The Reservoir > History
Land Before Blithfield Reservoir | Opening Of Blithfield Reservoir | Storm of 1962 | Nethertown Scheme | Alternative Draw-off Point | Blithfield Reservoir Video Archive |
The Land Before Blithfield Reservoir|
Prior to the development of Blithfield Reservoir, the landscape consisted largely of fields with small areas of woodland, and was formed in the shape of a wide flat valley with a floor of alluvial sand and gravel. The land was used mainly by farmers for growing crops and grazing their animals. The River Blithe meandered for three miles through these woods and fields, with the small Kitty Fisher Brook winding alongside. The Tad Brook, slightly larger than the Kitty Fisher Brook, flowed into the North Eastern part of the area.
There were two buildings within the area that would eventually be flooded. In Yeatsall Hollow, at the foot of the valley, there was a small thatched cottage called Blithmoor Lodge. This was demolished to make way for the causeway that now allows vehicles to cross the Reservoir. The second building was an old mill called Blithfield Mill, positioned on the western bank of the River Blithe, and having an adjacent mill pond. The mill's water wheel was driven by the flowing water of the River Blithe. Although some maps show the mill as having been demolished, the foundation stones and the brick wall around the mill pond remain. At times when the level of the Reservoir becomes low enough these remains become visible.
During the 1930's and 1940's The South Staffordshire Waterworks Company, as it was then known, purchased 952 hectares, (2350 acres) of land, of which 642 hectares, (1585 acres) was purchased from Lord Bagot. In addition to the land itself, the company acquired a number of buildings. One of these was the magnificent Blithfield Hall which at the time it was in need of significant restoration. The Hall was later sold back to the Bagot family along with about 12.15 hectares, (30 acres) of garden. Another was the Stansley Wood Sawmill complex, part of which has since been redeveloped into the Company's very successful Blithfield Education Centre.
Not all of this land was destined to be flooded. In fact the reservoir would only ever cover around 320 hectares, (790 acres) of the company's new land. One of the main reasons that the company purchased such an excess of land was so that it could minimise the risk of pollution by exercising control over the farming activity in the fields around the reservoir's perimeter. Hence, the land of six farms was acquired and control agreements were developed.
The Opening Of Blithfield Reservoir|
Blithfield Reservoir was officially opened on Tuesday 27 October 1953 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. On her arrival, the Queen Mother was greeted by the then company chairman, Mr A.H.S. Waters, and other members of the Company's board of directors. The Company's engineer of the time, Mr Robert A Robertson, who had inherited the Blithfield Reservoir project from the late Mr Fred J Dixon, was also on hand. The Queen Mother's Rolls Royce drove into the grounds and parked adjacent to the stilling pool where she got out of the vehicle and was greeted by loud and enthusiastic cheering. Mr Waters conducted a quided tour of the spectacular new facility, taking the Queen Mother along the tunnel, through the valve tower, along the overflow and back down to the adjacent fields where a number of marquees had been positioned. People cheered enthusiastically as Her Majesty enjoyed the tour.
Following her speech, the Queen Mother operated a lever that illuminated a lamp in the heart of the valve tower. The lighting of this lamp signalled a company operative to open the scour valves which allowed water to surge out from the pipes into the stilling pool. Aware that some people might not be able to see, the company had positioned a very large mirror on the side wall of the stilling pool, which reflected the view and enabled those in the marquees to be able to see the water flow commence. A commerative plaque was located above the doors at the upper part of the valve tower to mark the opening event.
Have a look at archived video footage from 1953 of HM Queen Mother officially opening the reservoir.
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The Storm of 1962
|Back in 1962 there was a severe storm at Blithfield Reservoir. The tremendously powerful wind created huge waves on the water, the likes of which had never before been seen at the reservoir. So ferocious was the wind that it managed to blow the water up into the air and over both the causeway and the dam, (embankment).
At the time of the storm, there was no top wall along the length of the dam. Consequently, the water was able to be blown over the dam and onto the far bank. The result was that the ground became water logged and began to slip downwards, creating large cracks in the side of the grass bank. In addition, the storm also managed to dislodge some of the large concrete flag stones that face the water-bearing side of the dam wall. In order to avoid severe damage to the dam wall, water company employees had to position sandbags to block the holes where the flag stones had been lifted.
Following the storm, the grass bank on the side of the dam was reinstated and the flag stones were repositioned. In addition, a wall was built along the length of the dam which, in the event of such a severe storm occurring again, would deflect the water back into the reservoir and prevent it from blowing over the road onto the grass bank.
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The Nethertown Scheme
|The River Blithe Scheme made provision for a continuous flow of water to be released from Blithfield Reservoir in order to maintain the flow of the River Blithe downstream of the dam.
At least 22.8 megalitres, (5 million gallons) of water must be released from Blithfield Reservoir every day to ensure the stability of the River Blithe downstream of the dam. This water, known as the Compensation Flow, must be released even when the country is undergoing drought conditions.
An effect of a drought is that there is less water coming into the reservoir from the River Blithe. At the same time, there is a very high demand for the water, brought about by the hot weather experienced during drought conditions. During these periods, releasing such large volumes of water from the reservoir can have a significant effect on the amount of water that the reservoir is able to supply.
With this problem in mind, South Staffordshire Water PLC investigated the flow of water in the River Blithe and soon found a solution. It recognised that as the river meanders along it gathers the water that runs off the land or enters from streams and brooks. By the time the River Blithe meets the River Trent at Nethertown there is actually a lot more water than the river needs. Hence, during the late 1990's, the company set up a scheme which allowed it to pump some of the water from the river at Nethertown back up to Blithfield Reservoir, recycling its own compensation flow to help to maintain a satisfactory water level. The water enters the reservoir at the south-eastern edge of the causeway and can sometimes be seen in operation if the water level in the reservoir is low enough.
Careful management of this system helps to ensure that the severity of the effects of drought conditions on both Blithfield Reservoir and The River Blithe are minimised.
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The Alternative Draw-off Point
|One of the problems with open reservoirs is the growth of a type of plant called "Algae". Like other plants, algae utilise energy from the sun in order to grow and reproduce. The sun also warms the water, creating a more suitable environment in which the algae can live and function. This means that during the summer months, when there is a longer duration and greater intensity of available sunlight, the algae flourish resulting in what is known as an "Algal Bloom".
As the amount of algae in the reservoir increases, the water becomes more difficult and more expensive to clean. For example, the algae clog filters at the treatment works resulting in a need for the filters to be washed more frequently. In addition, the algae can introduce other problems into the water that have to be dealt with, e.g. tastes and colouration.
The original design of the reservoir allowed for the water to be drawn-off at only one location, i.e. from the valve tower adjacent to the dam. However, the design does allow some flexibility as the water can be extracted from two different depths. Having this choice of draw-off points means that the company can sometimes use this to minimise the effects of algal blooms, e.g. if there is a lot of algae in the water near the surface then it may be better to take water from near the bottom of the reservoir.
However, this choice of draw-off points gave the company no flexibility at those times when the amount of algae in the water was nearly as bad near the bottom of the reservoir as it was near the top. This problem was highlighted in 1999 when a particularly severe algal bloom occurred simultaneously with a particular set of weather conditions, resulting in a significant problem being experienced at the Company's fish farm.
In response to this problem, the company decided to fit another draw-off point which would allow it to take water from a point in the reservoir located away from the valve tower. Hence, a large pipe was fitted to one of the existing pipes near the bottom of the reservoir and was extended for approximately 100 metres away from the valve tower. The pipe was assembled in sections with the completed length being floated out across the reservoir. It was said to resemble a long snake swimming across the surface of the reservoir and so earned the nickname "The Snake". Once all of the sections were in place the entire length of pipe was slowly submerged and the pipe was connected to the valve tower.
Although not a cure, this alternative draw-off point now allows the water company a greater range of options to help it combat the problems associated with algal blooms in its reservoir.
In more recent times further algal remediation measures have been introduced, including:
- Destratification, where air bubbles are released into the water from near the bottom of the reservoir. This has a mixing effect on the water that lowers the average temperature of the water and reduces the exposure to sunlight, thus slowing down the growth and reproduction rate of the algae.
- Introduction of barley straw bales This commenced in 2001 with the introduction of barley straw bales into the reservoir.
As an experiment during the period of May - September 2001, the company positioned 1000 barley straw bales in the Northern half of Blithfield Reservoir. They were set out in ten lines, 50-60 metres, (54.7-65.6 yards) apart, stretching from Beech Tree Point to the Admaston Bridge.
The bales were approximately 1.5 metres, (1.6 yards) wide by 1 metre, (1.1 yards) long and 1 metre, (1.1 yards) deep. On each line the bales were spaced at intervals of 8-10 metres, (8.8-10.9 yards). Each line was anchored every 50 metres, (54.7 yards) and secured at each end 20-30 metres, (21.9-32.8 yards) from the shoreline. A safe corridor, 20 metres, (21.9 yards) wide, was provided to allow members of the angling club to gain safe passage to the Northern half of the reservoir. This corridor spanned the width of all the barley straw lines from Admaston Bridge to Beech Tree Point, and was marked with high visibility orange buoys.
The straw bales float at the surface and gradually break down. It is elements of this natural decay process which has an inhibiting effect on the growth of the algae.
Blithfield Reservoir Video Archive|
Have a look at both archived and recent video footage of Blithfield Reservoir, including footage from 1953 of HM Queen Mother officially opening the reservoir.
You will need RealPlayer or Quicktime to view these clips (all are silent aside from the opening clip.)
The Royal Party Arriving
File size is 1Mb. view movie of the The Royal Party arriving
The crowds gathered to see the Royal Party
File size is 1Mb. view movie of the crowd that gathered to see the The Royal Party arriving
The Opening of Blithfield Reservoir
File size is 2Mb. view the Queens opening speech
The Queen Mother says 'And I now have much pleasure to declare this, the Blithfield Reservoir, open.'
Footage of the Storm
File size is 1Mb. view storm footage
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The Clean Up after the storm
File size is 1.3Mb. view footage of clearing up after the storm
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