Cheddar Reservoir News: In 2021 the Pennon Group based in Devon and whose main firm is South West Water acquired Bristol Water and by default Cheddar Reservoir. In 2023 the firm announced Cheddar Reservoir 2 would go ahead with an announcement this year – but despite that promise no announcement has been made. It may have been delayed due to the change of Government but also perhaps due to a £16 million pound hit when people fell ill in the Brixham area of Devon when parasite-contaminated water entered the system from a faulting valve in a farmer’s field. The firm had to pay out compensation to customers and fork out millions in replacing pipes and infrastructure affected by the pollution.
Just a reminder from last year that in a piece in The New Civil Engineer magazine written by Greg Pitcher. He reported: “South West Water will invest £2.8bn to upgrade a third of water treatment works in Devon and Cornwall, reduce leakage to less than 10%, create a water grid to ensure all strategic reservoirs are connected and invest in large reservoirs starting with Cheddar 2 in Bristol.
“Water companies have set out plans to almost double their spending on the network during asset management period (AMP) 8, 2025 to 2030. The utilities filed their business plans to regulator Ofwat on Monday 2 October, asking for permission to hike customer bills to allow them to invest a combined £96bn in 2025-30. If approved, these proposals will see a raft of infrastructure projects carried out in AMP8 to improve the reliability of clean water supplies and reduce sewage spills into rivers and seas. Sector body Water UK said utilities had asked for approval to build 10 reservoirs as well to use cutting-edge technology and nature-based solutions to slash wastewater overflows.”
The main image shows a scenario for Cheddar Reservoir 2 which reveals the new water resource could be sent east rather than west. The image is from Ofwat’s report on the viability of the plans published in July 2023. They mainly agreed with South West Water’s plans for the new reservoir in a long document – but now there seems to be a pause in the scheme that would see a second vast infrastructure project in the county. With so much uncertainty within the water utility industry it does seem the project for a second reservoir has stalled. Thames Water is on the brink of insolvency with the real prospect it will in effect be nationalised due to its vast debts. These are uncertain times for those state owned utilities that the Conservatives privatised but have become either highly expensive for consumers despite the earlier promises or they are effectively bankrupt.
Most people have remarked on how low the water is in Cheddar Reservoir considering the amount of rain we have had this summer. The yacht club are currently unable to use the water although the bird life is richer that usual with large areas of the floor of the reservoir exposed like tidal mud flats. Observers will have seen a spotted sandpiper, black swan, grey herons and great white egret, and the wader little stint. The levels are finally rising but it will be some days and weeks before the reservoir is full as those large areas of flattish islands disappear.
Axbridge News is edited by Harry Mottram and is published for the interest of himself and fellow residents.
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