Top 13 Lakes around Arley CP

Babbs Mill Lake sits in the Babbs Mill Local Nature Reserve and has a designated cycle path running right the way through. There are benches dotted around and ample open space for a sit-down and picnic. Make sure to say hi to the local wildlife who you'll spot milling around the lake.

Lea Marston is a trio of purification lakes, originally formed by the Environment Agency through the reclamation of former gravel extraction sites. Established in 1980, these lakes played a vital role in cleansing pollutants from the River Tame. While no longer serving their initial purpose, these lakes hold regional importance as sanctuaries for wintering wildfowl populations. Visitors can explore the area, enjoying birdwatching from a designated bird hide and leisurely walks encircling the lakes.

A picturesque lake in the middle of the Kingfisher Local Nature Reserve. Fed by the River Cole with an array of wildlife.

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A Warwickshire Council managed country park covering over 600 acres and including 15 different lakes. The park was created by flooding old gravel pits.

Shustoke Reservoir is managed by Severn Trent. The reservoir was completed in 1884 to provide water for Birmingham. Nowerdays the reservoir supplies Nuneaton and the surrounding area.

The history of Shustoke Why were the reservoirs created here?  In 1870 the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, as was the birthrate and the need for clean water was becoming more pressing.  The Birmingham Water Works Company therefore applied to Parliament for  permission for water to be taken from the Rivers Bourne and Blythe, whose gathering grounds in rural areas to the East of Birmingham were declared to be away from pollution, and to impound the water from the Bourne in a reservoir which was built at Shustoke.   A pumping station, filter beds and another small reservoir was also constructed at Whitacre. What was here before? Before the reservoir was built, the land was occupied by Whitacre Lodge which was part of the Hams Estate. This was sold by Lord Norton in 1879, for the building of Shustoke Reservoir.       How long did it take to build the Reservoirs? The time-scale granted for this work was 10 years and although most of the work at Whitacre was completed in the time scheduled, an extension of five years was applied for in 1879 as the reservoir at Shustoke had hardly been started; the eventual completion was around 1884.         What is the Reservoirs role in the water supply network? When the reservoirs were built they were to supply water to the nearby Whitacre Treatment Works, which was to provide 28 million litres of water daily to Birmingham. As the city grew this soon became inadequate and with the completion of the Elan Valley scheme in 1904 Whitacre was relegated to standby duty. In 1908 Whitacre was recommissioned to supply water to Coventry to supplement the local borehole supplies. In the 1050’s Whitacre also started to supply Nuneaton and now about 10% of the water from Shustoke supplies Coventry with the rest going to Nuneaton and the surrounding districts of Bedworth and Atherstone. Where does the water come from? The water is gravity fed by the nearby River Bourne which runs along the north of the two reservoirs. How deep and big are the reservoirs? The reservoirs consist of a settling pool of 7.8 acres and a storage reservoir of 92 acres.  Combined they have a capacity of around 460,000,000  gallons.

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