Nearly £1m will be spent in the coming months on strengthening Chard Reservoir to protect local communities from flooding.

Chard Reservoir was originally constructed on the River Isle in 1842 to provide water for the Chard Canal, which closed in 1868.

South Somerset District Council purchased the reservoir in 1990 and turned it and the surrounding land into a nature reserve, which has become popular with dog walkers and anglers.

The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) announced in March that it would be working with Somerset Council (which inherited the site in April 2023) to protect the surrounding area from flooding and thus guarantee its future.

The council has now appointed Kier to undertake a major scheme to strengthen Chard Reservoir’s barrier, with work expected to get under way in the run-up to Christmas and accelerate in the new year.

READ MORE: Chard reservoir works that will reduce flooding set to start

 

The project involves building a low wall along one section of the reservoir to reduce the risk of the reservoir failing.

In the worst case scenario, such a failure could lead to severe flooding downstream through the River Isle catchment (which includes Donyatt and  Ilminster), leading to potential loss of life and significant damage to property.

Currently, the chance of flood waters overflowing and leading to failure of the dam in any given year is approximately one in 5,000 – whereas with the wall in place, this reduces to about 1 in 400,000.

The scheme will be phased with work on culverts taking place before Christmas, with the wall and stabilisation works likely to start in the New Year.

Up to £991,000 will be spent on this project, with £831,000 being set as the main budget and the council allocating a further £160,000 for contingencies.

Councillor Graham Oakes, portfolio holder for public health, climate change and the environment, said: “This is a crucial project that will significantly reduce the risk of the reservoir dam failing.

“I am grateful to our partners for their support and to the SRA for its significant contribution.”

The SRA set its annual budget in March, dedicating nearly £527,000 – roughly one-fifth of its budget – towards “urban water management” schemes, which are designed to reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas.

Of the £991,000 allocated for the scheme,  £426,595 comes from this part of the SRA budget.

Of the remainder, £473,405 comes from the council’s capital programme (which is partially funded through external borrowing) and £99,000 comes from ringfenced funding inherited from the former district council.

SRA chairman Mike Stanton said: “Our involvement in this scheme means it’s about more than warding off dam failure.

“Because our core purpose is to reduce the risks and impacts of flooding, wee are funding a substantial level of extra work to increase the reservoir’s emergency capacity.

“This will decrease flood risks to nearly 1,000 properties and it will benefit a wide area from Chard down to Muchelney.

“For example, being able to hold back more water before it gets to the River Isle should help to reduce flooding of the A358 at Donyatt, which happened several times in 2023.”

A full ecological survey has been undertaken and wildlife in the area around the reservoir will be monitored throughout the duration of the work.

A small number of self-seeded trees along the dam’s crest will have to be removed or reduced, with others having to be removed due to ash dieback.

Chaffcombe Lane will remain open to allow residents and businesses access, but traffic lights will be in operation while the work is carried out.

People will still be able to visit and fish, using the Oakland Avenue car park – but the Anglers car park on Chaffcombe Lane will be closed until the work is completed.