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Draycote Water is a
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 ...
and country park near the village of Dunchurch, south of Rugby in
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
, England, owned and operated by Severn Trent Water. It draws its water from the River Leam, and supplies drinking water to Rugby and
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
. It is named after the nearby hamlet of Draycote and is the largest body of water within Warwickshire. The reservoir was created in the 1960s and was opened in 1970, with a new pipe and pump installed in 2012. It has a capacity of up to 5 billion gallons (23 million m³) and a maximum depth of . It is a site for
birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...
and has a bird hide, with a feeding station sponsored by the West Midland Bird Club. Severn-Trent manage an adjacent country park. Draycote is used by cyclists, runners, windsurfers, fly fishers and for boating. Fishing is for brown trout and
rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
from the banks or from boats. A farm to the north east of the site has a herd of
alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...
s.


Description

Draycote Water is an artificial
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 ...
, which supplies water to southern and eastern Warwickshire, in particular Rugby (via
Barby Storage Reservoir Barby Storage Reservoir is an underground reservoir (water), reservoir near Barby, Northamptonshire, Barby in Northamptonshire, England, owned and operated by Severn Trent Water. It supplies drinking water to Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby, being fed ...
) and
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
. Owned and managed by Severn Trent Water, it is located just to the south of the M45 motorway in the hamlet of Draycote, which is close to Dunchurch. It is accessed from the A426 road, at . The reservoir has no natural inlets, its water being obtained by pumping from the nearby River Leam and from nearby Stanford Reservoir which obtains its water from the River Avon. It has an area of approximately , with a maximum depth of and a capacity of 5 billion gallons (23 million m³). The shoreline of the reservoir is a mixture of concrete and natural embankment. Draycote Water was built between 1967 and 1969, to cope with rising demand in eastern and southern Warwickshire, and opened in 1970. In early 2012 the reservoir had to be closed temporarily, as record-low rainfall during the winter months had caused its level to reduce to less than 50% of capacity. Severn Trent responded by reversing the flow of water in an existing pipeline between Draycote Water and Welches Meadow Reservoir adjacent to the River Leam in
Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...
. This development required a short length of new pipe at the Draycote end and a new pump at Leamington.


Flora and fauna

The reservoir features many bird species. This includes the great northern diver, which makes a prolonged visit during the winter months, along with kittiwake and small numbers of
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
and little gulls. There are several species of diving duck with the tufted duck the most common, numbering around 1,200 individuals. The most common bird at the site is the black-headed gull, which forms the majority of a gull roost of more than 50,000 individuals. A number of waders visit Draycote in the autumn, including the ringed and little ringed plover. The reservoir's fish include the brown trout and
rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
, some with a mass in excess of . These are fished for sport, both from boats and from the banks. To the north east of the reservoir is Toft Farm, which features a herd of
alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...
s.


Sport and leisure

Draycote Water has a country park on its southern shore, which extends across . The park has facilities for bird watching and fishing, as well as several nature trails and a visitor centre. A track around the perimeter allows cyclists and walkers to circumnavigate the reservoir, a total distance of . The Draycote Water Sailing Club is situated on the shoreline and offers dinghy sailing and windsurfing as well as races. The reservoir's owner, Severn Trent Water, warns the public not to swim in the reservoir, citing the large depth, potentially cold temperatures, and the risk of currents caused by the pumps which supply the water.


See also

* Stanford Reservoir


References


External links


Draycote BirdingDraycote Water Sailing Club
{{authority control Country parks in Warwickshire Drinking water reservoirs in England Reservoirs in Warwickshire RDraycote