£1.1m cost to taxpayer to make reservoir safe

A million pound scheme has been agreed upon by the council to carry out essential safety work at the Sywell Country Park reservoir in case of an emergency.

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) says the project is needed to make sure water levels can be lowered quickly if the dam fails. In a 2022 inspection of the reservoir, the report identified a need to undertake a drawdown assessment of how fast the water level can go down, as well as further work to maintain the integrity of the dam.

Cllr Helen Harrison, NNC’s executive member for climate and green environment, stressed that there was no suggestion that the dam is currently failing but said it was “very important” that the council manage the project and deliver it on time.

The construction of Sywell Reservoir was completed in 1904. It was built to supply water to the Higham Ferrers and Rushden areas of Northamptonshire.

It has been assessed by the Environment Agency (EA) as a Flood Category A – the highest – where a breach of the dam could endanger lives in a community. As the landowner, the council has a duty to ensure the reservoir complies with the Reservoir Act 1975 and undertake any maintenance and repairs that are recommended by the inspecting engineer.

Subsequent assessments by the council’s engineers found that, in case of an incident, water would need to be drained from the reservoir faster than it is currently able to by installing a new siphon. The draining facility will only be used in an emergency when there is concern over the stability of the dam.

The EA has agreed an action plan with NNC, under which the authority must carry out works by September 2026 “in the interest of safety”. Failure to do so could lead to enforcement action from the EA.

NNC has said it will engage with the users of Sywell Country Park, including open water swimmers, to inform them of the planned works and impact.