Dam Improvements at California Country Park
Improvements to the Longmoor Lake dam at California Country Park will begin later this month. Wokingham Borough Council is rebuilding the spillway, which controls the release of water from the dam, to better control flooding during heavy rainfall.
Work is set to begin on 19 April and will take about 10 weeks to complete. This is starting after the Easter holidays so visitors can enjoy the park during the school holidays. As well as the improvements to the dam, there will also be some footpath improvements to allow easier access to the site of special scientific interest at Longmoor Bog.
The circular route around Longmoor Lake will remain in place as a floating pontoon path will be installed to ensure visitors can still enjoy walking in the area. At times there will be some disruption for those visiting while vehicles and materials are moved through the park to the work area.
Natural England and the Environment Agency have approved the work, which will have no detrimental impact on wildlife in the area. Work is being carried out by Sanctus Limited, while the council is being supported through the project by Jacobs, the appointed reservoir engineer for the council.
Clare Lawrence, assistant director for place services at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “These works are essential to ensure the long-term reliability of the dam at California Country Park. It should cause minimal disruption to visitors, who will still be able to walk around the lake easily, but please take care while construction teams are moving through the site with materials and machinery.”
For all the latest information on everything going on at California Country Park, visit the relevant webpages.
