Grafham Water is an biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
(SSSI) north of
Perry, Huntingdonshire. It was designated an SSSI in 1986. It 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 ...
with a circumference of about , is deep at maximum, and is the
eighth largest reservoir in England by volume and the third largest by area at . An area of at the western end is a nature reserve managed by the
Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
The lake was created by building an earth and concrete
dam, constructed by
W. & C. French in 1965, and water is extracted and processed at an adjacent
Anglian Water
Anglian Water Services Limited is a water company that operates in the East of England. It was formed in 1989 under the partial privatisation of the water industry. It provides water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment to the area formerly ...
treatment plant before being piped away as
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 ...
. It was shown from the air, before it opened, in '
Look at Life (film series)' ' 1965 episode, 'Will Taps Run Dry ?', narrated by
Tim Turner.
The reservoir was immediately colonised by wildlife and a nature reserve was created at the western side of the reservoir.
The nature reserve contains semi-natural ancient (at least 400 years old) woodlands and more recent plantation woodlands, grasslands and wetland habitats such as reedbeds, willow and open water. The reservoir has nationally important numbers of wintering
great crested grebes,
tufted ducks and
coots, and of moulting
mute swans in late summer. A pond has a population of the nationally uncommon
warty newt.
Water is obtained by pumping water from the
River Great Ouse nearby. There are two pumping stations associated with the reservoir. One is located just behind the dam, the other at
Offord Cluny alongside the River Great Ouse. At times of high potential flood risk, Grafham Water treatment works can increase the amount of water it takes up to maximum capacity to help reduce the risk of flooding along the river.
As of January 2011, it was the only site in England, and the first in the UK, to harbour the invasive
killer shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus).
Grafham Water is popular for a range of leisure activities including sailing, fly fishing and cycling. In 2019, a live-action gaming centre, Rumble Live Action Gaming, was opened in the woodland arenas on the edge of the reservoir.
See also
*
List of reservoirs and dams in the United Kingdom
References
External links
Wildlife Trust Reserve
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Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cambridgeshire
Drinking water reservoirs in England
Nature reserves in Cambridgeshire
Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire reserves
Reservoirs in Cambridgeshire