History
of the Huddersfield Water Supplies
By T. W. Woodhead
CHAPTER IX - SERVICE RESERVOIRS
VARIATIONS DURING DROUGHT PERIODS
The head of flow from our collecting reservoirs has such
a force (700 feet O.D. at Longwood to 1,268 feet O.D. at
Wessenden Head) that a direct supply from them to the consumers
would burst the supply pipes in both houses and business
premises. To avoid this, Break Pressure Tanks have been
constructed at suitable levels and localities which serve
also as Service Reservoirs, and from these, supplies of
filtered water are delivered to particular districts. There
are eighteen of these service reservoirs, as shown in the
accompanying list and numbered 1-18, the sites of which
are indicated by corresponding numbers on the Huddersfield
Waterworks Map. The total capacity of the eighteen service
reservoirs is 11,918,937 gallons, which together with that
of nine impounding reservoirs gives a total of 1,726,918,937
gallons.
Parliamentary powers were obtained in the Acts of 1869,
71, 76 and 80 to supply certain districts outside the County
Borough, and the total area now authorized to be supplied
by the Corporation amounts to 51,824 acres, with a population
in 1936 of 165,135. The present are of the Borough is 14,149
acers, with a population of 123,030.
| Reservoir |
Altitude O.D. (ft) |
Completed |
Approximate Capacity |
| 1. Spring Street |
389 |
Constructed under Act of 1827 |
399,400 |
| 2. Snodley |
500 |
Mar. 14th, 1874 |
1,250,000 |
| 3. Lindley |
750 |
Jan. 30th, 1875 |
570,000 |
| 4. Longwood |
433 |
Feb. 16th, 1876 |
140,720 |
| 5. Gleadhill |
696 |
Nov. 4th, 1876 |
280,000 |
| 6. Berry Brow |
525 |
May 14th, 1879 |
184,000 |
| 7. Kirkburton |
501 |
July 24th, 1879 |
46,000 |
| 8. Hall Bower |
650 |
August, 1879 |
90,000 |
| 9. Golcar, Clough Head |
975 |
Nov. 2nd, 1880 |
280,000 |
| 10. Lingards |
735 |
July 20th, 1881 |
9,817 |
| 11. Cowersley |
611 |
Sept. 4th, 1891 |
128,000 |
| 12. Deerhill. 3 filter beds |
1,096 |
July 14th, 1900 |
1,134,000 |
| 13. Windy End |
767 |
May 25th, 1901 |
200,000 |
| 14. Scapegoat Hill |
1,152 |
Oct. 16th, 1901 |
1,500,000 |
| 15. Shepley |
925 |
Oct. 26th 1904 |
2,000,000 |
| 16. Blackmoorfoot north. 2 tanks. |
791 |
January, 1916 |
2,087,000 |
| 17. Blackmoorfoot South. 2 tanks. |
791 |
October, 1918 |
890,000 |
| 18. Lindley, Hill Top |
836 |
December, 1922 |
730,000 |
| |
|
Total Capacity |
11,918,937 |
The Lindley service reservoir was opened by the Mayor,
Alderman Henry Brooke, and water was turned on, on January
30th, 1875.
At Gleadhill the first sod was cut by the Mayor, Alderman
J.F. Brigg, on May 18th, 1876 and completed and formerly
opened on November 4th, 1876.
Figure 49. Snodley Tank, West Hill
In 1933 a Filter Station equipped with pressure filters
replaced the old sand filters at Deerhill, and the three
filter beds were converted into service reservoirs ; they
have a total capacity of 1,134,000 gallons. To prevent pollution
of the filtered water in these three tanks they were covered,
in December, 1938, with a light steel and asbestos roof
; these were the first to be covered. In July of the same
year it was also decided to cover in, by the same method
the tank at Hall Bower. It is intended eventually to cover
in the remainder. The tank at Lingards was constructed solely
as a break pressure tank in connection with the supply from
Deerhill.
Figure 50. Lindley Tank, New Hey
Road
To increase the force of flow in the mains in certain areas
and at high levels, boosters have been installed, e.g.,
in 1928 at Berry Brow, and in 1933 boosters were installed
at Lepton and Hopton.
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