File:Norton Fitzwarren Dam - geograph.org.uk - 1408455.jpg

"The project comprises the construction of a 450-metre-long earth dam across the valley of the Halse Water. It is 5.25m high at its highest point and when full will impound 750,000 cubic metres ... It has a clay core and sheet-pile cut-off, with all the bulk earthworks materials being won from site. The excavation resulting from this is being retained and turned into a valuable wetland feature.

A 2.5-wide by 2.0-metre-high culvert will allow normal flows to pass through the dam uninterrupted but will limit the amount of water that flows downstream during abnormally high flows and thus reduce flood risk. The dam will start to impound when flows exceed the capacity of the culvert but it is only expected to fill to the top when a flood event with a return period of one in a hundred years is experienced (with an allowance of an extra 20% for climate change) ... In gaining its award, key features of the project have included:

Winning all the bulk earthworks from within the site so as to minimise impact on local roads. and communities and CO2 emissions in transportation. Creating a permanent wetland in the resulting excavation Advanced Works Contract to remove hedgerows and temporarily exclude newts from the site. Creation of other ecological mitigation measures including a new pond and otter ledges. Landscaping to screen the hamlet from the dam".