Coombe Pool at Coombe Country Park will be lowered by 30cm heading into the summer to allow for essential maintenance work to Coombe Pool’s dam wall.
Coombe Pool is categorised as a high-risk reservoir, which forms part of the River Sowe catchment. The River Sowe runs through Coventry and has a dam wall which measures over 1km long and contains approximately 336,000m3 of water. The Pool was built in 1776 by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and is the second-largest reservoir in Warwickshire.
To ensure the ongoing safety of the reservoir and its dam wall, essential works are required to improve and maintain the features of the dam. The main improvements are:
- Maintenance to the historical bell mouth weir to ensure its longevity
- Repairs to the crest and downslope of the dam wall to create a uniformed height, improving the way that water flows over it
- Reprofiling to manage erosion around important reservoir structures
- Improvement of grass and light levels to limit erosion of the dam in the high water situations.
For this work to be completed safely, the water level in Coombe Pool will need to be lowered by 30cm. The Pool has not been drained since WWII, where it was fully drained because it was thought to have been used as a navigation aid by bombers targeting the city.
By lowering the water level, the flow of water will divert away from the usual outflow structures, allowing for safe access so repairs can be made.
Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sports and Parks and Deputy Leader, said:
“As the weather warms up over the next few months heading into the summer, we know that lots of people will be planning to visit the park. The park will remain open as usual, but the lower water will mean that some parts of the park will have fencing up and you may be able to see some silt exposed in shallower areas, but the works are essential to ensure that people can continue to enjoy the park and the Pool for many years to come.”
Coombe Pool Fishery will be closed for the duration of the works, which are planned to start during the closed season. The fishery will reopen as normal once all work has been completed and the water levels have been restored.
Councillor Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, said:
“Whilst some areas of the park may look a bit different over the coming weeks, people coming to visit will still be able to enjoy the spaces as they usually would.
“Maintaining our green spaces is very important and our Park Rangers will be working hard monitoring the oxygen levels in the lake to ensure that our wildlife is protected.”
Works will begin in the coming weeks and will be underway heading into the summer.