Inventory of reservoirs amounting to 90% of total UK storage
https://doi.org/10.5285/f5a7d56c-cea0-4f00-b159-c3788a3b2b38
Cite this dataset as:
Durant, M.J.; Counsell, C.J. (2018). Inventory of reservoirs amounting to 90% of total UK storage. NERC Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/f5a7d56c-cea0-4f00-b159-c3788a3b2b38
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By accessing or using this dataset, you agree to the terms of the relevant licence agreement(s). You will ensure that this dataset is cited in any publication that describes research in which the data have been used.
This dataset is made available under the terms of the Open Government Licence 
This dataset is an inventory of reservoir details for the UK. It provides information, including reservoir location, type (impounding or non-impounding), use (water resources, hydro-electric, ecological, flood storage, canal), capacity, planning date, construction date, catchment National River Flow Archive (NRFA) gauge references and membership of a reservoir group, based on current usage within the CEH Monthly Hydrological Summary (https://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/monthly-hydrological-summary-uk). The dataset comprises 273 individual reservoirs, which amount to approximately 90% of total UK reservoir storage. Data quality has been recorded, using a data flag system and a notes section, with references relevant to each reservoir provided.
Publication date: 2018-07-20
View numbers valid from 01 June 2023 Download numbers valid from 20 June 2024 (information prior to this was not collected)
Format
Comma-separated values (CSV)
Spatial information
Study area
Spatial representation type
Tabular (text)
Spatial reference system
OSGB 1936 / British National Grid
Temporal information
Temporal extent
1789-01-01 to 2001-12-31
Provenance & quality
Information on reservoirs and their capacity was collected from the Environment Agency under Open Government Licence through a Freedom of Information request, and the UK Lakes Portal (CEH). Information was then gathered from internet searches. The quality of source data has been identified wherever possible through the use of a data flag system, and use of the notes section. References are supplied for all information within the inventory.
The composition of reservoir groups were confirmed through correspondence with Water Companies responsible for submitting storage volumes for the Hydrological Summaries, produced by CEH. The inventory includes reservoirs up to 1,600 megalitre (Ml) capacity, as well as reservoirs below this capacity that are included within reservoir groups for which there is historic storage information and sufficient information on planning and construction dates. The threshold of 1,600 Ml was decided, based on less available information for smaller reservoirs, and that 1,600 Ml equates to approximately 90% capacity of all reservoirs in the Reservoirs Act 1975.
The composition of reservoir groups were confirmed through correspondence with Water Companies responsible for submitting storage volumes for the Hydrological Summaries, produced by CEH. The inventory includes reservoirs up to 1,600 megalitre (Ml) capacity, as well as reservoirs below this capacity that are included within reservoir groups for which there is historic storage information and sufficient information on planning and construction dates. The threshold of 1,600 Ml was decided, based on less available information for smaller reservoirs, and that 1,600 Ml equates to approximately 90% capacity of all reservoirs in the Reservoirs Act 1975.
Licensing and constraints
This dataset is made available under the terms of the Open Government Licence
Cite this dataset as:
Durant, M.J.; Counsell, C.J. (2018). Inventory of reservoirs amounting to 90% of total UK storage. NERC Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/f5a7d56c-cea0-4f00-b159-c3788a3b2b38
Related
This dataset is included in the following collections
Citations
Coxon, G., Addor, N., Bloomfield, J.P., Freer, J., Fry, M., Hannaford, J., Howden, N.J.K., Lane, R., Lewis, M., Robinson, E.L., Wagener, T., & Woods, R. (2020). CAMELS-GB: hydrometeorological time series and landscape attributes for 671 catchments in Great Britain. Earth System Science Data, 12(4), 2459–2483. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2459-2020
Bloomfield, J.P., Gong, M., Marchant, B.P., Coxon, G., & Addor, N. (2021). How is Baseflow Index (BFI) impacted by water resource management practices? Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 25(10), 5355-5379 https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5355-2021
Salwey, S., Coxon, G., Pianosi, F., Singer, M.B. & Hutton, C. (2023) National‐Scale Detection of Reservoir Impacts Through Hydrological Signatures. Water Resources Research 59. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022wr033893
Supplemental information
Correspondence/contact details
Durant, M.
HR Wallingford Ltd
Kestrel House, Crowmarsh Gifford
Wallingford
Oxfordshire
OX10 8BA
UNITED KINGDOM
m.durant@hrwallingford.com
Wallingford
Oxfordshire
OX10 8BA
UNITED KINGDOM
Other contacts
Custodian
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
info@eidc.ac.uk
Publisher
NERC Environmental Information Data Centre
info@eidc.ac.uk
Additional metadata
Keywords
Funding
Natural Environment Research Council Award: NE/L010127/1
Last updated
21 March 2025 13:35