Virtual reality drop-in day Bewl Water
Members of the public were able to use virtual reality headsets to view being inside excavation vehicles, where a more than £30 million of investment upgrading is happening at Bewl Reservoir.
More than £30 million upgrade at Bewl Reservoir
Members of the public were able to use virtual reality (VR) headsets to get an insider’s view of being inside excavation vehicles and see first-hand how the upgrades of a Southeast reservoir are taking shape.
Visitors to Bewl Water’s drop-in day on Tuesday 29 October were able to experience what it’s like to be inside some of the cutting-edge equipment being used by our engineering teams on-site.
The VR headsets provided a hyper-realistic simulation of what it is like to be inside some of the vehicles being used in the project, such as excavators, dumpers and bulldozers.
The works taking place are part of a more than £30 million of investment in upgrading Bewl Reservoir, by adding three hydraulic syphons into the northern end of the reservoir’s wall. The syphons lower the level of water so that the reservoir walls can be repaired when needed.
The upgrades will future proof the reservoir against the effects of climate change.
Work started in April last year and is expected to finish during the winter of 2025/2026.
Tamzyn Janes, Project Manager at Southern Water said:
“Visitors seemed to enjoy the drop-in day and the virtual reality headsets were a hit, they gave an insight into how our engineers carry out the complex work.
Like all reservoirs, Bewl is regularly inspected, and we constantly carry out improvements when needed. We have invested more than £30 million in this project, with the installation of three hydraulic syphons into the wall to keep the reservoir safe and secure.”
Our teams were on hand during the drop-in day and provided information about our other activities, such as water efficiency tips and advice on what you should and shouldn’t flush down the toilet. Plus, details of the work being done by our Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, to reduce the use of storm overflows.
Bewl Facts
- When full Bewl holds the equivalent of one gallon of water for every man, woman and child on earth.
- Bewl Reservoir is the largest body of water in the South East.
- The reservoir can hold 31,000 million litres, nearly 7,000,000,000 gallons of water – enough to cover the height of six London buses stacked on top of one another.
- Up to 26 million litres of water can be treated every day.
- Bewl Reservoir has the capacity to provide up to 150 litres of water a day for nearly 200 million people.
- The surface area of Bewl is the same size as 436 Wembley football pitches .