Where our water comes from
Most of our water comes from either rivers or reservoirs with a small proportion (about 15%) coming from underground sources, such as wells, springs and boreholes.
Bristol Water operates four major reservoirs – Chew Valley Lake, Blagdon Lake, Cheddar and Barrow – the total combined reservoir storage capacity is around 38 billion litres. This is enough to fill Wembley ten times over. We also take water from the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and this source helps us manage our reservoir levels.
We take our responsibility for preserving the water environment very seriously and we know our customers do too. Our water resources – reservoirs, rivers or other water sources – support the wildlife, habitats and species that rely on water directly or indirectly.
Our reservoirs are within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Some are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as they are home to protected plants and wildlife. It’s therefore critical we all carefully balance public water use with water needed for our environment to thrive.
