DOLLIS HILL RESERVOIR IS PUT INTO OPERATION

Thames Water’s newest reservoir, at Dollis Hill, went into operation for the first time this afternoon (Monday), supplying drinking water to 250,000 people across north-west London.

The reservoir, which will replace others at Barrow Hill and Shoot-Up Hill, has a capacity of 50 million litres and has been designed to meet demand for the next 20 years.

The construction work, which began in August 2000, has cost around Ł7.5 million. There have been an estimated 3,300 lorry journeys in and out of the site in Brook Road, removing about 36,000 tonnes of soil and bringing in approximately 18,250 tonnes of concrete.

Like many reservoirs, the structure is made up of two “cells” – allowing maintenance or repair work to be carried out on one while the other remains in operation. Each cell took about a week to clean thoroughly, and the gradual filling of the reservoir, along with careful testing of the water quality, took a further week.

The reservoir is partly buried beneath the ground, with the roof covered over by earth. Seeding and landscaping work is planned for later in the year.

Ed Pemberton, Thames Water’s Project Manager, said: “It is very satisfying to finally put Dollis Hill Reservoir into use, and see the culmination of all our efforts.

“We would like to say a big thankyou to local residents, who have put up with our work over recent months.”

The reservoir was built on land originally purchased in 1903 by the since-defunct Metropolitan Water Board, which knew that the hill-side site would potentially be a good location for a reservoir, as water could be fed into the supply system by gravity.



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