Dale Dike Reservoir

Dale Dike Reservoir
Dale Dike Reservoir (dam)
Location	Sheffield
Coordinates	53°25′05″N 1°38′25″W / 53.41796°N 1.64036°WCoordinates: 53°25′05″N 1°38′25″W / 53.41796°N 1.64036°W
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Dale Dike
Primary outflows	Dale Dike
Basin countries	United Kingdom

Dale Dike Reservoir or Dale Dyke Reservoir (grid reference SK240913) is a reservoir in the north-east Peak District, in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England, a mile (1.6 km) west of Bradfield and eight miles (13 km) from the centre of Sheffield, on the Dale Dike, a tributary of the River Loxley.

Along with three other reservoirs around the village of Bradfield — Agden, Damflask and Strines — it was constructed between 1859 and 1864 by the Sheffield Waterworks Company to guarantee a supply of water to power the mills downstream and to supply drinking water to the growing population of Sheffield.^[1] The architect was John Gunsen.^[2]

Great Sheffield Flood

Remains of the Dale Dyke Dam after the flood.

In 1864 the newly built dam failed, causing the Great Sheffield Flood, which caused massive damage downstream along the Loxley and Don and through the centre of Sheffield. There were 244 fatalities.^[3][4]

The new dam

The dam was rebuilt in 1875 and is still in use, holding 446 million imperial gallons (2,030,000 m³) of water, now used exclusively for domestic purposes.^[5] It is owned by Yorkshire Water, part of the Kelda Group.

References

1. A COMPLETE HISTORY of the GREAT FLOOD AT SHEFFIELD
2. "Meet The Gunsons". Retrieved 1 December 2015.
3. New Page 4
4. Bradfield and the Dale Dike Dam Disaster
5. Yorkshire Water :: Dale Dike reservoir

External links