Local Reservoirs & Dams

Contents:

• General Points

• Local Reservoirs

General Points

For many years, the town's water supplies came from wells and natural springs, such as the Well of St John the Baptist, and Well Head.

With the growing population in the 19th century – and the pollution of many wells – many private companies were set up to construct small reservoirs.

Mill-owners also built reservoirs to supply power to their mills – see Lumb Mill, Square Mill, and Wainstalls Mill.

There were disasters, as in 1852, when the Bilberry Reservoir at Holmfirth burst, drowning 81 people and causing much damage, or in 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam near Sheffield burst, killing 250 people.

In 1880, Wakefield City Council obtained powers to gather water and construct works in the Rishworth area. Reservoirs at Green Withens and Ringstone and dams at Upper and Lower Booth were constructed.

The local corporation later became responsible with the construction of reservoirs to provide drinking water and industrial supplies.

Victoria Reservoir was one of the first, and others were constructed to catch the water from the moorland.

Local Reservoirs

[1862] Albert Reservoir, Halifax Alexandra Reservoir, Sowerby Bridge Badger Hill Reservoir, Rastrick Baitings Reservoir, Ripponden Birds Royd House Reservoir, Rastrick Birks Hall Wood Reservoir Black Field Dam, Wainstalls Black House Reservoirs, Soyland Blackfield Dam, Warley Moor Blackstone Edge Reservoir Booth Dean Reservoirs Booth Wood Reservoir Brampton Dam, Luddendenfoot Brow Dam, Shelf Buckley's Dam, Todmorden Castle Carr Reservoir Catholes Dam, Todmorden Cold Acre Reservoir, Stainland Cold Edge Dams, Warley Moor Coldacre Reservoir, Stainland Cranberry Dam, Walsden Dean Head Reservoir Finkle Street Reservoir, Luddendenfoot Firth's Carpets mill dam Fixby Reservoir Flints Reservoir, Sowerby Fly Flatts Reservoir Folly Dam, Todmorden Gaddings Dam, Todmorden Gibbet Hill Reservoir Gorple Lower Reservoir Gorple Reservoirs Gorple Upper Reservoir Gorpley Reservoir, Todmorden Green Withens Reservoir Haigh Cote Dam, Wainstalls Hallin Hall Reservoir, Hebden Bridge Hanson Lane Reservoirs Hardcastle Crags Reservoir Hartshead Reservoir Heeley Dam, Mankinholes Heptonstall Service Reservoir High Lee Railway Dam, Luddendenfoot Hollin Hall Service Reservoir Hollins Dam, Sowerby Bridge Jagger Dam, Rastrick Krumlin Service Reservoir Lands Reservoir, Rastrick Lands Reservoir, Rastrick Leadbeater Dam, Warley Moor Lee Dam, Lumbutts

Light Hazles Reservoir Lower Booth Dean Reservoir Lower Dean Head Reservoir Midgley Moor Reservoirs [1867] Mixenden Reservoir New Top Reservoir Nibble & Clink Dam, Luddenden Noah Dale Dam, Colden Ogden Kirk Reservoir [1854] Ogden Reservoir Old Reservoir, Wainstalls Old Town Reservoir, Wadsworth Outram's Dam, Greetland Ovenden Reservoirs Portsmouth Reservoir, Todmorden Ramsden Clough Reservoir, Todmorden Ramsden Wood Reservoir Redmires Reservoir, Todmorden Ringstone Edge Reservoir Roils Head Reservoir Royds Hall Dam Ryburn Intake Reservoir Ryburn Reservoir Scammonden Reservoir Shoebroad Dam, Todmorden Soyland Service Reservoir Spa Clough Reservoir, Rishworth Spoon Dam, Shade Spring Dam, Wainstalls Stansfield View Reservoir, Todmorden Swamp Reservoir, Boulderclough Tong Royd Reservoirs, Elland Upper Booth Dean Reservoir Upper Booth Reservoir, Rishworth Upper Dean Head Reservoir Victoria Reservoir, Halifax Wade Wood Reservoir, Luddenden Walshaw Dean Middle Reservoir Walshaw Dean Reservoirs Walshaw Lower Reservoir Walshaw Upper Reservoir Warland Reservoir, Walsden [1864] Warley Moor Reservoir White Holme Reservoir White Wood Reservoir [1878] Widdop Reservoir Withens Clough Reservoir, Erringden Cote Hill Reservoir

Page Ref: MMR38

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