Grafham Water facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grafham Water |
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Grafham Water
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 Grafham Water
Location in Cambridgeshire
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| Location | Cambridgeshire |
| Coordinates | 52°17′53″N 0°18′54″W / 52.29810°N 0.31504°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | pumping (River Great Ouse) |
| Primary outflows | water treatment |
| Managing agency | Anglian Water |
| Built | 1965 |
| Max. length | 4.3 km (2.7 mi) |
| Max. width | 2.35 km (1.46 mi) |
| Surface area | 6.28 km2 (1,550 acres) |
| Max. depth | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Water volume | 57.8×106 m3 (2.04×109 cu ft) |
| Shore length1 | 16 km (9.9 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Grafham Water is a huge lake in Cambridgeshire, England. It's not a natural lake, but a special type of lake called a reservoir. Reservoirs are built to store water for people to drink.
Grafham Water is a very important place for nature. It's known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its amazing wildlife. It was given this special status in 1986.
This large reservoir is about 9.9 mi (16 km) around. At its deepest point, it goes down 21 m (69 ft). It's the eighth largest reservoir in England by how much water it holds. It's also the third largest by its surface area.
A big part of the western side of Grafham Water is a nature reserve. This area is looked after by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Contents
How Grafham Water Was Made
Grafham Water was created by building a large dam in 1965. This dam was made from earth and concrete. It was built by a company called W. & C. French.
The main purpose of Grafham Water is to provide drinking water for people. Water is taken from the reservoir and cleaned at a special Anglian Water treatment plant nearby. After it's cleaned, it's sent through pipes to homes and businesses.
Water for the reservoir is pumped in from the nearby River Great Ouse. There are two pumping stations that help with this. One is right behind the dam, and the other is at Offord Cluny. When there's a risk of floods in the river, Grafham Water can take in more water. This helps to lower the river's level and reduce flooding.
Home to Amazing Wildlife
Soon after Grafham Water was built, many different kinds of wildlife started to live there. That's why a nature reserve was created on its western side.
The nature reserve has different types of habitats. These include old woodlands that are hundreds of years old, newer planted woodlands, grasslands, and wet areas like reedbeds and willow trees.
Grafham Water is a very important home for birds, especially in winter. Lots of great crested grebes, tufted ducks, and coots spend their winters here. Many mute swans also come here in late summer to shed their old feathers.
There's even a pond in the nature reserve that is home to the warty newt. This type of newt is quite rare in the UK.
In January 2011, a new type of creature was found here for the first time in the UK. It was an invasive species called the killer shrimp.
Fun Activities at Grafham Water
Grafham Water is a popular place for many outdoor activities. People love to visit and enjoy the water and surrounding area.
Some of the fun things you can do at Grafham Water include:
- Sailing
- Fly fishing
- Cycling around the lake
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The Grafham Water reservoir from the air
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Ducklings at Grafham Water
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The Grafham Water dam
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Images for kids
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Grafham Water dam and aeration tower
