SAFETY work at Grassholme reservoir costing £15 million will also offer significant benefits for anglers and sailors, visitors to an information event were told.
News of Northumbrian Water’s development plans were unveiled at the reservoir last week.
The water utility company’s operations manager Mike Ciaraldi said the decision to go ahead with the project was made following a government inspection.
He added: “We are legally obliged to do it. We need to drop the water level by four feet to give us the capacity when there are floods.”
This means the north and south spillways alongside the dam wall will have to be modified.
This includes reducing the height of the south spillway to reduce the water level and raising the height of both chute walls to increase capacity.
However, the lower water level will impact on fishing spots, particularly the area for disabled anglers, which will be too far from the water’s edge as a result of the work.
Mr Ciaraldi said a new platform will be built that will be Disability Discrimination Act compliant.
A current problem will also be resolved because plans are for the sail boat ramp to be moved to the other side of the fishing platform, resolving the need for boats to have to cross over the fishing lines when heading out onto the reservoir.
A new beach area will also be available for anglers to fish from.
The project manager said the development is dependant on Durham County Council approving planning permission for the project and it is hoped work can begin in spring 2020. A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said: “A second phase of work, anticipated for 2021 to 2022, is currently being investigated.”
Mr Ciaraldi added: “As well as the [information] event, we have created a space on our online community portal where we will be posting regular updates and where people can ask questions directly to the team throughout the work.”
People can access the portal by visiting the website nwl communityportal.co.uk.
