URPoint Details
Blagdon Lake lies in a valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, close to the village of Blagdon and approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Bristol. The lake still provides drinking water but also acts as a fishing lake. It provides a habitat for a range of flora and fauna and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The original suction tanks, which formed the water supply for the steam boilers powering the pumping engines, are now used for trout rearing. The eastern end is the shallowest where the River Yeo enters. When full it contains 8,456,000,000 litres (1.860×109 imp gal; 2.234×109 US gal) and supplies 9,547,000,000 litres (2.100×109 imp gal; 2.522×109 US gal) of water each year. The dam extends 175 ft (53 m) below ground to the solid rock underlying the valley. The lake is well known for trout fishing from its banks and the fleet of 18 rowing boats for hire. The suction tanks which originally supplied water to the steam boilers for the pumping engines are now used as to stock this and surrounding lakes such as Chew Valley Lake and the Barrow Tanks. Blagdon Lake is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of 212.7 hectares (526 acres), created in
- Type:
- Landmark