The growing demand for water
Why were the reservoirs built?
In the 19th century urban areas, such as Bradford
and Leeds increased in size due to the Industrial Revolution.
The sky-line of Bradford became littered with the outline of mills
as large factories were built for the textile industry.
West and South Yorkshire had plentiful supplies of iron ore
and coal and the local sandstone made an excellent building
material for constructing the giant mills. The soft water of the
area was good for washing the raw wool and crucially it provided
the power for the ever-growing textile industry. In turn this
created the jobs that helped the population of the cities to
grow.
Cholera, a water borne disease, was rife during this period
because the cities' residents were drinking polluted water. There
was simply not enough clean water to serve the sewage
systems and to be drinking water for the growing
population.
The newly formed Bradford Corporation scoured the countryside
for suitable sites for reservoirs to meet the increasing demands
for clean water. The race was on!
For more information on the textile industry and the
Industrial Revolution please download our information
sheet.
Where were the reservoirs
built?
To build a reservoir you need a good water supply and
either:
- an area that is impermeable to water where you can build an embankment
- or an area with a valley where the valley sides act as natural walls.
The Nidd valley has high sides and a river that could be dammed, as well as a high average rainfall of 135cm each year and so it was an ideal site. Eleven reservoirs were built in the Nidderdale AONB. You can see the location of the reservoirs on the reservoir map.
For more information on the water cycle download our water cycle diagram.
