Severn Trent is to begin a £10m investment at its Draycote Reservoir this month, making essential upgrades so it can continue to supply the local community for many generations.

The project will see Severn Trent making Draycote Water deeper, by digging down into the reservoir in the embankments so it can store more water, which will raise the top of the water level on the reservoir slightly.

The innovative project and ways of working means Draycote can be expanded to hold more water, by making the reservoir deeper, not wider – not impacting the shape of the site or local area.

Once complete, Draycote will be able to hold and additional 1.4m cubic meters, around 560 Olympic sized swimming pools, allowing it to meet future water demands.

For the duration of the work, visitors will be able to enjoy a lower parking tariff, no matter how long they stay and the company is also carrying work in phases to minimise disruption.

To meet users of the reservoir interested in the work, Severn Trent will be hosting another drop-in session at Draycote Water outside the visitor centre, on Tuesday 21 October 2025, at Draycote Water, from 9am, until 4pm.

Janines Billington, Communications Officer at Severn Trent said: “This is a really exciting project, that’s seeing us expand a site like Draycote, without impacting the shape of it by making it deeper, not wider.

“Due to the size of Draycote already, by working in sections and digging down to create more storage – we are able to create enough storage to hold an additional 560 Olympic sized pools.

“It’s really important that we protect our water sources, and this project is seeing us look at our sites and invest in ways to make so they can meet future demands on water.”

Teams from Severn Trent will be meeting with users of the reservoir, and customers to explain about the work and ways of working.

For the work to go ahead safely, sections of the circular route will be closed meaning you cannot complete a full loop while works are happening. Visitor teams have been making users aware of the changes happening on site.

“We know people love to come and enjoy the walk around Draycote, so we are sorry that while this work begins, a section of the path will be closed – meaning you will not be able to walk the full loop, and have to turn back. We still want people to visit us, and there’s still plenty of the reservoir to enjoy – which is why we have lowered our parking charges.”

The circular route will be closed from 13th October, and work will be carried out in two phases:

• Phase one – around 12 weeks, working on two embankments, Toft Embankment and Farnborough Embankment, located on the east side of the reservoir with the track closed between the Visitor Hub and the Memorial Garden.
• Phase Two – a longer programme, as we’ll be strengthening 4 embankments. All works are planned to be completed by autumn 2026.

“This is a unique project for the area, that will bring huge benefits. We are looking forward to meeting the local community to share more about our plans and how we’ll be working at this much-loved local reservoir,” said Janine.

For updates on this project, please visit stwater.co.uk/planned-improvements.