Popular Lancashire reservoir walk reopens after £2m investment to secure safety
Essential work has taken place on the dam dating back to 1857.
The popular walking route around Anglezarke Reservoir has re-opened following completion of a £2m maintenance project on one of the reservoir’s historic dams.
The engineering works at Heapey Dam were essential to ensure the ongoing safety of the dam which was first constructed in 1857. The major project involved excavating 10m into the wall of the dam and inserting rows of interlocking piles.
Anglezarke Reservoir is the largest in the Rivington chain, it has three dams and a capacity of four million cubic metres, the equivalent of 1,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools. At 10m high and 85m long, Heapey Dam provides the embankment at the northern end of the reservoir and requires regular maintenance.
It is fed by the River Yarrow, which has been diverted from its original course which is now covered by the Knowsley Embankment. It served the city of Liverpool before its current status as a supply mainly for Wigan.
Iain Pilling, United Utilities’ Area Engagement Lead for Lancashire explained: “This is a really popular walk, and we’re delighted to reopen the circular footpath around the reservoir again in time for people enjoying some autumn sunshine.”
The walk is around 4.3 miles and takes around 2.5 hours to complete.
All United Utilities’ reservoirs and dams undergo regular safety checks and maintenance to ensure their ongoing reliability.