Toddbrook Reservoir open day to see how construction progress is going

The Canal and River Trust has entered a major construction phase in the restoration of Toddbrook Reservoir in Whaley Bridge, and the public is being invited to join the charity on Friday and Saturday July, 19 and 20 for a behind-the-scenes tour of the works.

Dilwyn Parry, Toddbrook project manager for the Canal and River Trust, said: “We are now expecting the main reservoir restoration work to be finished by summer 2025.

“This will be followed by demobilisation of the construction site, building the new sailing club and extensive landscaping to return Toddbrook Reservoir and Memorial Park back to public use.

“The entire project is likely to be finished around autumn 2025.

“We recognise this is later than hoped for, as set out in our original anticipated construction programme.

“Prolonged wet weather and difficult ground conditions have both proved challenging.”

The construction of a new spillway to the side of the reservoir is well underway, says the trust.

This will replace the one on the face of the dam, which was damaged in the summer of 2019 after excessive rainfall.

Over the last year, the Trust’s contractor, Kier, has excavated the route of the new spillway channel and installed hundreds of piles to support the new flow of water.

Work has now started to line the water channel, which will in future carry Todd Brook stream and any reservoir overflow down through the Memorial Park and into the River Goyt.

Once the main construction phase is complete, turrets in the Memorial Park, part of the reservoir’s new design, will be sandblasted with artwork created as part of a community art project by artist Tom Edwards.

Dilwyn said: “We are expecting the reservoir to refill naturally over the winter of 2025/26 and then hopefully be available again for public sailing, angling and other recreational activities from spring 2026.”

The open days will be operating free hour tours around the construction project between 10am and 3pm which includes an update on progress from project engineers.

Places are limited and may be booked in advance via the Canal and River Trust website: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/restoring-toddbrook-reservoir