Cotswold Water Park
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Area of Search | Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SU0093 to SU2099 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 135 hectare |
| Notification | 1994 |
| Natural England website | |
The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system. The lakes were created over the last 50 years by extraction of glacial Jurassic limestone gravel, which had eroded from the Cotswold Hills, and these filled naturally after working ceased in the early 1970s.
It is not a water fun park, as the name might suggest. It is a significant area for wildlife and particularly for wintering and breeding birds. The local Wildlife Trusts (Gloucestershire and Wiltshire) are involved in partnership with the Cotswold Water Park Trust in working with local communities and organisations in the area. The Cotswold Water Park Trust is an environmental charity working to improve all 40 square miles of the Cotswold Water Park for people and wildlife. The lake area is very varied and encompasses a wide variety of recreational activities including sailing and fishing.
There are 147 numbered lakes.
The area is a mix of nature conservation activities (including nature reserves), recreation, rural villages and holiday accommodation. The site (Fairford Region; South Cerny Region; Coke's Pit Lake; Edward Richardson and Phyllis Amey reserve; Bryworth Lane reserve) is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). The lake numbers in the SSSI designation are listed.
Information may be found in detailed maps of locations and facilities, the Local Biodiversity Action Plan and other publications produced by the Cotswold Water Park Trust.
At 40 square miles the Cotswold Water Park has about the same area as the island of Jersey. It is that part of the Upper Thames catchment in North Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire which has been subjected to over 50 years of sand and gravel extraction. For ease of orientation, the Cotswold Water Park is split into three areas:
The Cotswold Water Park area sits low in an historic river valley and as such is exposed to fluctuations in ground water levels. Much of the farmland in this area is made up of flood meadows which take up water from the River Thames. Many of the lakes are connected by underground culverts, allowing transfer of water between them. There is also transfer of water through ground water feeds and via a myriad of ditches and streams. Restoration schemes for many of the active mineral workings are taking into account the vital function of these flood water storage areas, as well as creating an important habitat for a number of Local and UK Biodiversity Action Plan species (LBAP and UKBAP).
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