Blackwater Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Blackwater Reservoir is a reservoir created behind a dam
in the mountains above Kinlochleven
, Lochaber
, Highland
, Scotland
. At over 914 m long, the dam is the longest in the Highlands.
The hydroelectric scheme was constructed in the early 1900s for the British Aluminium Company
(later: British Alcan) for the purpose of smelting aluminium and was designed by engineers Patrick Meik
and Charles Meik
. Chief assistant resident engineer was William Halcrow
.
The dam, at 27 m high, was built at an elevation of over 305 m in rugged and almost inaccessible terrain, and involved the construction of some 6 km of concrete
aqueduct
and nearly 13 km of steel
pipe in total (4 x parallel pipelines).
The dam was built using hand tools, without the benefit of mechanical earth moving machinery, and has been described as the last major creation of the traditional 'navvy
' whose activities in the construction of canals and railways left an indelible mark on the British countryside.
The power house and aluminium smelting plant were situated in Kinlochleven, which is adjacent to the sea loch Loch Leven.
In recent years the smelting works has closed and has mostly been demolished albeit that a few buildings remain and have been given over to other uses, including a climbing wall which - unusually - has a refrigerated face so that people can practice ice climbing.
The power station now produces electricity for the aluminium smelter in Fort William, supplementing the supply from the Lochaber Hydro Scheme. Any surplus energy is sold to the national grid for public supply. Consequently the dam, penstocks and other works associated with it remain in use.
A number of workers lost their lives constructing the dam; their graves, which are marked by concrete markers, are close to the dam.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
in the mountains above Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven is a village in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven, a sea loch cutting into the western Scottish Highlands. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe...
, Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
, Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. At over 914 m long, the dam is the longest in the Highlands.
The hydroelectric scheme was constructed in the early 1900s for the British Aluminium Company
British Aluminium
The aluminium producer British Aluminium Ltd was originally formed as the British Aluminium Company Ltd on 7 May 1894 and was subsequently known as British Alcan Aluminium Plc...
(later: British Alcan) for the purpose of smelting aluminium and was designed by engineers Patrick Meik
Patrick Meik
Patrick Meik was an English engineer and part of a minor engineering dynasty. His father Thomas Meik was also an engineer, as was Patrick's brother Charles Meik.Both boys were born in Crowtree Road, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland....
and Charles Meik
Charles Meik
Charles Meik was an English engineer and part of a minor engineering dynasty. His father Thomas Meik was also an engineer, as was Charles' brother Patrick Meik; collectively, they established a company which is now one of the UK's major engineering consultancies.Both boys were born in Crow Tree...
. Chief assistant resident engineer was William Halcrow
William Halcrow
Sir William Halcrow was one of the most notable English civil engineers of the 20th century, particularly renowned for his expertise in the design of tunnels and for projects during the Second World War.-Early years:...
.
The dam, at 27 m high, was built at an elevation of over 305 m in rugged and almost inaccessible terrain, and involved the construction of some 6 km of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
and nearly 13 km of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
pipe in total (4 x parallel pipelines).
The dam was built using hand tools, without the benefit of mechanical earth moving machinery, and has been described as the last major creation of the traditional 'navvy
Navvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
' whose activities in the construction of canals and railways left an indelible mark on the British countryside.
The power house and aluminium smelting plant were situated in Kinlochleven, which is adjacent to the sea loch Loch Leven.
In recent years the smelting works has closed and has mostly been demolished albeit that a few buildings remain and have been given over to other uses, including a climbing wall which - unusually - has a refrigerated face so that people can practice ice climbing.
The power station now produces electricity for the aluminium smelter in Fort William, supplementing the supply from the Lochaber Hydro Scheme. Any surplus energy is sold to the national grid for public supply. Consequently the dam, penstocks and other works associated with it remain in use.
A number of workers lost their lives constructing the dam; their graves, which are marked by concrete markers, are close to the dam.
External References
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00c3k9h
- http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/blackwater.shtml
- http://www.panoramio.com/photo/19553751