Water Levels & Water Quality
We are lucky to be using a reservoir that in general uses water extracted from the River Yeo and springs fed by the Mendip hills. This means that our water quality is exceedingly good as it does not have run off from farmland, nor does it have sewage issues. Full details can be found here.
The downside is that because we have such great quality water, and this IS a reservoir, the water company tends to use our reservoir as a first port of call for drinking water. As you will appreciate, there is a natural rhythm to the water levels, with winter rainfall filling the reservoir up, and then it slowly reducing in volume as the weather dries up and usage increases over the summer.
Water levels can be monitored here, and to give an indication, anything less than around 40% full would mean restrictions on use of the water. Reasons for restrictions include inability to launch safety boats and deep mud to get to the water. Please note that we can only launch from specific points around the club house side of the reservoir. Also, there are some underwater obstructions that resurface with low water, such as anchor points for wartime barrage balloons. These can have a severe detrimental effect to boats and fins hitting them ....
Over the past years, if water activities have had to be cancelled, it has been late August through to mid-October, sometimes more, sometimes less. As at 8/11/2025 Cheddar reservoir storage is currently at 44%. On the same date in 2024, storage was at 79%. 2025 has seen the lowest level of rainfall over the Mendips for over 20 years. This has resulted in activities being cancelled from late July through to mid-November. Below is a graph of rainfall (RNAS Yeovilton) compared to the number of sailing days lost due to low water. As can be seen, there is a direct correlation between the rainfall and days lost.
If you are joining the club in mid to late summer it is very worth your while looking at the water levels and the recent rainfall, and asking a club member whether they feel the water will be closed shortly. Club membership subscriptions take into account the fact that the club may only be operational for ten months of the year! Refunds are rarely given as the club still has operational costs to pay.