For the previous article in this series please see:
“The August Heatwave(s) in Cornwall“
There ultimately proved to be two official heatwaves in August, but Autumn now seems to have arrived in North Cornwall. It is currently raining, but it remains to be seen how quickly the decline in Cornish reservoir levels can be reversed.
Earlier today the South West Lakes Trust updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs:
South West Water also provide graphs for the largest two:
The water level at Colliford reduced by 3.1% of its total net capacity last week. Stithians fell by 3.2%. Our local Crowdy Reservoir declined by 2% over the week and Upper Tamar reservoir is down to 24% of its total net capacity.
[Edit – September 7th]The recent rain in Cornwall doesn’t seem to have slowed down the decline of the water levels in our reservoirs much. South West Water have released last week’s water level data for Colliford and Stithians reservoirs, which look like this:
The water level at Colliford reduced by 2.4% of its total net capacity last week. Stithians fell by 3.0%, and is now down to 24.2% of its total net capacity.
[Edit – September 9th]The South West Lakes Trust have now updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs:
Thanks to the recent rains the water level at Crowdy Reservoir has stabilised at 40%. However Upper Tamar is down another 3%.
[Edit – September 15th]Here’s the last four weeks record from the automated rainfall gauge 49104 at Colliford Lake:
Some of that rain is now making its way into Cornish reservoirs. For some reason South West Water haven’t updated their graphs yet. However the latest South West Lakes Trust table of the water levels in Cornish reservoirs reveals this :
Crowdy has increased by 1%, which is welcome news in the Davidstow area! Stithians has stabilised at 24%. However Colliford and Upper Tamar are both down another 1%.
[Edit – September 21st]After missing last week’s update South West Water have released two weeks worth of water level data for Colliford and Stithians reservoirs, which now look like this:
With the advent of the current “Indian Summer” here in Cornwall the decline in reservoir levels has unfortunately resumed.
[Edit – September 24th]The South West Lakes Trust have now updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs:
Among the smaller reservoirs Crowdy is holding steady, but Upper Tamar is down another 2% to 18% of net capacity.
[Edit – September 29th]South West Water have released last week’s water level data for Colliford and Stithians reservoirs:
It has been raining here in North Cornwall recently, but the reservoir levels are still dropping quickly:
The South West Lakes Trust have also updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs:
Upper Tamar is looking particularly unhealthy, with a mere 16% of total net storage still available.
[Edit – October 5th]South West Water have released water level data for Colliford and Stithians reservoirs during the last full week of September:
Stithians has recovered slightly from its minimum during the week, and now contains 18.7% of its total net capacity once again. However even with the recent rain in our neck of the woods, Colliford has declined 1.7% over the week to 20.2% of net capacity.
[Edit – October 12th]South West Water have released another week’s worth of water level data for Colliford and Stithians reservoirs:
Despite some recent rain the apparently inexorable decline in water levels continues. The water level at Colliford reduced by 1.9% of its total net capacity last week. Stithians fell by 3.0%, and is now down to 15.7% of its total net capacity.
[Edit – October 19th]At long last there are signs that the continuing decline in water levels in the bigger Cornish reservoirs is starting to slow down. Colliford Lake has fallen to 16.9% of total net capacity, a 1.4% drop last week
However Stithians fell by a comparatively modest 1.0%, to 14.7%.
After missing a week the South West Lakes Trust have suddenly updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs to October 23rd:
The format has changed, and the water levels now include one decimal place. They reveal that, although levels are increasing in the smaller reservoirs, Colliford Lake has fallen to 15.3% of total net capacity, a 1.6% drop last week. Stithians fell by 0.9%, to 13.8%.
[Edit – November 2nd]At long last it looks as though following all the recent rain Cornwall’s largest reservoirs are beginning to fill with water again. Here’s the last four weeks record from the automated rainfall gauge 49104 at Colliford Lake:
According to South West Water’s latest water level data, on October 30th the lake had risen to 15.3% of total net capacity from 14.9% the previous week:
Stithians Reservoir is now at 14.0% of total capacity, up from 13.8% last week:
Comparing 2022 with the previous years shown in the graphs suggests that much more rain will need to fall on Cornwall over the next few months for us to avoid “hosepipe bans” and worse in the summer of 2023.
The next article in our “Drought 2022” series can be viewed at:
The forecast thunderstorms have reached Davidstow:
Whether the welcome rain helps fill up Cornwall’s reservoirs remains to be seen, but it has already caused an unwelcome, but sadly not unexpected, side effect:
Several beaches in North Cornwall and further afield have already been subject to sewage pollution:
The South West Lakes Trust have updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs:
Whilst water levels in the larger reservoirs are still declining, Upper Tamar has stabilised and Crowdy has increased by 4% .
Long may that continue!
The South West Lakes Trust have updated their table of the current water levels of Cornish reservoirs to October 9th:
Our local Crowdy Reservoir is slowly filling up again. Sadly the same is not true of Upper Tamar, which seems to be stuck at 16% of total net capacity
South West Water have released their weekly graphical view of the water levels in the two largest reservoirs in Cornwall. The final value for Colliford is less than the one in the table recently released by the South West Lakes Trust, which leads me to wonder if that data was misdated: