Abberton Reservoir


Abberton Reservoir is a large, shallow freshwater storage reservoir located close to the coast of Essex on the east of England. It is the largest freshwater body in Essex. It lies south-west of Colchester near the village of Layer de la Haye. The reservoir is the fourth largest reservoir in England with an area of. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and also a Ramsar site, designated an internationally important wetland. It is a Special Protection Area, and it is listed in the Nature Conservation Review. A small part of the site is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.
The reservoir contains around. It is a pumped storage reservoir, meaning that water is pumped from the rivers Chelmer, Blackwater and Stour to fill it, rather than simply relying on rainfall in the limited catchment area. The reservoir was formed by damming a shallow river valley.
Plans to increase the capacity of Abberton reservoir to by raising its bank height were completed in 2015.

Ecology

On its margins are found well-established plant communities that provide important opportunities for feeding, nesting and shelter. Abberton Reservoir is important as an autumn arrival area for waterbirds that then spend the winter elsewhere.

Protected areas

It was designated a Special Protection Area on 5 December 1991 as a result of its over-wintering populations of golden plover, gadwall, shoveler and teal and for its breeding population of cormorants. In addition there are significant numbers of black-tailed godwit, lapwing, coot, goldeneye, tufted duck, pochard, pintail, wigeon and great crested grebe.

World War II

The Reservoir was used by the RAF's 617 Squadron for practice runs for the bombing of the German dams in the Ruhr during World War II. Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the leader of the raid, referred to it as "Colchester Lake" in his auto-biography Enemy Coast Ahead. The reservoir was similar in shape to that of the Eder Dam in Germany which was attacked after the Möhne Dam had been breached. The Layer Causeway, from which the photograph was taken, was used as a substitute for the Eder Dam. Military police closed the causeway whilst the practice runs took place. Lancaster bombers fitted with special bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis were used . The last practice flight to Abberton was a full dress rehearsal of the attack and took place on the night of May 14, 1943; the attack on the dams in Germany took place on the night of May 16, 1943.
The site has a visitor centre on Church Road in Layer-de-la-Haye.