River Loxley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids River Loxley
The Rivelin (left) joins the Loxley (right) at Malin Bridge
Country	England
Physical characteristics
Main source	Damflask Reservoir nr Stacey Bank 600 feet (180 m) 53°24′38″N 1°34′16″W / 53.41056°N 1.57111°W / 53.41056; -1.57111
River mouth	River Don at Owlerton 190 feet (58 m) 53°24′02″N 1°29′13″W / 53.400526°N 1.486888°W / 53.400526; -1.486888
Length	6.2 miles (10.0 km)
Basin features
Basin size	16.8 square miles (44 km2)

The River Loxley is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It starts from several small streams about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Sheffield. These streams flow through Bradfield Dale and meet at Low Bradfield. The river then flows east through Damflask Reservoir. It is joined by Storrs Brook near Storrs and the River Rivelin at Malin Bridge. Finally, the River Loxley flows into the River Don at Owlerton. The Loxley valley was the path of the Great Sheffield Flood in 1864. This flood happened when the Dale Dyke Dam broke just before it was finished.

Water for the City: Sheffield's Reservoirs

The upper part of the River Loxley has four large reservoirs. These reservoirs hold drinking water for the people of Sheffield. In the past, Sheffield got its water from smaller reservoirs. But as the city grew, these small reservoirs were not enough.

In 1830, the Sheffield Water Company took over the job of supplying water. Their first big reservoir was built in 1836. This was the Redmires Middle Reservoir, created by damming Wyming Brook.

The Great Sheffield Flood and New Dams

More reservoirs were built as Sheffield's population kept growing. In 1864, the Dale Dyke reservoir was almost complete when its dam broke. This caused a huge flood that swept through the valley. About 250 people died, and many businesses were destroyed or badly damaged.

After the flood, the Sheffield Water Company had to pay a lot of money to people who lost their homes and businesses. To help pay for this, they were allowed to increase water prices by 25 percent. The company then started building more large reservoirs.

• Strines Reservoir was finished in 1869. It covers 54 acres (22 ha) and holds 2,059 million litres of water.
• Agden Reservoir was also completed in 1869. It covers 62 acres (25 ha) and holds 2,541 million litres.
• The new Dale Dyke reservoir, replacing the one that broke, was finished in 1875. It holds 2,118 million litres of water.

Public Water Supply

By 1887, the special charge on water rates ended. The Sheffield Water Company wanted to make this charge permanent and raise prices even more. However, the city leaders of Sheffield decided that water supply should be owned by the public. They proposed a law to buy the Water Company.

Both sides argued strongly, but a committee in the House of Lords agreed with the city. Sheffield Corporation bought the Water Company for over £2 million. They then took over the responsibility for providing water to the city.

Under the city's control, Damflask Reservoir was completed in 1896. This reservoir was built to keep the river flowing steadily, not for drinking water. It helped protect businesses that used river water or its power. Damflask Reservoir covers 116 acres (47 ha) and holds 5,037 million litres of water.

River Power: Mills and Industry

The River Loxley was very important for Sheffield's industrial past. The river drops about 280 feet (85 m) over 6 miles (9.7 km). This drop created enough power to run many mills, forges (places where metal is shaped), and grinding wheels. About 24 such sites, locally called "wheels," are known to have existed.

Each "wheel" included the mill building, other small buildings, and even homes for the owners. To power these, a wall called a weir was built across the river. This created a pond called a dam. Water flowed from the dam through a channel called a head goit to turn a water wheel. After turning the wheel, the water returned to the river through a tail goit. Sometimes, one dam could power several water wheels.

Early Mills and Their Uses

The earliest known mill was Low Bradfield Corn Mill, mentioned in records from 1219. It was destroyed by the 1864 flood but was rebuilt. It continued to use water power for a long time. It was later destroyed by fire during the Second World War.

In medieval times, there were corn mills at Bradfield, Damflask, and Owlerton. Cutlers' wheels (for grinding knives and tools) were used in Wisewood by 1521. After 1720, more industries developed quickly. From the early 1800s, heavier industries like forges started to replace or join the cutlers' wheels.

Many of the 24 mills and forges were damaged or swept away by the 1864 flood. Even though steam power was becoming popular, most of the rebuilt sites still used water power. Today, most of the mill buildings are gone, but some weirs and dams remain. You can still see water wheels at Malin Bridge corn mill and Low Matlock rolling mill.

Low Matlock Rolling Mill

Low Matlock Wheel was first mentioned in 1732. It started as a cutlers' wheel. By 1825, it had grown into three different works, with tilt hammers and forges for shaping metal.

The 1864 flood caused a lot of damage here. The owners asked for over £5,000 to fix it. The buildings you see today were built in 1882. The rolling mill is a very important historic building, listed as grade II*. It used water power until 1956. After that, its machinery was changed to run on electricity.

In 1999, most of the site was sold for new buildings. However, the rolling mill part was bought by a company called Pro-Roll Ltd. In 2006, they were still using teams of people to roll high-value metal bars by hand. Before new buildings were put up in 2001, archaeologists studied parts of the site.

The Damflask Reservoir, built in the 1870s, now covers the sites of old mills. These include Dam Flask Corn Mill (likely from 1219) and Dam Flask Wheel. Dam Flask Wheel was used for different things over time, including making paper and tools like scythes. By 1864, it was probably a wire mill. Four wire-drawers drowned there during the flood.

River Health: Water Quality

The Environment Agency checks the water quality of rivers in England. They give each river an "overall ecological status." This status can be high, good, moderate, poor, or bad. It depends on things like:

• Biological status: This looks at the types and numbers of tiny creatures (invertebrates), plants, and fish in the water.
• Chemical status: This checks if there are harmful chemicals in the water. It's rated either good or fail.

In 2015, the River Loxley's water quality was rated "moderate" for ecological status and "good" for chemical status. This means the overall status was "moderate."

The Environment Agency hopes to make the river's overall status "good" by 2027. The river channel has been changed a lot by humans, which affects its natural health. Reservoirs at the top of the river trap sand and gravel. This means less new gravel reaches the river downstream, which is important for fish. Also, there are not many smaller streams joining the upper and middle parts of the river to add new sediment.

The way water is released from Damflask Reservoir, and some large flood events, have washed away finer gravels. This leaves behind larger rocks, which are not ideal for fish to lay their eggs. Old weirs also make it hard for gravel to move and for fish to travel up and down the river. Some parts of the river have also been protected by hard banks or had their channels straightened.

Helping Fish Return

There's a project to help fish move more easily in the river. The goal is to help salmon return to the river to breed by 2020. This work will also help other fish like brown trout, grayling, eels, and lamprey. In 2012, most fish in the river were brown trout.

To help fish, an archaeological study was done in 2012. It looked at eight weirs along the river. Changing these weirs, which are historic structures, needs special permission. Changes are needed to build "fish passes" at each weir. Fish passes are like ladders or ramps that help fish get over obstacles.

Engineers from Arup Group studied how to help fish migration. They looked at weirs from Old Wheel to Owlerton Wheel. They considered different ways to help fish, such as:

• Removing part or all of a weir.
• Building a special fish pass.
• Creating a bypass channel around the weir.
• Making small changes to the weir to help fish (called "easement").
• Installing low-cost baffle systems (like small walls) to slow water down.

Removing a weir completely was only considered for Limbrick Wheel. It was not possible for Low Matlock Wheel because it's a protected ancient monument. It also wasn't possible for Olive Wheel, which has a flow measurement station. Partial removal of weirs was not thought to be the best solution.

For some weirs, "easement" was the main option. This means making small changes like adding notches, gaps, or rock ramps. These changes are designed to help fish move past the weir without major construction.

Protecting from Floods

In September 2014, Sheffield Council announced plans for a flood protection program. This program covers the Upper Don Catchment area, including the River Loxley. It aims to reduce the risk of future floods in the area.

Images for kids

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  The Rivelin (left) joins the Loxley (right) at Malin Bridge