Chasewater

Chasewater
The reservoir in January 2013
Location	near Burntwood, Staffordshire
Coordinates	52°39′51″N 1°56′30″W / 52.664074°N 1.941686°W / 52.664074; -1.941686Coordinates: 52°39′51″N 1°56′30″W / 52.664074°N 1.941686°W / 52.664074; -1.941686
Type	canal reservoir
Primary inflows	Big Crane Brook, Little Crane Brook, Norton Brook, Chasetown Brook
Primary outflows	via culvert to Anglesey Branch of Wyrley and Essington Canal
Catchment area	9 square kilometres (2,200 acres)
Basin countries	England
Managing agency	Staffordshire County Council
Built	1797 (Rebuilt after breach, 1800)
Max. length	2.04 kilometres (1.27 mi)
Max. width	0.61 kilometres (0.38 mi)
Surface area	1.08 square kilometres (270 acres)
Average depth	3.4 metres (11 ft)
Max. depth	11.3 metres (37 ft)
Water volume	4,400,000 m3 (4.4 billion litres)
Shore length1	5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) 788 open milez
Surface elevation	152 metres (499 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Chasewater is a reservoir located in the parish of Burntwood and the district of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. Originally known as Norton Pool and Cannock Chase Reservoir, it was created as a canal feeder reservoir in 1797. The reservoir was created to directly supply the Wyrley and Essington Canal and maintain levels in the 160-mile Birmingham Canal Network. During a period of great industrial growth in the Black Country region the maintenance of water levels in canal infrastructure was essential and Chasewater was in great demand. As canals became less essential for transport of goods during the mid-20th century, the reservoir diversified and became a popular public amenity with activities such as water-skiing, sailing, wakeboarding and cycling. Chasewater is the third largest reservoir by volume in the county of Staffordshire and the largest canal feeder reservoir in the West Midlands.

An Act of Parliament received Royal Assent on 28 March 1794, entitled "An Act for extending the Wyrley and Essington Canal", this authorised a long extension, from Sneyd past Lichfield to Huddlesford Junction on the Coventry Canal, together with the raising of up to £115,000 to complete construction. As part of the Act the Wyrley and Essington Canal Company were required to provide a water source to keep the new length of canal topped up.

A site in the Crane Brook Valley was selected to be dammed to create a reservoir which would provide water to the new stretch of canal. Excavations started in the valley floor in 1796 and were used to build earthwork dams along the eastern and western edges of the reservoir. A feeder channel to supply water to the canal was cut through from the eastern dam to the top of the locks at Ogley Hay 1.5 miles to the south east.