Ponden Reservoir

Ponden Reservoir is an artificial upland lake in the Worth Valley, near Stanbury, West Yorkshire, England. Ponden was built as a compensation reservoir after the nearby Watersheddles Reservoir (upstream) was used to divert water away from the River Worth. Ponden was needed to regulate the flow of water down the river into the downstream mills in the valley.

Ponden Reservoir
A lake surrounded by green fields and bracken
Ponden Reservoir
Location if the reservoir in West Yorkshire
Location if the reservoir in West Yorkshire
Ponden Reservoir
LocationStanbury, West Yorkshire, England
Coordinates53.830°N 2.010°W / 53.830; -2.010
TypeCompensation
Primary outflowsRiver Worth
Catchment area2,540 acres (1,027 ha)
Built1871–1876
Surface area25 acres (10 ha)
Water volume30,500,000 cubic feet (865,000 m3)
Shore length11.2 miles (2 km)
Surface elevation768 feet (234 m)
References[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The reservoir is owned and managed by Yorkshire Water, and is used as a recreational waterbody by a sailing club.

History

Ponden Reservoir was completed in 1876 as a compensation reservoir on the River Worth in West Yorkshire.[2] An estimate in 1853 accounted for 16 mills between the site of Ponden Reservoir and where the River Worth ended in Keighley.[3] The tender for construction of Ponden (and Watersheddles) was awarded to Walker and Taylor of Crewe in June of 1870.[4] But the construction was beset by problems with the puddle trench (needed for the dam wall), being sunk to a depth of 67 feet (20 m) before finding rock. Other issues with building the reservoir changed the original timeline from 1 year and nine months, to five years.[5] By 1874, the height of the dam wall had been built to a height of 26 feet (7.9 m), and 222 men were working on the project.[6]

The influx of navvies to construct both Watersheddles and Ponden reservoirs, created a separate local industry; brewing. It was said that the navvies needed two things; beef and beer,[7] and a brewery was built to service their needs at Scar Top, which was at the north eastern end of the dam wall at Ponden Reservoir.[8]

Keighley Corporation Water Works operated the reservoir until 1959, when it was amalgamated into the newly created Craven Water Board (CWB).[9] The CWB, itself, was subsumed into Yorkshire Water in 1974.[10][11] In 2022, Yorkshire Water commissioned a 1.2 miles (1.9 km) pipeline to connect Walshaw Dean Upper Reservoir to Ponden Reservoir, which allows for the transfer of water to Ponden. During the 2022 drought, this enabled reservoir levels at Ponden to be increased from a 20% low, to 80%.[12]

Hydrology and wildlife
The Worth Valley reservoirs and their drinking water supply.

Water for Ponden Reservoir either flows downstream from Watersheddles reservoir, or through the streams that feed the reservoir separately. One of the major tributaries is Ponden Clough, which flows over sandstone beds, typically composed of grit, mudstone and Keighley Bluestone (a hard wearing stone used in road building locally).[13] A catchment tower was built at the head of Ponden Clough which takes water away from the stream and straight into Watersheddles by the means of a conduit.[14]

The water quality of Ponden is rated as moderate for ecological purposes, and good for its chemical composition, by the Environment Agency.[15] The surrounding peatland contributes to the discolouration of the water held in the reservoir.[16] Water from Ponden is now supplied to two water treatment works at Oldfield and Sladen Valley, as well as regulating the flow of water into the River Worth.[17] Water from Ponden is only pumped to Oldfield WTW if the supply from Watersheddles is disrupted in any way.[18]

The River Worth is noted for the presence of brook lamprey, which have been recorded just south of Ponden Bridge.[19] In 2017-2018, a fish pass was installed into the reservoir.[20] Canada geese are often seen on the reservoir, and reports of mink on the edges have been prevalent since the 1980s.[21]

Leisure

Ponden Water Sports Club use the site for canoeing, sailboarding and sailing.[22]

References
  1. "Ponder[sic] Reservoir Water Body ID 30489". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  2. Hewitt 1985, p. 124.
  3. "The Bradford Water Works Bill". The Bradford Observer. No. 1, 002. Column E. 5 May 1853. p. 5.
  4. "Keighley Local Board". The Bradford Observer. No. 2, 332. Column E. 15 June 1870. p. 3.
  5. Dewhirst, Ian (5 February 2009). "Ponden puddle scene was set for a rip-roaring era". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  6. "Keighley Local Board". The Bradford Observer. No. 3, 572. Column C. 10 June 1874. p. 3.
  7. Hewitt 1985, p. 125.
  8. Wood & Palmer 2009, p. 88.
  9. "Looking Back Friday, August 29, 2008". infoweb.newsbank.com. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  10. "Craven's long, hot summer when the rain never came". Craven Herald. 5 September 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  11. "Craven through the years". infoweb.newsbank.com. 13 June 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  12. Mitchinson, James (7 December 2022). "Yorkshire hosepipe ban lifted as wetter than average autumn fills reservoirs". The Yorkshire Post. p. 6. ISSN 0963-1496.
  13. "Ponden Clough, Haworth" (PDF). wyorksgeologytrust.org. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  14. Wood & Palmer 2009, p. 91.
  15. "Ponden Reservoir". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  16. "PR19 – Yorkshire Water's submission to DWI" (PDF). yorkshirewater.com. December 2017. p. 37. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  17. "Drinking Water Quality DWI Submission; Long-term Statement on Drinking Water Quality" (PDF). yorkshirewater.com. May 2018. p. 42. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  18. "PR19 – Yorkshire Water's submission to DWI" (PDF). yorkshirewater.com. December 2017. p. 42. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  19. Sunderland, Kevin (December 2013). "River Aire Fish Populations 2012". The Naturalist. York: Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. 138 (1, 084): 166. ISSN 0028-0771.
  20. "Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2018" (PDF). yorkshirewater.com. p. 4. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  21. Hewitt 1985, p. 33.
  22. "Recreational Tenants | Yorkshire Water". www.yorkshirewater.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.

Sources
  • Hewitt, Peggy (1985). These Lonely Mountains; a Biography of the Brontë Moors. Huddersfield: Springfield Books. ISBN 0-947655-07-7.
  • Wood, Steven; Palmer, Ian (2009). Oxenhope & Stanbury Through Time. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 978-1-84868-523-9.
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