurasian coots (Fulica atra).[18]

Much of the management work carried out in the nature reserve is aimed at encouraging ducks to breed, and small numbers of tufted duck (Aythya fuligula), common pochard (Aythya ferina), common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) and gadwall raise broods most years. Recent breeding successes also include water rail (Rallus aquaticus) and Cetti's warbler (Cettia cetti).[18]

A wetland reserve has been created at Heron's Green Pool on the opposite side of the causeway to the lake. A shallow pool fringed with sedges (Cyperaceae), rushes (Juncaceae) and reedgrasses (Calamagrostis) and surrounded by lightly grazed, rough grassland may also prove attractive to snipe and lapwings.

Fish

In late summer large shoals of roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) fry congregate around the margins and weed beds, which are predated by the brown trout (Salmo trutta morpha fario) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).[20] Chew Valley also holds a large population of pike (Esox lucius), and fishing for these is permitted at certain times of the year. Chew Valley currently holds the UK record at 47lb 5oz.

Insects

dragonflies, including migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) and significant numbers of ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum), occur at the lake. Eleven species of wainscot moth make their home in the reed beds, including the nationally local brown-veined wainscot (Archanara dissoluta), twin-spotted wainscot (Archanara geminipuncta) and silky wainscot (Chilodes maritimus).[18]

Vegetation

The lake is surrounded with fringing

salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor subspecies minor) are found.[21]

The small and medium-sized fields around the lake are generally bounded by hedges and occasionally by tree belts and woodland, some of which date back to the most evident period of enclosure of earlier open fields which took place in the late medieval period. Mature

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and chestnuts (Castanea sativa). Many elm (Ulmus) trees have been lost in this area, and dead/dying elms are also evident in the surrounding landscape.[16]

Four areas of woodland containing 157 trees has been planted by The Life for a Life Charity around the lake on the Restaurant side, for the cremated remains of loved ones to be placed beneath them.

silver birch
(Betula pendula).

Leisure use

The lake is used for a wide variety of leisure pursuits.

Birdwatching

Expanse of water with white birds. Trees and hills in the background
Birds on Chew Valley Lake taken from Herriott's Bridge

During 2005–2006 Bristol Water started restoring two artificial islands. These are intended to provide safe nesting and roosting sites for a range of wildfowl. Permits to enter the reservoir enclosure and to use the access roads, paths and bird hides are available (for a fee) only to members of ornithological and naturalist societies recognised by Bristol Water. They can be obtained from Woodford Lodge and include conditions of use imposed by the owners.[23]

Sailing

Boats sailing on the lake

Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club has a sailing area, approximately 1.9 miles (3 km) long, for dinghy sailing. The lake is divided into two areas: a restricted summer area which is available during the fishing season (mid-March to mid-October), and the full area which can be used throughout the winter and on Sunday afternoons. The sailing area is marked out by lines of small white buoys. Racing marks are red buoys with flags, although large inflatable marks are used of open events.[24]

The club can cater for fleets of over one hundred boats and it hosts large national events. Normal club racing has fleet starts for the following dinghy classes:

Portsmouth yardstick scheme. Five slipways enable easy launching. Off the water, the clubhouse facilities include large changing rooms, hot showers, hot food at the weekends, a bar and terrace overlooking the lake. The club caters for disabled people with facilities on both floors and a lift. Royal Yachting Association sailing courses are held at the club for members including race training, youth training, powerboat training, race officer training as well as more informal training run within each fleet.[25]

Fishing

Bristol water control fishing in the lake requiring permits and restricting the areas which can be used. Motor boats can also be booked for fishing.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "Chew Valley Introduction". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Chew Valley Lake". River Chew. Jason Allen. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Art Gallery". Archived from the original on 2 January 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2006.
  4. ^ "Grebe Nature Trail". Bristol Water Leisure Guide. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2006.
  5. ^ "Bittern Nature Trail". Bristol Water Leisure Guide. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2006.
  6. ^ "Changes to Chew Valley Explorer". Evening Post. This is Bristol. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  7. .
  8. ^ .
  9. ^ a b "Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (PDF). Somerset County Council Archaeological Projects. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  10. ^ Hucker, Ernest (1997). Chew Stoke Recalled in Old Photographs. Ernest Hucker.
  11. .
  12. .
  13. ^ Richley, Rob (June 2008). The Chew Valley floods of 1968. Exeter: Environment Agency.
  14. ^ "Chew Valley Lake" (PDF). SSSI Citation. Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  15. on 5 January 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Area 2: Chew Valley" (PDF). Bath and North East Somerset. pp. 26–29. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  17. ^ "Activities, Day Trips & Recreation". Bristol Water. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d "Chew Valley Lake Birding". Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2006.
  19. ^ "Chew Valley Ringing Station". Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2006.
  20. ^ a b "Fishing information]". Bristol Waters. Archived from the original on 28 December 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2006.
  21. ^ a b "Chew Valley Lake Information". Avon Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2006.
  22. ^ "Chew Valley Lake". Life for a Life. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  23. ^ "Birdwatching". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  24. ^ "Lake plan". Chew Valley Sailing Club. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  25. ^ "RYA Training". Chew Valley Sailing Club. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.

Bibliography

External links