Harthill reservoir repair programme almost finished... at last

Low water level at Harthill reservoirLow water level at Harthill reservoir
Low water level at Harthill reservoir
A huge reservoir repair programme scheduled for completion in 2023 and projected to cost £5m is almost finished at last – but costs have more than doubled and a footpath for the public still needs extra investment.

The government-funded Canal and River Trust also say that while the construction phase at Harthill, Rotherham, is complete, the refilling won't be finished until the spring.

And they now forecast the programme of upgrades at the beauty spot will cost a total of £12 million.

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The area between Killamarsh and Thorpe Salvin – popular with ramblers, dog walkers and fishing enthusiasts – has had a chequered history.

Harthill reservoirHarthill reservoir
Harthill reservoir

In April 2023, the Advertiser exclusively revealed that the death of scores of fish at Harthill – which had initially been blamed on sabotage – was down to errors and equipment failure at the site.

The overall programme at the 200-year-old reservoir had been initially undertaken partly so it could become "resilient to climate change" as the planet warms up.

Yet heavy rainfall from autumn 2023 bogged down heavy machinery and made some work impossible.

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The costs continued to pile up, with forecasts from an initial £3m climbing to £5m and then £9.5m.

At the time, that was blamed to a degree on global increases in energy, fuel, materials and construction costs, as well as high levels of inflation.

Today a spokesman for the Trust told us: "The main reservoir upgrade works are now complete and the final stages of landscaping are underway.

"Approximately 100 new trees are being planted along with new hedgerows to be added along the timber fencing, as part of our commitment to help to increase biodiversity in the area.

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"The construction programme is complete. The refilling of the reservoir has begun and will likely finish by spring 2025. This is a complicated process and is also weather dependent."

The reservoir, populated in the past with carp bream and tench, is being restocked over the next few months.

As for the expense involved, the taxpayer and donation-funded Trust said: "£12 million is projected to be the final cost of the project."

The footpath across the "reservoir crest" was reopened on November 1.

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But the Trust would like to improve that, after feedback from locals.

"The initial project plans only included the like-for-like replacement of the surfaced path.

"The Trust considered feedback and requests for an improved path around the entire reservoir, but due to the rising costs of the project we were unable to increase the scope of the original project.

"We are looking for alternative sources of funding for a new project to improve the pathway around the entire reservoir.

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"As with any path or towpath improvement scheme, we will only be able to carry out such a project with external funding as our core charity funding must be allocated to the operational aspects of the waterway."

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