Ladybower Reservoir
The Ladybower Reservoir is a reservoir in the valley of the Derwent in Derbyshire, England. The lake is named after the Howden Reservoir and the Derwent Reservoir, the third and final reservoir through which the Derwent flows. The reservoir has the shape of the letter "Y " and it was at the time of its construction the largest reservoir in the United Kingdom.
History
The Ladybower Reservoir was built in 1935-1943 to secure the growing demand for drinking water, which the first two reservoirs has not been covered.
With the filling of the reservoir, which lasted almost 2 years, the villages of Derwent and Ashopton sank in the water. The village Ashopton was about there where the Snake valley with the road from the Snake Pass is still on the valley of the Derwent meets. The remains of the village are so deep that they themselves are no longer visible at low tide. In contrast, stand the remains of the village of Derwent. A narrow stone bridge (called a Pack Horse Bridge ), which led earlier over the River Derwent in the same place, was demolished and rebuilt at the top of Howden reservoir as part of the way around the reservoir. It is the only constantly visible even rest of the place, which can be seen at extreme low water in the dam still in outline. The Derwent Dam Derwent Dam Museum am reminded today of the lost villages.
The war broke out in 1939 hampered the construction work, as labor and building materials were scarce, but the building was classified as essential to the war and continued at a slower pace.
The dam was inaugurated on 25 September 1945 by King George VI. , Who was accompanied by the later Queen Elizabeth II.
The building
The dam of the Ladybower reservoir is different from the other two dams in the Derwent Valley from a clay- filled and faired with earth embankment, which is secured to the reservoir side with a brick stone wall. In order to prevent water from leaking out of the lake, there are at the foot of the valley side of the dam a trench up to the mountain slopes range of 150 m wide on both sides and at a depth of 55 m and a width of 1.8 m concrete is covered. The original dam was increased in the 1990s to prevent overflow during extreme flood situations.
The special feature of Ladybower Reservoir are his two 24 -m-wide raid funnel near the dam, which derive flood more than 4.6 m wide outflows under normal circumstances.
And ... on overflow
The built of reinforced concrete Ashopton Viaduct led the A57 Glossop to Sheffield at about the point of the village Ashopton over the reservoir and also built of reinforced concrete Ladybower Viaduct carries the A6013 from the south end of the lake with the A57.
The Ladybower Reservoir is managed by Severn Trent Water and discharged its water over the Derwent Valley Aqueduct for use as drinking water.