Whittlesey (Nene) Washes Flood Storage Reservoir lies to the south of the River Nene, east of
Peterborough.
The Washes have been utilised as a flood storage area, in some form, since the 16th Century. They are formally registered under the Reservoirs Act (1975) and are now a critical flood risk asset for the River Nene and local area.
• The reservoir is approximately 20km long and up to 1.4km wide in places, and covers an area of 1,450 hectares
• It can temporarily store the equivalent of 14,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of flood water
• It reduces the risk of flooding to properties as well as roads, railways and more than 8,000 hectares of farmland in the fenland area to the south east of Peterborough
The Dog-in-a-Doublet Sluice, located north of the Washes, allows the release of water into the tidal Nene. As with all tidal sluices, the River Nene will not discharge water during the high tide period. This is when the river is 'tide-locked'. When there is heavy or prolonged rainfall, and as much water as possible hasb been stored in the River Nene, the utilise the Washes to store flood water. This will also help mitigate any flood risk associated with the tide-lock period on the River Nene during extreme rainfall.
In flood conditions, water is diverted out of the River Nene and into Moreton's Leam through Stanground Sluice to start filling the Washes. During an extreme flood event, water will also overflow the Cradge Bank (on the south side of the River Nene) into the Washes when levels in the river are high. The South Barrier Bank then contains the flood water on the Washes to the south, creating the flood storage area.
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