Bewl Water is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in the valley of the
River Bewl
The River Bewl is a tributary of the River Teise in Kent, England. Its headwaters are in the High Weald, in Sussex between Lamberhurst, Wadhurst and Flimwell. The valley is deeply incised into Tunbridge Wells red sandstone, with a base of al ...
, straddling the boundary between
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
in England. It is about south of
Lamberhurst
Lamberhurst ( is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish contains the hamlets of The Down and Hook Green. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,491, increasing to 1,706 at the 2011 Census.
...
, Kent. The reservoir was part of a project to increase supplies of water in the area.
It supplies
Southern Water
Southern Water is the private utility company responsible for the public wastewater collection and treatment in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and for the public water supply and distribution in approximately ...
’s customers in the Medway towns,
Thanet Thanet may refer to:
*Isle of Thanet, a former island, now a peninsula, at the most easterly point of Kent, England
*Thanet District, a local government district containing the island
*Thanet College, former name of East Kent College
*Thanet Canal, ...
and
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
.
Work began to construct the reservoir in 1973 by
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
ming and then flooding a valley. It was completed in 1975 having been filled with over 31,300 million litres of water. The project cost £11 million to build.
[ It is now the largest body of inland water in south east England.
In winter, when the flow in the ]River Medway
The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
exceeds 275 million litres per day, river water is pumped to storage in the reservoir. There is an outline plan to raise the water level by a further 3m to increase the yield by up to 30% to help with the growing water demand in south-east England. This will however put further demands on the River Medway to supply the additional water required with the potential for environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...
in the river and the eco-systems that it supports.
Leisure use
Bewl Water Outdoor Centre offers a wide range of training, team building and adventure opportunities, on and around the reservoir. These include sailing and windsurfing (formerly through
Bewl Valley Sailing Club
Bewl Valley Sailing Club was a sailing dinghy and windsurfing club that had approximately 920 full members (1,400 capacity), but entered into insolvency administration in 2015 and closed. Its former premises at Bewl Water are now occupied by t ...
, now through Bewl Sailing Association Ltd), rowing and sculling (through Bewl Bridge Rowing Club), Canoeing, Kayaking and Pedalo hire (through Bewl Canoe Club), and trout & predator fishing. Paddle Boarding is also available. Recent years has seen the introduction of the Bewl Water Aqua Park, a floating obstacle course on the reservoir.
Away from the water, there are many walking and cycling routes around the 12 mile Round Reservoir Route. Laser Challenge and camping packages can be booked, both with traditional camping pitches or more glamorous Mongolian Yurts available.
There is also a waterfront cafe and conference facility that is available for venue hire, including weddings.
References
External links
Bewl Canoe Club
Bewl Canoe Club Facebook page
Bewl Sailing Association
Bewl Bridge Rowing Club
Bewl Water Reservoir water level
{{authority control
Tourist attractions in Kent
Drinking water reservoirs in England
Buildings and structures in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells
Parks and open spaces in Kent
Country parks in Kent
Sport in Royal Tunbridge Wells
Reservoirs in Kent
Ticehurst