A Brief History

Information extracted by AI

Here is the chronological breakdown of the specific historical dates and milestones.

19th Century Foundation

* Session of 1898–99: The Corporations of Derby, Leicester, and Sheffield each promoted separate Parliamentary Bills to construct reservoirs in the upper Derwent and Ashop valleys.

* 9th August 1899: The Derwent Valley Water Act 1899 received the Royal Assent, establishing the joint Derwent Valley Water Board.

The First Instalment (Howden & Derwent)

* July 1901: First excavation work commenced for the construction of the Howden Dam.

* July 1902: Excavation work commenced for the construction of the Derwent Dam.

* 1908: The Board initiated its long-term systematic afforestation scheme.

* 1909: Population of Birchinlee temporary workers' village reached its maximum of nearly 1,000 people.

* 5th September 1912: Howden Reservoir was formally opened by Chairman Sir Edward Fraser, and the original slow sand filtration plant at Bamford was brought into use.

* 1916: The Derwent Reservoir was completed and brought into active use.

The Second Instalment (Ashop & Alport)

* 1920: The Board obtained legal powers via the Derwent Valley Water Act 1920 to divert the rivers Ashop and Alport, and to substitute unbuilt 1899 reservoirs with the Ladybower Reservoir scheme.

* 1921: Diverting infrastructure construction officially started.

* 1929: Mechanical pressure filters at the Yorkshire Bridge Filter House  were commissioned.

* 1930: The Ashop and Alport diversions were completed, raising the daily water yield to 20.064 million gallons.

The Third Instalment (Ladybower Reservoir)

* 1935: Construction officially commenced on the massive clay-core earthwork [Ladybower Dam].

* 1942–1944: Rapid gravity filter beds were built at Bamford to fully replace the original 1912 slow sand filtration system.

* 18th March 1943: Reservoir filling began when Chairman Alderman Sir Albert Atkey closed the main outlet valve.

* 25th September 1945: King George VI formally inaugurated the Ladybower Reservoir  scheme.

Post-War Catchment Additions

* 1944–1956: The Board obtained statutory powers to abstract supplementary water from the River Noe, Peakshole Water, and Bradwell Brook

* 18th April 1951: The River Noe Diversion works were officially inaugurated by Chairman Alderman John Clark.

* 7th July 1960: The Castleton and Bradwell Limestone Scheme was formally inaugurated by Alderman Mark Henig

* 1961: Construction of the Central Stores Depot and Workshops on Main Road, Bamford was completed.## Modern Administrative Adjustments

* 1st April 1962: The maximum aggregate volume allocated to Derbyshire local authorities was increased to 7.22 million gallons per day.

* 1961 & 1962 Statutory Orders: The South Derbyshire Water Board and North Derbyshire Water Board were created, absorbing local authority distribution rights.

* September 1963: The Board initiated planning reviews to completely modernize and expand the overloaded 33 m.g.d. filtration infrastructure.

* 1963: The Water Resources Act 1963 came into operation, replacing historical allocation rights with a new annual license system.

* 1965: Formal legal authorization was granted to expand final treated water capability up to 42 m.g.d..

* End of 1966: Structural construction started on the automated New Chemical Treatment Block and associated Contact Tank.

* 1st January 1970: The Derwent Valley Water Order 1969 came into force, reallocating standard bulk supply limits among the modern region's water authorities.

* 31st December 1970: Final statistical cutoff point detailing a total historical capital expenditure of £9,893,939, a 2,002-acre dedicated plantation footprint, and an annual delivery total of 17,915 million gallons across the calendar year.

Howden Reservoir

* Dam Type: Solid masonry.

* Storage Capacity: 2,050 million gallons.

* Dam Height: 117 feet.

* Dam Length: 1,080 feet.

* Water Surface Area: 157 acres.

* Catchment Area: 9,321 acres.

Derwent Reservoir

* Dam Type: Solid masonry.

* Storage Capacity: 2,120 million gallons.

* Dam Height: 114 feet.

* Dam Length: 1,110 feet.

* Water Surface Area: 183 acres.

* Catchment Area: 3,899 acres.

Ladybower

* Dam Type: Clay-core earthwork.

* Storage Capacity: 6,310 million gallons.

* Dam Height: 135 feet.

* Dam Length: 1,250 feet.

* Water Surface Area: 504 acres.

* Catchment Area: 31,622 acres.