A THREE-YEAR construction project to create a new overflow spillway structure at Toddbrook Reservoir, Whaley Bridge, is expected to be finished by Christmas.
Construction of the new dam spillway is key to bringing the reservoir back into use after the former auxiliary spillway on the dam wall was damaged in the summer of 2019 following excessive rainfall.
The Canal & River Trust’s contractor, Kier, is now in the final stages of creating a waterside weir, tumble bay, stepped spillway channel and stilling basin, providing a new route for excess water to reach the River Goyt.
Redundant 1970s concrete panels and some 460 bags of aggregate dropped by Chinook helicopters on the dam wall during the emergency are being removed. The slope will be repaired and grassed over.
Dilwyn Parry, Toddbrook project manager for the CRT, said: “The end is now in sight. By the seventh anniversary of the incident, we should again have a beautiful working reservoir.
“The spillway channel was inspected and approved by a government-qualified civil engineer, allowing a new opening to be made in the dam crest to enable Kier to complete the final works on the spillway structure.
“All water from Todd Brook, which feeds the reservoir and gives it its name, is now flowing into the main reservoir, and this will eventually provide a regular flow down the spillway channel to create an attractive stepped waterfall feature through the town’s Memorial Park. During the coming spring, the reservoir will be allowed to refill naturally in carefully monitored stages.
“Early next year, work will start to create a replacement sailing club, the construction site will be reduced, and artwork will be applied to the new concrete turrets. The Memorial Park will be re-landscaped with new trees, paths, wildlife habitats and stone walls, new playground equipment installed, and the Whaley Bridge AFC football ground restored to its original size in time for the 2026/27 season.
“Toddbrook Reservoir will again be capable of supplying water to the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals. It will be restocked with fish and, hopefully by the summer, it will be fully restored as a community resource for sailing, angling and swimming.”
