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Barr Beacon Reservoir is a covered, hill-top
Shortly after 5am on 12 November 2011, (includes video) the 36-inch water main north of the reservoir burst, (includes video) emptying the reservoir of around of water, and flooding up to 150 homes in Aldridge Road, and Elm Tree Road in the Blackwood estate in the 
Dozens of families had to be evacuated. Eleven fire trucks, from stations as far away as
Image of the inside of the reservoir
{{authority control Drinking water reservoirs in England Buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county) Buildings and structures in Walsall Reservoirs in the West Midlands (county)
drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
at Barr Beacon
Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr (the Beacon borders the Pheasey area of Great Barr) and to the local secon ...
, Walsall, England, opened in 1899. It is operated by South Staffs Water.
One of the uses of the reservoir is to transfer water from the company's works at Hampton Loade
Hampton Loade is a hamlet in Shropshire, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the River Severn at , some five miles south of Bridgnorth.
The unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a reaction ferry to th ...
, on the River Severn
The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
, to Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
. Water is pumped uphill from the Sedgley Beacon Reservoirs, which receive water from Hampton Loade, through mains to Barr Beacon Reservoir via West Bromwich Booster. A main then carries water by gravity via Seedy Mill works to Burton on Trent.
The water company also operates a weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...
, one of several in its network, at the reservoir, to monitor temperature, hours of sunshine, and rainfall.
The reservoir was re-roofed in 1969, temporarily exposing the brick arches which support the roof.
In August 2013, Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent plc is a water company based in Coventry, England. It supplies 4.6 million households and business across the Midlands and Wales.
It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Severn Trent, the ...
launched a £2 million project to build a 2 1/2 mile pipeline linking their Perry Barr Reservoir
Perry Barr Reservoir is a covered drinking water reservoir, in north Birmingham, England, operated by Severn Trent Water. Built for the then Birmingham Corporation Water Department, on the site of the former Perry Barr Farm, it is not, despite i ...
to Barr Beacon Reservoir, to allow for the exchange of water in emergencies such as severe droughts.
2011 flooding incident
Shortly after 5am on 12 November 2011, (includes video) the 36-inch water main north of the reservoir burst, (includes video) emptying the reservoir of around of water, and flooding up to 150 homes in Aldridge Road, and Elm Tree Road in the Blackwood estate in the Streetly
Streetly is an area in the county of West Midlands, England which lies around to the north of Birmingham City Centre. It is uniquely located within the borders of Birmingham, Lichfield and Walsall district authorities, and is part of the West ...
area of Sutton Coldfield.
Dozens of families had to be evacuated. Eleven fire trucks, from stations as far away as Erdington
Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...
, and a high-volume pump from Sheldon, attended. A fire service boat was also deployed. The West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England.
The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of ...
, police helicopter, ambulance service and a specialist Automobile Association
An automobile association, also referred to as a motoring club, motoring association, or motor club, is an organization, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club ...
vehicle recovery unit also attended. Waters did not subside until 8am. The cause of the burst was not known, but South Staffs Water estimated that the floods caused more than a £1 million of damage.
References
External links
Image of the inside of the reservoir
{{authority control Drinking water reservoirs in England Buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county) Buildings and structures in Walsall Reservoirs in the West Midlands (county)