Barr Beacon Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Barr Beacon Reservoir is a covered, hill-top drinking water
reservoir
at Barr Beacon
, 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
, on the River Severn
, to Burton upon Trent
. Water is pumped uphill from the Sedgley Beacon Reservoirs, which receive water from Hampton Loade, through 45 inches (114.3 cm) mains to Barr Beacon Reservoir via West Bromwich Booster. A 36 inches (91.4 cm) main then carries water by gravity via Seedy Mill works to Burton on Trent.
The water company also operates a weather station
, 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.
area of Walsall. Dozens of families had to be evacuated. Eleven fire trucks, from stations as far away as Erdington
, and a high-volume pump from Sheldon
, attended. A fire service boat was also deployed. The West Midlands Police
, police helicopter, ambulance service and a specialist Automobile Association
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.
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
at Barr Beacon
Barr Beacon
Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr and to the local school Barr Beacon Language College. It is historically the site of a beacon where fires were lit in times of impending attack or on...
, 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
Hampton Loade is a village in Shropshire, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the River Severn at , and is notable for the unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a cable ferry to the hamlet of Hampton on the west bank...
, on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, to Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
. Water is pumped uphill from the Sedgley Beacon Reservoirs, which receive water from Hampton Loade, through 45 inches (114.3 cm) mains to Barr Beacon Reservoir via West Bromwich Booster. A 36 inches (91.4 cm) main then carries water by gravity via Seedy Mill works to Burton on Trent.
The water company also operates a weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
, 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.
2011 flooding incident
Shortly after 5am on 12 November 2011, the 36-inch water main north of the reservoir burst, emptying the reservoir of around 2 million litres of water, and flooding up to 150 homes in Aldridge Road, and Elm Tree Road in the Blackwood (Hundred Acre) estate in the StreetlyStreetly
Streetly is an area which lies mainly in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, England around 8 miles to the north of Birmingham. Streetly lies on the border of Birmingham and Walsall and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is adjacent to Aldridge, Sutton Coldfield, Great Barr and Four...
area of Walsall. Dozens of families had to be evacuated. Eleven fire trucks, from stations as far away as Erdington
Erdington
Erdington is a suburb northeast of Birmingham city centre, England and bordering Sutton Coldfield. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
, and a high-volume pump from Sheldon
Sheldon
-Places:Australia*Sheldon, Queensland*Sheldon Forest, New South WalesUnited Kingdom*Sheldon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland*Sheldon, Derbyshire, England*Sheldon, Devon, England*Sheldon, West Midlands, England*Sheldon Manor, Chippenham, WiltshireUSA...
, attended. A fire service boat was also deployed. The West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
, police helicopter, ambulance service and a specialist Automobile Association
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
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.