Kielder Water

Kielder Reservoir
Kielder Reservoir
	Kielder Dam in 2007
	Kielder Reservoir
Location	Northumberland
Coordinates	55°11′N2°30′W/ 55.183°N 2.500°W
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	River North Tyne,Kielder Burn, Lewis Burn
Primary outflows	River North Tyne
Basincountries	England
Managing agency	Northumbrian Water
Built	1975–1981
First flooded	1982
Max. length	5.65 miles (9.09 km)
Max. width	2 miles (3.2 km)
Surface area	10.86 square kilometres (2,680 acres)
Water volume	200 billion litres (44×109imp gal)
Shore length1	27.5 mi (44.3 km)
Surface elevation	184 m (604 ft)
Islands	1
Sections/sub-basins	Bakethin Reservoir
	1Shore length isnot a well-defined measure.

Kielder Wateris a large man-made reservoir inNorthumberlandinNorth East England.It is the largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom by capacity of water and it is surrounded byKielder Forest,one of the biggest man-made woodlands in Europe. The scheme was planned in the late 1960s to satisfy an expected rise in demand for water to support a booming UK industrial economy.

Kielder Water is owned byNorthumbrian Water,and holds 200 billion litres (44 billion gallons, or 0.2cubic km), making it the largest artificial reservoir in the UK by capacity (Rutland Wateris the largest by surface area). It has a 27.5-mile (44.3 km) shoreline, is 24.6 miles (39.6 km) from the sea,^[1]and has a maximum depth of 52 metres (170 ft).

Etymology

The nameKielderwas first recorded in 1309 asKeldre.^[2]Originating as a river name,^[2]Kieldermay have the same origin as the various rivers namedCalder,such asthe one in West Yorkshire.^[2]^[3]The name may be derived from theBrittoniccaleto-/ā,with the root sense of "hard" (Welshcaled),^[3]suffixed with-duβrmeaning "water" (Welshdwr).^[3]

Derivation from the Gaeliccaol dobharmeaning "narrow stream" has also been suggested.^[4]

Construction

After the scheme was approved by Parliament in 1974, work to build the reservoir and the dam at the hamlet of Yarrow in the Kielder Valley began in 1975. The reservoir and dam were designed for Northumbrian Water by consulting civil engineersBabtie, Shaw and Morton.^[5]^[6]^[7]Sir Frederick Gibberd and Partnerswere responsible for architectural aspects.^[8]Earth moving and infrastructure construction was undertaken in a joint venture withAMECandBalfour Beatty.^[9]

The design meant the loss of numerous farms and a school. About 95 people had been resident in the area prior to its development.^[10]The formerpermanent wayof theBorder Counties Railwaywas also taken away through the development of the reservoir.

Work was completed in 1981. QueenElizabeth IIofficially opened the project the following year. The valley took a further two years to fill with water completely.

Operations

The reservoir's purpose is to provide compensating discharges into theKielder Transfer Scheme,where water can be transferred to theNorth Tyne,Wearand theTeesto support abstractions of water further downstream while maintaining minimum acceptable levels in the rivers in times of drought.

There are two main visitor centres at Kielder Water – Leaplish waterside park and Tower Knowe visitor centre – and other facilities atKielder,Falstoneand Stannersburn villages. It is also one of the region's major tourist venues, attracting more than 250,000 visitors a year who come to enjoy the facilities.

Hydroelectric plant

Kielder Water is also the site of England's largesthydroelectricplant. It was opened by QueenElizabeth IIon 26 May 1982 and is owned byNorthumbrian Water.In December 2005,RWE Npower Renewablesbought the rights to operate the plant and sell the electricity generated by it, with a contract lasting until 2025. Following the takeover, the turbines were refurbished in 2005–2006, which increased the efficiency of theelectricity generation.Controls were also updated, so that the plant can be operated fromDolgarrogin Wales.

The plant generates electricity using dual turbines which produce 6megawattsof electricity. This comes from a combination of a 5.5 MWKaplan turbine,which generates electricity when water release takes place, and a 500 kWFrancis turbinethat generates constantly from the compensation flow of water from the reservoir into theNorth Tyne.This gives the reservoir an average production of 20,000MWhof electricity per year, a saving of 8,500 tonnes ofcarbon dioxideper year compared to fossil fuel based methods of generation.^[11]

Notes

Citations

^"Kielder Water".British Lakes. Archived fromthe originalon 15 January 2017.Retrieved1 December2017.
^^a ^b ^cMawer, Allen (1920).The Place-names of Northumberland and Durham.Cambridge: CUP Archive. p.92.
^^a ^b ^cJames, Alan."A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence"(PDF).SPNS – The Brittonic Language in the Old North.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 August 2017.Retrieved25 November2018.
^"The place-names of England and Wales".Retrieved17 July2017.
^Coats, D.J. and Ruffle, N.J. (1982) "The Kielder Water Scheme" Proc. Instn. Civ. Engrs, Part 1, Vol 72, May, 135-147.
^Coats, D.J. and Rocke, G. (1982) "The Kielder Headworks" Proc. Instn. Civ. Engrs, Part 1, Vol 72, May, 149-176.
^Coats, D.J., Berry, N.S.M.B. and Banks, D.J. (1982) "The Kielder Transfer Works" Proc. Instn. Civ. Engrs, Part 1, Vol 72, May, 177-208.
^"North Tyne – Kielder Reservoir".Bridges on the Tyne.Retrieved26 February2013.
^"Structure Images of the North East".University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2011.
^"KIELDER WATER RESERVOIR PROJECT (Hansard, 20 March 1973)".api.parliament.uk.Retrieved25 June2021.
^"Water power on a large scale"(PDF).Tynedale Renewable Energy Trail.p. 1. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 November 2015.Retrieved7 November2015.

References

McCulloch, C.S."The Kielder Water Scheme: the last of its kind?"(PDF).University of Oxford.

External links

[1] "Kielder Water".British Lakes. Archived fromthe originalon 15 January 2017.Retrieved1 December2017.

[pnnd-2] Mawer, Allen (1920).The Place-names of Northumberland and Durham.Cambridge: CUP Archive. p.92.

[bliton-3] James, Alan."A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence"(PDF).SPNS – The Brittonic Language in the Old North.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 August 2017.Retrieved25 November2018.

[4] "The place-names of England and Wales".Retrieved17 July2017.

[5] Coats, D.J. and Ruffle, N.J. (1982) "The Kielder Water Scheme" Proc. Instn. Civ. Engrs, Part 1, Vol 72, May, 135-147.

[6] Coats, D.J. and Rocke, G. (1982) "The Kielder Headworks" Proc. Instn. Civ. Engrs, Part 1, Vol 72, May, 149-176.

[7] Coats, D.J., Berry, N.S.M.B. and Banks, D.J. (1982) "The Kielder Transfer Works" Proc. Instn. Civ. Engrs, Part 1, Vol 72, May, 177-208.

[8] "North Tyne – Kielder Reservoir".Bridges on the Tyne.Retrieved26 February2013.

[9] "Structure Images of the North East".University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2011.

[10] "KIELDER WATER RESERVOIR PROJECT (Hansard, 20 March 1973)".api.parliament.uk.Retrieved25 June2021.

[hydro_electric-11] "Water power on a large scale"(PDF).Tynedale Renewable Energy Trail.p. 1. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 November 2015.Retrieved7 November2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]