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Meldon Reservoir
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Meldon Reservoir
50°42′11″N 4°02′24″W / 50.703°N 4.040°W
Meldon Reservoir is a man-made fresh water reservoir near Okehampton, Devon. The reservoir is the last of eight reservoirs to be constructed within the Dartmoor National Park.
The reservoir was built to dam the Meldon Gorge, through which the West Okement River flows, and supplies water to North Devon.
The Meldon Gorge is one of the most deeply incised glacial U-shaped valleys in North Dartmoor. The gorge was noted as having exceptional scenery and being a haven away from the military training areas of Dartmoor.
The North Devon Water Board was suffering from ongoing shortages of water, and was faced with rationing of supply. In the year prior to the completion of the reservoir, the board was considering emergency plans for extreme rationing.
The exploration of the Meldon Gorge started in the early 1960s, and in 1962 an application was made to sink trial boreholes. This was objected to and a public inquiry was held.
The plan for the reservoir was heavily contested by a range of bodies, including the Commons, Open Spaces and Footpaths Preservation Society, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Ramblers Association, the Youth Hostels Association, and the Dartmoor Preservation Association (and in particular DPA chairman Sylvia Sayer), as well as by the Dartmoor National Park Committee and the Duchy of Cornwall.
The objectors suggested an alternative site at Gorhuish, a few miles away, as an alternative. This alternate site was opposed because of its use as agricultural land, including by Baron Clifford of Chudleigh.
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Meldon Reservoir
50°42′11″N 4°02′24″W / 50.703°N 4.040°W
Meldon Reservoir is a man-made fresh water reservoir near Okehampton, Devon. The reservoir is the last of eight reservoirs to be constructed within the Dartmoor National Park.
The reservoir was built to dam the Meldon Gorge, through which the West Okement River flows, and supplies water to North Devon.
The Meldon Gorge is one of the most deeply incised glacial U-shaped valleys in North Dartmoor. The gorge was noted as having exceptional scenery and being a haven away from the military training areas of Dartmoor.
The North Devon Water Board was suffering from ongoing shortages of water, and was faced with rationing of supply. In the year prior to the completion of the reservoir, the board was considering emergency plans for extreme rationing.
The exploration of the Meldon Gorge started in the early 1960s, and in 1962 an application was made to sink trial boreholes. This was objected to and a public inquiry was held.
The plan for the reservoir was heavily contested by a range of bodies, including the Commons, Open Spaces and Footpaths Preservation Society, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Ramblers Association, the Youth Hostels Association, and the Dartmoor Preservation Association (and in particular DPA chairman Sylvia Sayer), as well as by the Dartmoor National Park Committee and the Duchy of Cornwall.
The objectors suggested an alternative site at Gorhuish, a few miles away, as an alternative. This alternate site was opposed because of its use as agricultural land, including by Baron Clifford of Chudleigh.
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