Broomhead Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Ewden Valley, near

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

in South Yorkshire, England. The reservoir is located to the south of

Bolsterstone Bolsterstone is a village in South Yorkshire, England, south of Stocksbridge, and 8.5 miles to the northwest of the City of Sheffield and within the city borough. It lies on the border of the Peak District national park. Bolsterstone had a pop ...

and is linked to the

More Hall Reservoir More Hall Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Ewden valley near Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The reservoir is situated to the south of Bolsterstone and is linked to the Broomhead Reservoir to the west. Carr House Meadows, a local na ...

to the east. It covers of land and can hold more than 1,000 million gallons of water.

History

The reservoir, like the neighbouring More Hall Reservoir, was first planned by the Corporation of Sheffield in the late 19th century after a chronic shortage of clean water around the city had led to outbreaks of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

. Broomhead was planned to be the main "supply" reservoir. Following a dispute over who owned the rights to the land, construction of the reservoirs started in 1913, but was interrupted because of the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and did not restart until 1920. Four years later, workers noticed a land slip north of the reservoir site while digging a channel, which required a 50-foot drain and removing 400,000 cubic yards of soil to fix. Work was completed in 1934. Ground movement continued to be problematic after the reservoir began to be used, and required further remodelling the landscape and removing another 160,000 cubic yards of soil. In all, remedial work on the reservoirs is believed to have cost as much as the original construction. The reservoir was originally maintained by the Sheffield Corporation Waterworks Department. It is now operated by

Yorkshire Water Yorkshire Water is a water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, part of North Lincolnshire, most of North Yorkshire and part of Derbyshire, in England. The company has its ...

Tourism

The reservoir and surrounding land are open for ramblers. In 2014, the weir leading the reservoir was unblocked to allow wild

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

to reach it for the first time. Fishing is allowed in the reservoir, as is sailing and water sports. Broomhead, like several other reservoirs, has had problems with people swimming in hot weather. In 2012, a group set up a camp by the reservoir and built a rope swing for people to dive into the water. Yorkshire Water condemned the action, highlighting the reservoir has a strong current that could prove fatal even for experienced swimmers. Despite signs reading "Cold water kills – bathing prohibited" around the reservoir, it has continued to attract open water swimmers.

References

Bibliography

* {{Reservoirs in Yorkshire Reservoirs of the Peak District Reservoirs in South Yorkshire Geography of Sheffield