Crucial safety works at Yorkshire reservoir to protect dam amid rising rainfall

A hugely popular walkway at Swinsty Reservoir, which serves part of the region's water supply, was partially closed to the public this week as work began on a £6m safety project which will last until 2022.

Citing a crisis in Whaley Bridge, where homes were evacuated after a Derbyshire dam nearly burst its banks, the water body has said it must take preventative action to ease the chances of such a disaster occuring in Yorkshire.

Rising rainfall and global warming is putting pressure on the dam's Victorian stonework, a spokeswoman said, as planning documents detail how work will serve to protect the lives of those living downstream as well as heritage assets.

"We are seeing increased rainfall, year on year, and problems with flooding," said Shona England-Lees, representing Yorkshire Water.

"If we look back to the time of the Boxing Day floods a lot of reservoirs were spilling over their banks - there was so much rainfall our reservoirs couldn't hold it all.

"If we don't put in planned changes it could damage the embankment and cause the dam to break - flooding the Washburn Valley," she added.

"These are huge limestone blocks. When there is a big storm, some stones can pop open, because it is so forceful. The work will keep them enclosed."

Swinsty Reservoir was built by Leeds Waterworks in the 1800s, as demand for water began to outstrip supply amid a population boom fueled by industrialisation.

One of four reservoirs in the Washburn Valley, alongside Fewston, Lindley Wood and Thruscross, it was originally intended as a water supply for Leeds but now serves as part of Yorkshire Water's wider grid, transferring water as and when needed.

Swinsty, measuring about 61 hectares at surface level and sited on the outskirts of Harrogate, has its water taken out for treatment before finding its way to the region's homes and businesses.

The reservoir itself, built with a 24m dam and still described in planning documents as a "testament to Victorian civil engineering", is to see its stonework reinforced to make it more resilient.

Under the Reservoirs Act 1975, independent inspectors had assessed the work as "crucial", warning there is potential for an erosion of spillway banks which could lead to landslips.

The spillway walls and causeway bridge are to be raised to protect the embankment, with ambitions for the work to be completed by the end of summer 2022.

Climate change

This summer, Yorkshire Water issued a call to be conscious of water use, as levels in its reservoirs dipped following a drop in rainfall and with more people suddenly at home.

Increasingly, said Ms England-Lees, it was seeing such "extremes", with hot summers followed by wet winters, and while the industry is yet to see its "plastics moment" over the impact of water use, there are important questions to be asked around climate change.

Last summer, more than 1,500 people were evacuated from the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge, amid fears the dam wall at the Toddbrook Reservoir would collapse after heavy rain.

A report later concluded the near-disaster was caused by poor design and poor maintenance, with Environment Secretary George Eustice calling on all reservoir owners to heed lessons in ensuring a continued safety.

Such an emergency put into context the importance of maintaining safety and preventative works, Ms England-Lees said, even if it meant closing the footpath for such a length of time.

"That was a real near miss - and people understood the risk," she said. "That is the exact situation we could face if we don't do this work, to keep up and to constantly adapt to a changing environment.

"Everybody loves it up there, it is such an amazing reservoir to visit," she added.

"They have been a part of the environment for such a long time now they have become a part of the furniture. We have to do the background work and look after them properly."

Alternative footpaths

Yorkshire Water supplies around 1.24bn litres of drinking water to five million people every day, running 130 reservoirs, 700 treatment and over 62,000 miles of mains.

The £6m project aims to strengthen the spillway on Swinsty's east bank, to ensure that its overflow protects the embankment by diverting excess flows.

An alternative footpath has been put in place for 18 months at Swinsty Reservoir, for the thousands of walkers and families who use the route. The new path, which is more uneven, is advised for more experienced walkers while appropriate footwear will be needed.

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